Mental Health Challenges of Show Riders: How Regular Competitors Stay Balanced

It’s no secret that being on the show circuit week after week is taxing—physically, mentally and emotionally. The days are long, filled with hard work, tension, pressure and emotion. There is the daily adrenaline rush and the fall; add in physical exhaustion, tension with or between clients, less than ideal barn dynamics with clients and/or staff, and pressures from home, and you’ve got a heavy load of baggage to contend with.

How do high performance equestrians, those who regularly compete and/or coach, balance these stressors while maintaining their mental health and combatting burnout? The short answer is that there is not a simple formula.

Consider these examples:

G is a long time hunter/jumper trainer. On the circuit, she glides by on her scooter proclaiming she is ‘living the dream,’ which is partly true and partly dark humor. She deeply loves the horses and her people, but the grind of the horse show life can lead quickly to mental and physical exhaustion, which negatively impacts her psychology and sense of well being.

K, a high level amateur rider in her 50s, runs her own successful company. She loves competing, but it’s challenging for her to ‘leave work behind’ to get on her horses and show in the 1.40s or the national derbies. Driven and perfectionistic, K wants and expects herself to always perform at the top of her game. While the horses are her passion, the competition aspect also lends considerable stress to her already busy, demanding life.

C, an assistant trainer at a very large program, loves the circuit life because she easily stays in contact with her colleagues and friends. And, while her barn has some horses showing every week, there is no travel involved. She can sleep in her own bed, go to her own gym, and have a regular Monday routine. While she works extremely long days, when the circuit winds down in the spring, she feels some sadness and loss as people part ways to go north. Although she’ll see some friends at various venues over the summer and fall, she tells me, “it’s just not the same as in Florida when we’re all here.”

And, finally there is S, a rider on the international stage. She travels the world to compete and carries the burden of extremely high expectations of her owners who have a significant investment in her career and her horses. She has willingly and enthusiastically embraced ‘the opportunities,’ but that choice has come with sacrifices that involve very little personal time and the absence of a significant other.

How do these individuals, and others of us who spend considerable time on the show circuit, maintain or even build our mental health? Given all the pressures, the long days, and the constant physical and emotional demands, how do we stay balanced and combat burnout? As mentioned above, there is no one formula that fits all competitors, but in my experience, maintaining mental health takes deliberate planning, dedication and help from a supportive team.

Here are some ideas to help you craft a foundation for mental wellness.

Keep perspective. To me, it’s essential to keep connected to your big perspective—your ‘why.’ Knowing why you’re pursuing something keeps you grounded in what matters most to you. Whether you’re an amateur or professional, keep in close contact with why you’re in the sport. What is the meaning behind the pursuit for you? If the meaning has been lost, I suggest you get some support to help re-discover it.

Connect into your gratitude. In addition, I advise staying connected to your gratitude. Adopt a daily gratitude practice, which means spending a few moments at least once per day turning your mind to those things, people and experiences that you are grateful for today. I find that connecting to gratitude is a simple way diminish stress and lift mood.

Lean into the parts you love. Competition days are long and exhausting, and there are some parts that are quite challenging and frustrating. Be sure to linger on the moments of the day that you love. Maybe that is hacking your favorite horse (even if it’s in the wee hours of the morning), or a sincere thank you from a new student or perhaps a very small thing, like the quiet sound of horses eating hay at the end of the day. Taking a moment to truly take in those moments provides a little emotional refuel. Be sure not to rush past them. Stop and smell the roses, as it were.

Take a break. This may sound impossible for busy trainers during an overly packed show day, but give it a try. Be mindful of taking even small breaks. Maybe it’s 5 minutes to get a snack, or a some deep breaths in a quiet moment on your walk back to the barn. Try not to fill every second with a glance to your phone. When you can, take a day off, or even a half day. Take a hike, get a massage or go out to dinner. I find that there is a big benefit from simply labeling a period of time as ‘off time’—even if it’s a short bit. It’s easy to work 24/7 when you have a 24/7 job, so be deliberate about those breaks when you can.

Develop and maintain a self care routine. Again, this may sound impossible for busy trainers, but I suggest you do what you can. Eat well, get regular non-riding exercise and stretching, and take care of your body. Try not to overindulge. Give thought and care to your personal routine, just as you do foryour horses. You don’t expect your horses to be in top form without top care; same goes for you as an athlete and a person.

Surround yourself with supportive, effective team. We all need a support team. Whether you’re a trainer on your own, or an amateur in a big barn, you need others to help you be your best and stay healthy. I suggest stepping back and doing a self-assessment. Ask yourself—where do I need more support? Is my staff effective and reliable? Do I need any outside consultation? Where are the tension points in my life or business and who can I ask to help support and guide me? Remember: every successful, healthy individual has a team behind them.

Connect with others. Don’t neglect your friends. Social support, connecting with like-minded individuals, lifts our spirit. You’re overly busy, but be careful not to isolate yourself. Go out to dinner and take a break with your colleagues or friends. Share your stories, your stresses and your triumphs. Being part of a community helps all of us feel grounded and gives us sense of belonging.

What if you’re already burned out? Signs of burnout are fatigue, irritability, lack of motivation, a sense of malaise, insomnia, anxiety and low mood. If you find yourself in this state, it’s time to take action. Burnout is serious and doesn’t improve unless addressed. Schedule in a break, get some help and figure out how to restructure your life or business to support greater emotional health. Long periods of burnout lead to prolonged depression and anxiety. Horse people tend to joke about burnout, but it’s no joke. Treat it seriously before it gets out of hand. In my view, mental health is health, period. If our psychological functioning is compromised, then our entire lives are compromised. A podcast interviewer recently asked me: what is the relationship between mental health and performance? I told her that is an easy question: when our mental health is compromised, it’s not only our performance that declines but also our overall health and well-being.

So, take care of yourself. Monitor your and your staff’s level of stress and don’t ignore the signs of burnout. Equestrians are stoic and pride themselves on being able to ‘tough it out.’ I know we’re gritty and resilient but we are also human. Remember, if your horse shows signs of malaise or burnout, you give him a break. He gets time off, a turnout, or maybe even a few weeks in a field. Don’t neglect to give yourself the same consideration and care. Not only you, but also everyone around you (including your horses!) will benefit from your improved state of being.