Julie Goodnight Talks Strategy: How to Manage Anxiety Under Pressure
Graphic by Julie Goodnight
From Julie Goodnight:
Your palms are sweaty and your heart is racing as the seconds tick down to the start of the big event with your horse. It’s in these moments—at a competition, a big trail ride, or a leap into the unknown— that it’s important to have a strategy to beat the anxiety before it beats you. Julie Goodnight shares useful tactics to try in the latest episode of the “Horse Goals or Bust!” series of her podcast, Ride On with Julie Goodnight.
“This time of year, many riders are bringing their hard work and training to fruition with a big event like a group trail ride, a competition, a big clinic, or some other adventure with their horse,” says Goodnight. “You’ve put in a lot to get to this moment. Make sure you are mentally prepared for when it gets here.”
Goodnight talks about specific tools and exercises that you can do to keep your horse focused and calm, how to keep anxiety from skyrocketing so you can perform at your best, and how to get back on track if things don’t go perfectly.
“It’s normal to be excited or anxious when you take on a new activity with your horse, and no matter how much you’ve practiced and prepared, nerves and distractions can easily get in the way,” says Goodnight. “That’s why having strategies and a plan are so important.”
“Horse Goals or Bust!” is a 9-part series of the Ride On with Julie Goodnight podcast that guides riders on a step-by-step journey to achieve their dreams. Goodnight provides complementary downloadable resources for goal-setting, fitness assessment, conditioning, training plans, and more–free for everyone. Find “Horse Goals or Bust!” episodes, blog posts, and resources all in one place at JulieGoodnight.com/horsegoals.
Listen to this episode and subscribe to Ride On with Julie Goodnight at JulieGoodnight.com/Podcast, or on any podcast app.
About Ride On with Julie Goodnight
The 2022 EQUUS Film & Arts Festival “Winnie” Award-winning podcast, Ride On with Julie Goodnight, gives listeners an informed, entertaining perspective on horse training, equestrian sports and having a greater connection with your horse. With over 250,000 downloads and more than 70 episodes to date, the podcast continues to grow in popularity with horse enthusiasts worldwide. Each episode inspires, informs and motivates listeners to achieve new heights in their horsemanship–no matter their level. In the What the Hay? Q&A segment of each episode, Goodnight answers listener-submitted questions with candor, humor and practical advice based on her lifetime of experience with horses.
About Julie Goodnight
Goodnight is the popular host and producer of Horse Master, a successful how-to TV series on handling, riding, and training horses. Goodnight travels extensively sharing her no-nonsense horsemanship with riders of all disciplines. Goodnight is experienced with many kinds of riding—she grew up on the hunter-jumper circuits in Florida and is now at home in the West. She and her husband, Rich Moorhead, live in the mountains near Salida, Colorado, where they enjoy riding the trails and training cow-horses.
