Perhaps one of the biggest parts of my sports psychology practice is working with riders who experience anxiety. How this manifests can differ from individual to individual. Some riders experience anxiety around riding in general, whereas others can be incredibly confident in their day-to-day riding but struggle when they ride under pressure, for example in competition or when they become aware of someone watching.

What anxiety feels like can differ from rider to rider too. Some riders may notice their thoughts racing, for some it might feel like butterflies in their tummy, and sometimes it can feel as though your brain and body are no longer talking to each other.

However, one thing I have learned through my years of working with riders is that there is no magic switch. There is no wand that can be waved to magically rewire your brain so that you never experience anxiety again.

In my experience, the most robust and sustainable confidence comes from evidence of competence. It comes from knowing you have the ability to manage a situation because you have been there before and coped with it.

In my experience, the most robust and sustainable confidence comes from evidence of competence.

And don’t just take my word for it. Psychologist Albert Bandura, whose work on self-efficacy explored an individual’s belief in their ability to successfully carry out a particular task, identified mastery experiences as the most influential source of self-efficacy.

This means that if you are going to build long-term, sustainable confidence, you can’t always wait until you feel confident before you act. Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone and learn to ride alongside your anxiety, building the mastery experiences that provide evidence that you can cope.

Now, this doesn’t mean I think riders should just ‘get over it’ or ‘get on with it’. Far from it. This process needs to be gradual, manageable and supported if it is going to create positive and sustainable change.

So, here are three key ways I support riders to learn to ride alongside anxiety.

1. Create small, manageable goals

One of the first things I do when working with riders, both on and off the horse, is establish their green, amber and red zones.

Your green zone is something that feels so comfortable you barely have to think about it. Your amber zone is challenging but manageable. Your red zone is where the challenge becomes so overwhelming that it becomes difficult to think clearly or ride effectively, potentially pushing you towards a threat response.

What we are looking for is the amber zone.

Setting short-term goals that encourage riders to work within this zone creates opportunities for the mastery experiences that are so important for developing self-efficacy. There is enough challenge to provide evidence of competence, but not so much that the rider becomes overwhelmed and unable to ride effectively.

Over time, something that was once in your amber zone may move into your green zone — and something that once felt firmly red may start to feel possible.

2. Use imagery to prepare yourself for upcoming challenges

Alongside mastery experiences, Bandura identified vicarious experiences as another source of self-efficacy. This might involve watching another rider successfully manage a situation and learning from what they do.

We can also combine observation with imagery. For example, a rider might watch an effective response before mentally rehearsing themselves carrying out a similar response. Approaches such as action observation and motor imagery can help us prepare for movement and performance.

Imagery can also be used to mentally rehearse how you would like to respond to a challenging situation. Rather than repeatedly imagining what might go wrong, you can practise seeing and feeling yourself responding effectively.

This can help you approach the situation with greater confidence and a clearer idea of what you want to do.

Imagery can also be used to mentally rehearse how you would like to respond to a challenging situation.

3. Develop a strategy to regroup and refocus when anxiety arises

I find that many riders become anxious about being anxious.

They may start to avoid situations because they are worried about experiencing the uncomfortable thoughts, emotions or physical sensations that come with anxiety. The anxiety itself starts to become something they feel they must avoid.

This is why I think it is so important for riders to have an established strategy for regrouping and refocusing when anxiety does arise.

That strategy might involve grounding yourself in the present moment, focusing on your breathing, using a simple cue word or phrase, or deliberately bringing your attention back to something within your control.

Having a strategy doesn’t mean anxiety will disappear. Instead, it can help you develop the confidence to think, It’s OK if I feel anxious. I know what I can do when it happens.

And that is an important distinction.

The goal isn’t necessarily to get rid of anxiety. It is to learn that anxiety doesn’t have to dictate what you do next.

We can spend a long time waiting to find the magic trick that will finally make us feel confident enough to move forward. But often, confidence comes because we move forward.

We take a manageable step. We experience the anxiety. We discover that we can cope. And that experience becomes another piece of evidence that says, I can do this.

So sometimes, if we want to build genuine and sustainable confidence, we have to stop waiting to feel fearless.

Ultimately, we have to feel the fear and ride anyway.