How to boost the concentration as a showjumper

As a showjumper, maintaining my focus for prolonged periods of time is crucial to my performance. Being able to quickly adapt to changes and making split second decisions is a must as any lapse in concentration can lead to a costly mistake. Needless to say, as a sport, horse riding can be very stressful.

Show jumping is a horseback riding sport, where the rider and the horse must cooperate in order to clear a course of hurdles. The role of the rider is to guide the horse through the course while making the best possible decisions. It is a very fast paced sport as a course usually takes anywhere from 60 to 90 seconds with 12 to 18 obstacles that come in quick succession. Thus, focus and confidence are key.

Key factors that influence concentration

Personally, I struggle to maintain my concentration for extended periods of time while also retaining all the information on the complex course. This affects my confidence and subsequently also my horse.

I’ve tried lots of things and there are loads of trends and recommendations on what a person can do to improve their concentration and boost their confidence.

So, what do I do to make sure I perform at my best?

I should preface this by saying, different things work best for different people, but this works best for me and I use these tricks in my daily life as well.

1. I make sure to stick to a routine on competition day so that I experience the least amount of stress possible on the day. This means that I plan everything out in writing the day before with times when everything is going to happen, e.g. be at the stable at 6:00, have my horse ready by 8:00, etc… I always make sure to keep a 15-minute time buffer so as to further alleviate stress when running a little bit behind schedule because show days tend to be a bit chaotic. Those 15 minutes work wonders.
2. Then I make sure that I walk the course and note down all the important details as simply as possible as separate themes or ideas. When the course is super complicated, it also works to write down my thoughts or draw a quick sketch of the course. By doing this, I can think about these details as little as possible as I know that I will be able to quickly recall these themes or associations. This means that I can stay as focused as possible on my horse while warming up and on any other details that come unpredictably.
3. In the brief period of time after warming up and before me and my horse enter the arena. I spend this time by closing my eyes, doing breathing exercises and slowly going through the main ideas again. I use this trick just before entering any stressful or important situation as well. It allows me to enter with a clear head and purely focused on the task at hand rather than worrying about a thousand little things.

The last trick up my sleeve, however, is a bit unconventional but I can wholeheartedly say that it works. I make sure to take ‘about your FOCUS’ before sitting on my horse while also taking it regularly every day (this is key). ‘FOCUS’ is a dietary supplement that is built up of several active ingredients that work in tandem to focus your mind, increase your energy levels and alleviate anxiety. Sounds a bit too good to be true right?

Well actually the blend of patented ingredients like; Cognizin, which is an extract that supports brain function and improves memory, Bacowize, which alleviates anxiety, enhances the ability to recall details and also Ashwaganda KSM-66, which enhances cognitive ability and boosts concentration, work incredibly well. And it’s not only good at boosting your concentration and mental faculties. It’s actually good for you! I can personally say that it works better than any energy drink I’ve ever had, lasts longer and does not cause side-effects.

As a person that struggles with anxiety in my daily life, taking ‘about your FOCUS’ actually improved my overall anxiety levels.

You have to try what works best for you but if you are anything like me and planning your day out and going over things in your head works, then I recommend trying some of these things. But if not, I am sure that ‘about your FOCUS’ will work for you regardless. My horses sure do appreciate when I’m at the top of my game and I appreciate not feeling sick all the time from drinking way too many energy drinks.