How to concker fear

Question

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Followup To

Question -
okay,
I have been riding for a little over a year, I own a quarter horse. I was in one western show alothough i pefer english. I get stressed and scared. My friend has been in one and said it was stressfull. How do I get over my fear because I relly want to enter an english show

Answer -
Hi Cate :) You didn't provide me with your age so I will try to answer as best as I can whether you are a child or an adult.
The best advice I can give you is to go to the show with friends. I have only done 1 english class and it was at a schooling show. A good friend of mine told me about it and of course I was scared stiff because I have only done western classes. My friend only rides english so I made a deal with her...if I did an english class then she had to do a western class. It was the best way for me to overcome my fear about being in a class with these people who have been riding english a lot longer than I have.
Seeing my friend ride a discipline that she wasn't used to made me feel better about entering the english class (even though my horse wasnt really used to english either and he spent half the class kicking and being weird hehe)...and the best thing about it? We both laughed at all our little mistakes! Remember, a horse show is about having fun!! Nobody expects you to be perfect your first year or the many years after that. Don't be afraid to make mistakes; everyone makes mistakes in horse shows.
If you are afraid of the judges, I recommend participating in schooling shows...they are more laid back than a full blown show. The judges at schooling shows will tell you why they placed you the way they did. I like hearing how I can improve in certain areas. That was how I got over my fear of judges....a LOT of schooling shows. I remember going to my very first show and being terrified of the judges and what they would think of me. But all the schooling shows that I have been to really helped my nerves and I got more comfortable each time.
I hope I have given you some useful advice and I hope you have a pleasant experience at your next show :)

I am 11 years old. I know the horse shows are for having fun, but for some reson. I just can't calm down. i know that i won't be perfect but i think my fear is bing embarrised in front of every one.
Ever get that feeling?

Answer
I know the feeling. As long as you concentrate on what you are doing then you should do fine. Worry about yourself and not the other people in your class. The parents will be watching there own kids, and the kids will be concentrating on there own performance. I still get the excited nervous feeling right before I do barrels or poles, but once I'm in the arena the feeling goes away and I have fun. It may take some time to get over your fear but just remember that all eyes are not on you. Unless you are in a class by yourself then that might be a problem hehe :)