Five-star showjumpers Trevor Breen and Jodie Hall McAteer share the tools that help them stay calm under pressure, while equestrian mental performance coach Poppy Blandford explains how to harness those pre-round jitters and turn them into a winning performance in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers
You know the feeling of showjumping competition nerves. The bell rings and suddenly your legs turn to jelly and your brain hits the panic button. Before you know it your horse, sensing your change in tune, has ground to a halt at the first fence.
Nerves are not necessarily a bad thing – unless your riding nerves are preventing your enjoyment – rather they’re a sign that you care and are ready to perform. The professionals always seem so calm under pressure – so how do top riders stop nerves negatively affecting their performance in competition?
“Everyone gets nervous, it’s how you turn those competition nerves around and use them to your advantage that matters,” says former Hickstead Derby winner Trevor Breen, whose cool clears under pressure have helped Ireland to wins on the world stage, including in the Nations Cup in Abu Dhabi in 2025.
Thanks to modern pressures, in particular social media, the mental aspect of elite level sport has skyrocketed over the past decade or so and rider mindset is something that today’s top riders take very seriously.
Grand prix winner Jodie Hall McAteer has worked hard on this aspect of her performance with equestrian mental performance coach, Poppy Blandford.
“Nowadays, everyone knows exactly how your round has gone even before you even leave the arena,” Jodie says. “I’ve had to learn how to deal with pressure and manage all the distractions by staying in my own little bubble. I have learnt what works for me and what gives me confidence on the day.”
How to stop competition nerves affecting performance
Trevor, Jodie and Poppy share their advice and top tips for beating showjumping competition nerves.
1. Stick to your plan
The key, says Jodie, is to have a plan and stick to it.
“I don’t like to be rushed, so I work out my timings very carefully. I plan how I will spend my time leading up to going in the ring — how I will work my horse in the morning, what time I need to walk the course and when I need to get on. Once I’m on board I try and stay in my own bubble, focusing on my connection with my horse and blocking everything else out.
“When you have a system in place and you start getting consistent results, momentum takes over and that allows you to become more confident on big occasions.”
Don’t allow your focus to shift – everything else should become background noise.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2. Ride the course, not the occasion
According to Poppy, the riders who perform best under pressure are the ones who can keep their focus on themselves and their horse.
“When problems occur in the ring it is usually because riders have allowed their focus to shift,” she says. “If you start worrying about the result or who’s watching you, it pulls your focus away from doing the things you need to do to achieve a clear round.
“We often talk about riding the course, not the occasion, and that’s exactly what the very best riders are able to do,” she continues. “They are so focused on what they need to be doing at that particular moment that everything else that’s going on is just noise.”
3. Control the controllables
“Control the controllables” is a much-quoted mantra in elite sporting circles — for good reason.
“There is so much more that goes into a winning performance than those 90 seconds in the ring,” continues Poppy. “If you’re riding at a championship, for example, and you’re not jumping your first round until 5pm, how are you managing yourself throughout the day?”
How many rounds will you watch?
Who will you walk the course with?
Who will you listen to in the warm-up?
How will you deal with distractions?
How will you spend the 45 seconds you have after the bell goes before you need to start your round?
“All these things are within your control,” Poppy confirms. “The likes of Scott Brash and Ben Maher will have all the answers to these questions. They have such a strong understanding of their own behaviours, their own routines and how they peak from a mental perspective that they are able to move through the process without being sidetracked by distractions.”
Scott Brash is known for his cool head under pressure.
(Image credit: Alamy)
4. The rule of three
Reproducing the training you do at home in the ring is easier said than done, but Trevor Breen has a top tip to help.
He suggests narrowing your focus to just three things.
“When you’re training at home, you’re concentrating on what you need to do to jump a clear round — staying straight, looking ahead, keeping the canter through the turn, and so on. In the ring it can be easy to lose focus on these things and that’s when things can go wrong,” he says.
“The three things will be different for different riders, and probably different for different horses, too, but if you can concentrate on doing fewer things well in the ring it can make life a lot easier.
“Later, once you feel ready, you can add in a fourth thing, and a fifth, and so on. Try to focus on improvement rather than doing everything perfectly.”
5. Build self-awareness and identify your triggers
Poppy explains that building self-awareness and recognising the triggers that cause reactions in your mind and body is a crucial first step to managing them in the ring.
“Ask yourself what causes your heart rate to spike, or what makes you to hold your breath,” she says. “Is it your horse misbehaving? Is it because someone in particular is coming to watch you? Or is it the fact that it’s a bigger occasion than usual? Different people will have different triggers.”
Once you’ve recognised the source of your competition nerves, rather than trying to banish them, you need to redirect them.
“When you notice you’re doing too much thinking, try and redirect your awareness to just feeling what is going on underneath you,” says Poppy.
6. Reframe negatives into positives
Even when things don’t go to plan in the warm-up — which can often happen where space is tight and emotions are running high — it is important to mentally reset before entering the ring.
“For example, instead of getting anxious because you don’t have enough space in the warm-up to establish the canter you want, turn it around and tell yourself that once you’re in the arena you’ll have far more room so you can canter a couple of big circles without anyone getting in your way,” says Poppy, pointing out that it is this kind of mental reshaping that will allow riders to perform at their best.
“Finally, if you have a bad day remember that your skills haven’t disappeared overnight,” she says. “They’re still there, it’s just that your focus might have shifted momentarily.”
Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
