How to Create a Pre-Competition Playlist That Calms You Down

The hour before a horse trial can feel strangely crowded. There is a dressage test to remember, boots to clean, a number to pin on, a horse to settle, and a brain determined to replay every possible mistake. At an eventing competition, the quiet moments can be the loudest ones. Your horse may be grazing beside the float while your thoughts gallop ahead to the first movement, the water complex, or that final show-jumping fence.

Music can give those thoughts somewhere kinder to go. A well-chosen pre-competition playlist will not magically remove nerves, and it should never replace a proper warm-up or a conversation with your coach. It can, however, create a familiar rhythm around the preparation routine and help you move from scattered to present.

The best playlist is personal, practical, and easy to use when you are wearing gloves or walking between the truck and the warm-up arena. It should suit the kind of day you are having, the horse in front of you, and the Australian conditions you are dealing with, whether that means a chilly morning at Werribee, sticky Queensland humidity, or a long wait between phases at a New South Wales event.

Start with the feeling you want

Before adding a single song, decide what the music needs to do. “Calm” can mean several different things. Perhaps you need to slow your breathing, stop overthinking, feel confident enough to ride forward, or soften after a tense journey to the grounds. A playlist designed for each of those states will sound different.

For a busy mind, look for steady songs with a clear beat and uncomplicated lyrics. Gentle acoustic music, mellow pop, piano, ambient tracks, and familiar country songs can all work. If you tend to become sluggish when you are nervous, avoid making the playlist too sleepy. A calm rider still needs enough energy to ride positively through a dressage test and make clear decisions across country.

It helps to choose a simple emotional arc. Begin with two or three grounding songs while you unload and tack up. Move into tracks that make you feel capable during grooming and walking the course. Finish with something steady and familiar before you enter the warm-up. The aim is not to create a dramatic soundtrack for a heroic performance. It is to make the next small job feel manageable.

Choose music your nervous system recognises

Pre-competition morning is a poor time to experiment with an artist recommended by an algorithm. A new song might contain a sudden lyric, an aggressive beat, or an unexpected volume change that sends your concentration in the wrong direction. Familiarity matters because your brain already knows what comes next, leaving more attention for your horse and your routine.

Think about songs that have accompanied ordinary good days at home. Maybe there is a track you play while plaiting, cleaning tack, or driving to lessons. Music connected with calm repetition can become a useful cue: this is the part where I breathe, check my girth, and ride the plan. That association grows through practice, so test the playlist during weekday schooling rather than saving it exclusively for competition.

Keep lyrics in mind. Some riders enjoy words that reinforce confidence, while others find themselves analysing every line. Break-up songs, dramatic anthems, or anything linked to a difficult memory may be compelling in the car but unhelpful beside the warm-up ring. Instrumental tracks can be especially useful when you need background sound without giving your inner monologue new material.

If you are curious about the science and development behind horses, a short read such as an embryogenesis explainer can sit in your wider learning routine, but the competition playlist itself should remain simple. The morning of an event is for familiar cues, not an information binge.

Match the playlist to your competition day

Eventing rarely follows the neat schedule imagined at home. Dressage may run late, cross-country can be held for weather, and show jumping times may shift while officials manage the flow of competitors. A playlist that lasts twenty minutes may be perfect for one phase of preparation and useless during a long day at a busy venue.

Build a few versions rather than one enormous collection. A short grounding set of around fifteen minutes can cover mounting, breathing, and final checks. A longer preparation playlist can fill the gaps while you plait, walk the course, or wait for your time. A post-round playlist can help you come down after cross-country, when adrenaline is still high and you need to look after both yourself and your horse.

Your competition schedule can help you work out when each version will be useful. Mark the approximate time you expect to groom, tack up, enter the warm-up, and finish a phase. The schedule will change, of course, but having a rough structure prevents you from pressing shuffle in a panic and wondering whether a song means you are running late.

Australian events often involve long drives and early starts. A rider travelling from Melbourne to a regional Victorian venue may leave before sunrise, while someone heading out from Sydney or Brisbane may spend hours thinking through the day before arriving. Download the playlist for offline use, charge your phone, and carry a small power bank. Rural venues can have patchy reception, and relying on streaming is an avoidable source of stress.

Keep the soundscape horse-friendly

Your playlist belongs around your preparation, not necessarily inside your horse’s ears. Some horses ignore music completely; others notice every unfamiliar sound. Speakers near the float, loud bass, and sudden changes in volume can make an already alert horse more watchful, especially in a new environment full of trucks, loudspeakers, dogs, and other horses.

