Q: I make stupid mistakes in shows that I never make at home – forgetting the course and going the wrong way. Why does my brain stop working under pressure?

A: This frustrating phenomenon occurs because anxiety genuinely affects cognitive function. When stressed, your brain prioritises immediate survival over complex planning. Working memory (your mental ‘scratch pad’ for holding and manipulating information) becomes less effective, making it harder to remember sequences and execute plans.

Counterstrategies:

Get calm before the class: Before going into your round, try to get yourself as relaxed as possible using the techniques above, like breathing techniques, tensing and relaxing muscles, and the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.

Practice under distraction: At home, occasionally practice with deliberate distractions like music playing, people walking by, whatever. This trains your brain to maintain focus despite interruptions, which helps when show environment distractions occur.

Develop recovery strategies: Plan what you’ll do if you lose your place. For dressage, know which movements you can skip to get back on track. For showjumping, understand which fences you can circle to regroup. Having a recovery plan paradoxically makes you less likely to need it – the security of knowing you can handle mistakes reduces anxiety.

Stay in the present: Focus on the jump you’re doing now, not the jump you just did. Looking back on past errors increases the likelihood of mistakes. Forget the jump once you’ve ridden it.