Not sure if this will make sense, but I am hoping to find strategies to overcome my fear of riding in large rings. The other week they ran the child and adult hunters in a huge ring with grass patches, a slope, trees and a grandstand. Beautiful, almost “natural” looking! This is my first year back showing since my youth and I near passed out going in the ring, sweating bullets. I managed to go around, poorly, one time, and then did somewhat better the second go round, but not great. I know experience would certainly help, but does anybody have any mental tricks about feeling more serene in a large space and with spectators? I am not nervous about the jump height, though the jumps at this recent show had a little more decor than usual. At home I mostly practice in a smaller indoor.
I would check out some tips and tricks of how to deal with stage fright. You may find some stuff that you can apply to riding
I sympathize. When I rode over fences I was living in the Seattle area so much of the training was done with indoor arena. I always found , with the outdoor I had a hard time judging speed and pace/tempo.
One thing that might help is to get a metronome ( phone app watch app) and find the tempo that is suitable for a round. Practice riding ( inside or out) to this tempo. Try to ingrain the sound of the tempo inside your head and call upon it when you feel at sea.
talk to your trainer about this. Ask if training in the arena with few jumps where you have long cantering lines and approaches. Again about inward focus and feeling pace inside yourself rather than seeking clues.
Not sure if this is part of the issue you are feeling, the spectator issue comes with time and experience, inward focus is a skill to learn
there are a lot of general training resources and proper breathing, breathing to release tension and inward mental practice that my help
What is it you are afraid of?
Being run away with? Not being able to make the distances? Getting lost?
I used to feel this way and then I realized that if I was rolling along at a decent rhythm, having more space was actually beneficial and better then having to shift gears to make tight turns in a small ring or trying to keep a good rhythm after landing off a line and into a corner.
Maybe practice trying to get into a good working canter… if you have a big field to work on it, that might be useful… or do long approaches to a single to get used to riding in a larger ring and riding up to the fence.
I’d try to get out of the indoor if you can! I understand the appeal, for sure, as I always feel a bit “cozy” in one, and it always feels a bit safer too. But it’s hard to conquer a fear without ever exposing yourself to it (even if it’s only gradually, and not an exact 1:1 match). Doing so is akin to trying to learn a language without ever speaking it out loud.
I’d start with working in an outdoor arena if you have one, and then maybe in an open field if you can. If you have trails near you, you could ride out there and actually “work” while you’re trail riding (transitions, collection/extension, easy lateral work, etc), instead of just mindlessly plodding ahead.
it is also important to learn to distinguish the feeling of adrenaline and understand how that acts upon you. In my early hunter days I would get slightly nauseous when I went into the ring. That is an adrenaline dump. A deep breath or three and focus into the course, looking for the rhythm
When you’re next at a show with a “large” ring, hack in the ring early in the morning before the classes start. This will give you a chance to look around, absorb the vaster sight lines, and breathe. Even if you just walk your horse, you’ll start to feel more comfortable and more confident.
I was a trail riding teen and did all my schooling on some empty industrial land that had been in filled with sand. Maybe went in indoors half a dozen times.
Returned to riding lessons in my 40s and after the first winter in the indoor I realized with amusement that I had become agoraphobia in the outdoor arena.
I’ve overcome it since and love trail riding again, last year I was staying at my friend’s barn for a few months and flund a way to trespass onto an abdondoned construction field that had been in filled levelled and let grow back in grass. Gallop ensued.
But having had that wierd agoraphobic reaction after a winter indoors I can imagine how that would feel to someone who only came up through riding lessons.
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100%
All through high school I mostly just rode my OTTB in an unfenced field in front of the barn, and only in the indoor arena during inclement weather. Then I ended up moving to a city, where a big ring (indoor or outdoor) is hard to come by. When I finally moved to my current city and my trainer has a very large outdoor ring, I definitely had to take a few moments to remind myself that I DO know how to ride in an open space and the only thing that’s really getting in my way is just in my head.
A meditation trick I learned from a practitioner who works with trauma that might work in this situation: pick something in the vicinity that reminds you of home & triggers a calming feeling. Preferably an object because it won’t move; but a person is also ok in a pinch. Memorize this anchor object so that you can see it in your mind with your eyes closed. As soon as you feel your nervous system revving up, either look over at or picture your anchor to help ground yourself back in the present.
Another thing you could try is the old sharpshooter’s trick of reciting your name, address, phone # etc in your head over & over. A mantra is also a nice option. When my daughter was maybe 9 & almost frozen with nerves at her first show, I told her to recite “Rama” in her head just because it was short & sweet. You can make up something fun like “we are limitless! We make the jumps easy!”
Totally freezing could also be an adrenaline dump. It’s a common phenomenon in jiu jitsu/mma. The best thing to do is a quick burst of something very physically challenging. Some jumping jacks & air squats work well. You just want to force the adrenaline to dump soon before going into the ring so it doesn’t happen IN the ring. 
