01/01/2026
This post echoes my own thoughts….. Build confidence and support kindly.
Why the wrong people in your corner affect your performance? 🐎🫣
Because showjumping is as much psychological as it is technical, and the people around you directly influence your nervous system, decision-making, and confidence — whether you realise it or not.
Here’s why your results often improve away from certain people, and how the wrong support can quietly sabotage performance.
1. Horses mirror your nervous system
Horses are exquisitely sensitive to tension, doubt, and emotional noise.
If someone in your corner:
- second-guesses you
- questions your choices before or after a round
- adds pressure, urgency, or fear
- focuses on mistakes instead of process
…your body tightens. Your breathing changes. Your timing shifts.
Your horse feels it immediately.
Remove that influence → you ride softer, clearer, and more decisively.
2. Confidence drops when trust is undermined
Showjumping requires commitment:
- to the distance
- to the line
- to the decision without hesitation
The wrong people:
- plant doubt (“Are you sure about that stride?”)
- replay mistakes
- compare you to others
- act as if results = your value
Even subtle doubt erodes commitment.
Away from that voice → you ride your plan, not their anxiety.
3. Some people thrive on control, not your success
Not everyone who stands beside you wants you at your best.
Common red flags:
- they need to feel “needed”
- they highlight problems more than solutions
- your confidence threatens their relevance
- they benefit when you depend on them
- When you step away, riders often say:
“I didn’t realise how heavy it felt until it was gone.”
Freedom = clarity = better rounds.
4. Pressure kills feel and flow
Top rounds come from:
- rhythm
- feel
- adaptability
People who bring:
- outcome obsession
- constant instruction
- emotional volatility
- post-round interrogation
…pull you out of the moment.
Away from them → you ride instinctively instead of defensively.
5. Safety changes performance
Your brain performs best when it feels safe.
Psychological safety means:
- mistakes aren’t punished
- learning is encouraged
- belief is consistent
- feedback is calm and specific
If someone makes you feel:
- judged
- watched
- small
- on edge
Your body stays in fight-or-flight — and precision disappears.
6. Why results “mysteriously” improve elsewhere
When riders go to a show alone or with neutral support, they often:
- warm up better
- ride more assertively
- accept rails without spiralling
- trust their horse more
- enjoy the round
Not because they suddenly got better —
but because the interference stopped.
7. The right people do 3 things only
The best support people:
- Believe before results
- Protect your focus
- Strengthen trust between you and your horse
They don’t ride the round emotionally for you.
They don’t need credit.
They don’t make it about themselves.
First show after my recent break up 🐎❤️( I was heartbroken)still won 💯
