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Riders spend a lot of time waiting to feel ready. Ready to move up. Ready to go in the ring. Ready to jump the course the way they know they can. Often, that readiness is defined by confidence—feeling calm, focused, and sure before it’s time to perform.
But in episode 462 of The Plaidcast, mental skills coach Tonya Johnston explains that confidence is not something riders need to wait for before they can ride well. In fact, waiting for confidence is often what holds riders back.
Confidence Is Not a Requirement
Tonya places confidence in the same category as other emotions—useful to notice, but not necessary to control before taking effective action. Riders can still make good decisions, ride accurately, and support their horse even when nerves, doubt, or tension are present.
The issue is not the emotion itself. The issue is believing the emotion must change before the ride can move forward.
When riders treat confidence as a prerequisite, they give it power it doesn’t need to have. Riding well doesn’t depend on feeling a certain way; it depends on staying engaged with what the ride requires.
When Riders Start Monitoring Feelings
Tonya explains that riders often get stuck when they shift their attention inward and begin evaluating how they feel instead of staying present with the task at hand. They start asking questions that pull them out of the moment:
Why do I feel nervous today?
What’s wrong with me?
Why don’t I feel confident like I usually do?
Those questions turn the rider’s focus toward judgment rather than action. Instead of staying connected to the horse, the plan, or the next decision, the rider starts trying to diagnose their emotional state. That internal monitoring is what creates hesitation.
Riding Is About Behavior, Not Emotion
One of Tonya’s core messages is that riding is a series of behaviors and decisions. Pace, balance, line, and timing are all choices a rider can make regardless of how they feel. Rather than asking How do I feel right now?, Tonya encourages riders to return to a more practical question: What do I do now?
That shift moves attention away from emotion and back to function. Riders don’t need confidence to make a plan. They need awareness and follow-through. When focus returns to behavior, emotions tend to settle on their own.
Confidence usually grows after riders engage effectively with the ride. It isn’t something riders need to generate ahead of time. Each correct decision—staying on line, keeping rhythm, supporting the horse—builds trust. Over time, that trust turns into confidence. But it starts with action, not emotion.
When riders stay connected to what they’re doing, they create the conditions for confidence to develop naturally.
Letting Feelings Exist Without Letting Them Lead
Another key takeaway from Tonya’s approach is that riders don’t need to eliminate nerves or doubt. Those feelings can exist without driving decisions.
Rather than trying to fix emotions, riders can acknowledge them and redirect attention to what matters in the moment. What does the horse need? Where am I going next? What is my job right now?
This approach allows riders to stay present without getting pulled into self-criticism or overanalysis.
Tonya’s perspective reframes what readiness really means. Being ready doesn’t mean feeling calm, confident, or fearless. It means being willing to stay engaged and take the next useful action.
Riders who wait for perfect emotions often delay progress. Riders who learn to act despite imperfect feelings keep moving forward.
Confidence, in Tonya’s framework, is not the starting point. It’s the byproduct of staying present, focusing on behavior, and continuing to ride—even when emotions don’t cooperate.
Want more insight from Tonya Johnston? Listen to her full conversation on The Plaidcast and subscribe to The Plaidcast for practical tools to support your mental game in the saddle.