I think it is a combination of a fear of not being able to locate the jumps (there were a lot of them in there), a couple ladies went off course, to hit the distances, to get the lead changes (normal stuff) and having to be in the ring for a relatively long time. I love me a short turn: makes for easier decisions!
Thank you to all for your kind help! I appreciate these practical and psychological suggestions so much. I will let you know how things go forward, thanks again.
I just wanted to say “me too.” I hate big rings. Especially, weirdly, uncluttered big rings? Like the kind you end up riding in when you ride APHA/AQHA and it’s like two hundred thousand horses hacked minus 3 mpd in a ring the size of Delaware. I’d rather be in a big ring full of jumps. Somehow the dead space makes it look BIGGER.
What I found helped me is getting in the ring just to walk on the rail for a while, even if it’s nowhere near the time for my class… just to get IN there with no pressure. And then when it’s actually time to warmup (assuming this is safe) lots of circles. So don’t USE the whole ring right off the bat. Go in and start trotting in a smaller circle you feel comfortable with and just keep enlarging it and enlarging it as you warm up. Lots of changes of direction. Lots of circles of different sizes. Focus on the shape… so your brain can’t focus on the ring. Don’t think of it as a big ring. Think of it as two smaller rings and warm up in each of them before you try getting out on the rail and going all the way around.
When you’re in the ring, don’t look at what is outside the ring. Just look at the line you’re going to, then look at the corner, then look down the short side, then get your eye on the next line, etc. The more you look up and out the bigger the ring feels. None of what is happening outside the ring matters anyway, so don’t focus on it.
My kid and I have been riding at our home farm for the last year with Covid, and have had instruction come to us. We have a decent sized grass paddock we use as an arena right now, that has a slight slope in places. We also hack out in one of our bigger fields, and have a lovely hacking trail around the property.
The hacking trail is easy (except for one really spooky horse of mine… that’s a brain issue though… not because the trail is a challenging space) it’s mostly grassy, and 12 feet wide, but has fencing on both sides. Riding out in the field or the slightly slopes grassy paddock? Definitely more challenging.
Doing some schooling in terms of being in adequate control when riding out in the big field has been key. Especially for the kiddo on her slightly spicy pony. Riding smaller figures in the field (think of 15 meter circles) with frequent changes of direction (doing figure eights or serpentines) - well - that works quite well to get both pony/horse, as well as rider, into a positive, more focused head space. Once a good bit of focus is established, going straight off on the long sides in trot or canter is MUCH more successful and pleasant. But establishing focus is key. A little bit of shoulder in, or flex and counter flex while riding long sides in the field on my bigger mare also worked really well to get her to FOCUS. And bring her back on the aids.
As far as dealing with a slight slope and grassy areas? RHYTHM. And relaxation. And learning the feeling of SLIGHT adjustments going up and down slopes, so that the rhythm and balance can be maintained. If you had an opportunity to ride in that bigger, more natural open arena space at a show prior to competing… just focusing on maintaining your rhythm and balance in each gait in the slopes areas in particular might help.
It is MUCH more challenging to maintain a good rhythm going down a slope if the rider gets tense. If you haven’t ridden in a space like this recently and went into it in a showing situation and tensed up, and had a poor ride… don’t feel bad! Our grassy paddock/arena at home LOOKS really pleasant and inviting and is a great space for us… but has been challenging to work in at times this last year. Definitely made us better riders though…
One year I only had access to a small indoor and small outdoor for schooling.
The biggest thing that helped me get ‘the canter’ was to add more pace even when I felt like I was flying around already. The right canter always gets the good distances.
Some really great suggestions so far. I would add visualization. In particular, planning and then envisioning the particular track you’re going to take, utilizing all those intimidating extra elements. So something like “Will turn in front of that grass patch then line up my eye with the big tree.” See your hoofprints out there.
Also, talk to your trainer about this. I’m sure it came up on some level in your post-round autopsy, but it would be worthwhile to express to them just how much this threw you for a loop, so they can help you work through it. You may be able to ship out to school somewhere with a bigger ring. They can help schedule your show so you can get in the big ring before your class. They are your advocate and helper here…use them!
Is there a place near you where you can school on a cross-country course? Near me, there are lots of places which have jumps in grassy fields. Usually there are many size jumps, with many places catering toward beginner novice and novice events.
Jumping an outside course (I remember when that was “normal” at shows) is completely different from being in a ring. You need to feel comfortable with the space and the terrain. The other thing you might want to try is a hunter pace, if there are any near you. The one I did recently had about 30 jumps spread throughout the course and you could jump them at your own speed (or go around them).
Try to find some low pressure situations where you can play around and get more practice.
