Brought to you by The Plaidcast
Walk through any in-gate at a major horse show and you’ll see riders scrolling between trips. Trainers checking Instagram in the schooling ring. Juniors watching TikTok while waiting for their order of go. Adults refreshing results instead of walking the course again.
The phone has become as standard as a helmet and gloves. But what if that constant connection is eroding performance?
On a recent episode of The Plaidcast, performance coach and author Brad Stulberg described what he calls “internet brain”—a state of hypervigilant, fractured attention that lingers long after we put the device down.
“Even if we aren’t plugged in at the moment,” he explains, “spending too much time online puts us in a hypervigilant, attention-fractured state.” We “lose the ability to focus deeply on what is in front of us and fail to give our all to the things we care about most.”
Excellence Requires Intimacy
“Excellence requires intimacy,” Stulberg shares.
That word—intimacy—lands differently for equestrians. You are not operating machinery. You are partnering with a 1,200-pound animal who responds to nuance.
Intimacy means noticing the slight change in your horse’s rhythm in the warm-up. Feeling when the stride compresses. Recognizing when tension is creeping into your own body before it transfers down the reins. It is difficult, if not impossible, to access that depth of connection when your attention is fragmented.
The problem isn’t just the time spent on the phone. It’s the cognitive residue it leaves behind. Even after you tuck it into your pocket, your brain may still be processing comparison, stimulation, or micro-doses of stress. And that carries into the ring.
The Cost of Fractured Attention
Stulberg references research showing that when athletes scroll on their phones between efforts performance measurably declines. The mechanism is simple: your nervous system never fully settles.
Equestrian competition already requires rapid regulation. Riders must switch from waiting to performing in seconds. They must adjust after a mistake. They must maintain composure when plans change. Layer fractured attention on top of that, and the margin for error narrows.
In the show ring, the cost might look like a small thing, but who wins and loses in this sport is determined by small things.
The Adult Pacifier Problem
Stulberg is blunt about our dependency on devices. Phones, he says, have become “adult pacifiers.” When we are uncomfortable, bored, or anxious, we reach for them reflexively.
Horse shows provide endless opportunities for discomfort. Waiting. Uncertainty. Delays. Nerves before a big class. The instinct to scroll is understandable.
But those quiet, uncomfortable moments are often where riders calibrate. Where they breathe, visualize, and settle their energy before entering the ring. If those spaces are constantly filled with stimulation, riders may never fully access the mental reset they need.
Sacred Spaces
Many elite sports teams have responded to this reality by creating physical boundaries. Stulberg describes locker rooms where athletes deposit their phones in a bin before practice.
“When you’re training, you are fully here,” he explains.
Technology can support excellence. Riders use video to review rounds. Trainers coordinate logistics. Podcasts and educational content enhance learning. But the critical question, Stulberg says, is this: are you using the tools, or are the tools using you?
At a horse show, that question might look like this:
- Are you reviewing your course plan—or scrolling comparison posts?
- Are you watching rounds to learn—or consuming unrelated content?
- Are you connecting with your team—or isolating into your screen?
The difference is subtle but consequential.
Tapering Digital Noise
Stulberg also cautions against abrupt change. Pulling away from digital stimulation the morning of a championship class, if you’re otherwise constantly online, may create anxiety rather than clarity. Instead, he advocates practicing boundaries.
For riders preparing for major finals, that could mean gradually limiting social media use in the days leading up to competition. Removing apps from the phone temporarily. Creating phone-free windows in the barn as preparation.
Just as athletes taper physical training before a peak event, riders might consider tapering digital noise. The goal is giving your brain more access to focus and feel.
Reclaiming the Moment
The modern horse show is louder and more connected than ever. Results update instantly. Videos circulate within minutes. Comparisons are constant. It is easy to believe that staying plugged in equals staying competitive.
But excellence, as Stulberg frames it, demands full presence.
It demands that when you walk through the in-gate, your attention is not split between your horse and a glowing rectangle in your pocket.
It demands that when you swing your leg over, you are not carrying the cognitive residue of someone else’s highlight reel.
The phone itself is not the villain.
Distraction is.
Want more insight from Brad Stulberg? Listen to episode 471 of The Plaidcast and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for conversations with the most influential voices in the equestrian world.
