Valonia and I practicing at THF a week ago
As much as I love David Bowie’s song Under Pressure, this is not exactly what I had in mind here. Rather, I am interested in how people handle the challenges of being put under pressure. Human beings are constantly put under stressful situations where anxiety is mounting and the pressure is really on. Some people step up to the plate, and others simply crumble to pieces. Lawyers experience pressure in the court room, surgeons must feel some amount of pressure in the operating room, and, of course, serious athletes are placed under a tremendous amount of pressure as well. Of course, there are millions of other individuals that undergo stressful situations too, though I am particularly interested in how athletes handle pressure.
How do you think Tom Brady would feel at the Super Bowl when the score is tied, there’s less than a minute on the clock, and Wes Welker is wide open, but Brady overthrows the pass? In contrast, how do you think Tom Brady would feel if he instead threw a touchdown pass and won the Super Bowl? In both instances, whether Brady throws a touchdown or throws an incomplete, he is under a tremendous amount of pressure in that particular instance.
How about event riders? How do event riders handle pressure? Can you ride at home beautifully, but once you get to an event, do your nerves get the better of you? Or do you stay cool, keep calm, and rise to the occasion when competing? I would bet money that there are a quite a few riders out there that are either: a) nervous, b) anxious, c) stressed, or d) all of the above when competing.
Of course, there are degrees of pressure at an event. Arguably, when you finish your dressage test and go check the scores only to discover you are 29th out of 30 competitors, there’s probably less pressure to do as well. On the opposite end, whoever is in first after dressage must feel at least some amount of pressure, whether it’s personal pressure or pressure you feel from your trainer. When you are in first place after dressage, you presumably want to go clean and make time in both show jumping and cross country. How many of you have been in first place after dressage and made a mistake on cross country, like jumped the wrong fence, or didn’t pay close enough attention to your watch, or had a run out? How many of you have been in first after dressage but went bowling for rails in show jumping? How many times have you been first after dressage and ended on your dressage score? Eventing is not an easy sport — nobody ever said it was, and this is why we love it!
Let’s assume that a large majority of event riders feel a tremendous amount of pressure while competing, whether it’s cross country specifically or just competing in general. Let’s be perfectly honest. A lot of event riders, no matter how much we love this sport, can become incredibly anxious, worried, and actually lose sleep over a competition. What are some tips or advice we can offer to those who are stressed out, freaked out, or feel like vomiting before cross country?
1. Practice, practice, and practice at home so you feel comfortable with the questions you are being asked at a competition.
2. Get in the ring … meaning go to a jumper show as often as you can. You’ll start to feel less nervous in show jumping if you get in the ring and jump several rounds as often as you can. This also can be the dressage ring. Go to a schooling dressage show. Your horse doesn’t know the difference between a recognized show and a schooling show.
3. Jump bigger than the level you are going. For example: If you are going prelim, you should feel comfortable or be able to jump an intermediate show jumping round at home. After jumping larger fences at home, you’ll start noticing your prelim courses aren’t looking too bad!
4. Get used to competing … meaning if you are the type of rider who becomes nervous or stressed out-and you only enter three events in one summer, then that’s clearly a problem. Go to schooling shows, go to jumper shows and go to more events in general if you can afford it and you have the time.
Pressure comes in all shapes and forms. Some individuals can handle pressure and possibly even feed off of pressure. Then there are those who simply can’t handle pressure as well and actually crumble under such circumstances. Let’s face it, we are not all going to ride like Mary King, Michael Jung, or William Fox-Pitt. These riders are some of the best event riders in the world; and they are where they are today because they kept pushing, kept putting themselves under stressful situations, and never gave up. Have they all experienced pain, suffering, and doubt? I’m guessing they absolutely have because that comes with the territory.
This whole pressure concept can be broken down like the following: We learn to swim by swimming. We learn to read books by reading. We have to learn how to compete by competing. Riding at home or taking lessons is wonderful but doesn’t really constitute as pressure. Pressure and eventing simply go hand in hand. If you want to feel less pressure competing, you have to practice what you need to practice at home so you are prepared, and then you need to go put yourself out there by competing. Some events will be amazing for you and some will be horrible, but the only way you’ll ever get used to competing is to compete. Sounds too simple, doesn’t it?