Use headphones carefully and follow the rules of the venue. You need to hear your horse, your coach, officials, and other riders in the warm-up. Noise-cancelling headphones may be useful while you are travelling or sitting quietly away from the arena, but they are not a substitute for awareness once you are handling or riding. One earbud at low volume may still reduce your ability to notice what is happening around you.

The same principle applies in the stable area. A small portable speaker at a considerate volume may suit a familiar home training session, but competition grounds are shared spaces. Ask before filling a communal yard with music, and remember that another rider may be trying to settle a young or anxious horse. The calmest playlist in the world is not calming if it creates tension with your neighbours.

Consider the weather as well. A hot February event near Tamworth or the Gold Coast can leave everyone tired before the first phase begins. Keep your music cool and spacious rather than loud and relentless, take shade breaks, and drink water. At a cold winter fixture in Victoria or South Australia, a warm drink and a slow song may do more for your focus than increasing the volume.

Use tempo to regulate your body

Music affects the body through rhythm, and that makes tempo a useful practical tool. When nerves rise, riders often breathe shallowly, grip with the thighs, clench the jaw, and hurry through familiar tasks. A song with a measured beat can encourage slower movements without requiring a complicated mental exercise.

Try pairing the first tracks with a breathing pattern. Inhale for four counts, exhale for six, and repeat for several cycles while brushing or walking beside your horse. The longer exhale can help reduce the feeling of urgency. You do not need to perform this perfectly; the value comes from giving your body a repeatable rhythm while your attention returns to the present.

For some riders, a slightly stronger beat works better once they are tacking up. It can encourage purposeful movement and stop calm becoming flatness. Choose songs that make you feel balanced in the saddle rather than invincible. Confidence before a horse trial should leave room for adjustment, listening, and respect for the conditions.

Create transitions between sections of the playlist. A quiet instrumental track can bridge the shift from the float to the warm-up. A song with a clear but moderate rhythm can accompany the final gear check. Avoid a sudden, pounding finale immediately before you ride; it may raise your heart rate just when you want your hands soft and your eyes open.

Make the playlist part of a repeatable routine

A playlist works best when it is attached to actions rather than used as a general attempt to control every emotion. For example, the first song might begin when you open the float. The second could play while you check water, feed, rugs, and gear. A familiar track might signal that it is time to change, plait, or begin your personal warm-up.

Write a tiny preparation sequence in your phone notes: water, horse check, tack, number, boots, breathing, course plan. Let the music support that sequence instead of replacing it. Riders can become so focused on feeling calm that they forget practical details, especially at large Australian grounds where the walk from the parking area to the arenas may be longer than expected.

Your support crew can help protect the routine. Tell a family member or friend which part of the playlist marks your quiet time, and ask them to save non-urgent conversation for later. This is particularly valuable at events where everyone is juggling entries, rugs, food, and results. A clear boundary is kinder than becoming overwhelmed and snapping at the person holding your helmet.

After each competition, note what worked. Did the lyrics distract you? Did the playlist end before you reached the warm-up? Did a particular song help after a disappointing dressage mark, or did it make you dwell on the result? Treat those observations as training information, just like a note about a weak halt or a horse that rushed the first fence. Your playlist can develop alongside your partnership.

Let silence have a place too

A calming playlist does not need to play continuously from the moment you arrive until the last horse leaves the grounds. Silence can be valuable when you are listening to your horse’s breathing, checking your surroundings, or talking through a final plan with your coach. Too much sound can become another form of pressure.

Try using music during preparation and switching it off before you mount. That gives you a clear transition from personal routine to competition awareness. The last song can act as a cue to put your phone away, feel both feet in the stirrups, and focus on the next movement rather than the entire day.

Silence is also useful after a round. Before discussing marks or replaying a fence, give yourself a few minutes to walk, drink, and settle. A gentle song may help if you are buzzing, while quiet may be better if your head is full. At a grassroots event, the most useful support may be a friend leading your horse while you take one steady breath and notice that the phase is finished.

The goal is a playlist that helps you return to the partnership in front of you. Your horse does not know whether the song selection was perfect, and your result will depend on many things beyond your soundtrack. Music is simply one small, repeatable way to make the preparation feel more familiar.

Put together three short playlists this week and test them during a normal schooling session. Keep the songs that slow your breathing, support purposeful movement, and leave you more connected with your horse. By the time the next event arrives, the music will already belong to your routine rather than feeling like one more decision to make under pressure.