Horse Show Day for Riders: Fueling, Hydration, Heat and Nerves

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The alarm goes off at 4:30. Feed, braid, load the trailer, drive two hours, unload, tack up, walk the course, warm up, wait. Your class goes at 11, or maybe 2, depending on the ring. By the time you ride your round or your test, you’ve been on your feet for eight hours and eaten half a granola bar. Show day, whether it’s a schooling show, a 4-H fair, a rated hunter show, a reining or a three-day event, is a long, hot, nervous day, and the rider is usually the last one to get looked after. This page is about looking after the rider: fueling, drinking, coping with heat and handling nerves, at every level.

General information, not medical or nutrition advice. If you have a health condition, check with a doctor or sports dietitian. Start at our horseback riding hub for the bigger picture.

Why show days wear riders out

A 2023 review of rider physiology and nutrition makes a point every groom will recognize: the time on the horse is not the only work. Grooming, horse care, warm-up and cool-down all cost energy and need to be covered by food and fluids. Many show formats run a heat and a final on the same day, and riders often ride several classes or several horses. The review notes riders may also start the day already a bit dehydrated, after long rides, hot conditions or multiple rides. Add the stop-start rhythm of ring schedules and it’s easy to go hours without eating.

Fueling: a show day eating plan

The same review gives practical numbers for competition carbohydrate, which fuels both muscles and focus:

• Before you leave (1–4 hours before you ride): a familiar meal that’s mostly carbohydrate and light on fat and fiber, which the ACSM sports nutrition position statement also recommends before competition. Oatmeal with banana, a bagel with peanut butter, rice or toast with eggs.
• Around your warm-up: a small amount, under about 30 g of carbohydrate (a few chews, a sports drink, half a banana), or even a carbohydrate mouth rinse if your stomach is jumpy. The review notes mouth rinses, gums, gels and drinks can sharpen alertness.
• Between rounds or classes: about 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour if the day runs long and your stomach tolerates it. Mixing carbohydrate sources (glucose and fructose, as in many sports drinks) tends to sit better.
• After your last ride: 1–2 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight in the three hours afterward, sooner rather than later, plus protein, then a proper meal.

Pack a cooler the night before, because show food stands are hit or miss: sandwiches, fruit, pretzels, yogurt, cheese sticks, chocolate milk and plenty of drinks. Test anything new at a lesson, never on show day. More on everyday eating on our rider nutrition page.

Hydration

• Start topped up: about 5–10 mL of fluid per kg of body weight in the 2–4 hours before you ride (ACSM). For a 60 kg (132 lb) rider that’s roughly 300–600 mL, a bottle or two.
• Check your urine color: pale yellow is the goal. The review notes urine color charts are a reliable, convenient check.
• Drink through the day, not just when you remember. Keep a big bottle at the trailer and at the ring.
• Add electrolytes on hot days and long days. A tablet like Nuun Sport (300 mg sodium, 1 g sugar per tablet, Informed Choice certified per the maker) or a powder like Skratch Labs Hydration (400 mg sodium per serving, with carbohydrate) covers salt and, with Skratch, some fuel. See our best electrolyte powder guide.

Heat, sun and storms

Summer shows are hot, and riders have it harder than most athletes: the review points out that sun on open arenas adds radiant heat, and show clothing (jackets, boots, gloves, helmets, protective vests) cuts the body’s ability to cool itself, especially where dress is regulated and layers can’t come off. Its cooling ideas are simple: cold drinks, ice slushies and staying well hydrated. Between classes, get in the shade, unzip the jacket, and put a wet cooling towel on your neck.

Know the warning signs of heat illness (National Athletic Trainers’ Association): dizziness, headache, nausea, heavy fatigue and cramps point to heat exhaustion; stop, get cool and drink. Confusion, odd behavior or collapse in the heat can mean exertional heat stroke, a medical emergency: call 911 and start cooling right away. NATA also notes it takes 7–14 days to acclimatize to heat, so the first hot show of the year is the riskiest.

• Sunscreen: the American Academy of Dermatology recommends broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30 or higher, reapplied every two hours and after sweating. Don’t miss ears, the back of the neck and the backs of your hands.
• Lightning: NATA’s rule is “When thunder roars, go indoors”. Get off the horse and into a building or hard-topped vehicle, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder. An open arena is no place to be in a storm.

Nerves: your heart rate goes up more than the horse’s

Show nerves are real and measurable. In a study of riders and horses performing the same routine twice, once in a closed rehearsal and once in front of an audience, the riders’ average heart rate climbed from 91 to 150 beats per minute during the public performance, compared with 94 to 118 in rehearsal, a much bigger jump than their horses showed. Spectators affected the riders’ hearts more than the horses’.

• Slow your breathing. Research on slow breathing (under about 10 breaths a minute) links it with calmer, more alert states. Try breathing in for four, out for six, while you walk to the in-gate.
• Make a routine and use it at every show and at home: the same tack check, the same warm-up pattern, the same cue word as you enter the ring.
• Ride the test or the course in your head beforehand, fence by fence or movement by movement.
• Eat anyway. Nerves kill appetite, but low blood sugar and nerves together feel worse. Small, easy snacks count.
• Kids and parents: keep the focus on the ride, the horse and having fun, not on ribbons.

Safety on the show grounds

Warm-up rings are crowded and horses are excited. At US Equestrian hunter and jumper shows, a fastened, certified helmet is required whenever you’re mounted anywhere on the grounds, and the Federation strongly encourages helmets for every rider at every show. If you fall and hit your head, you’re done for the day, no matter how important the class: see concussion steps on our riding injuries page. At the end of the day, take care of the rider as well as the horse: riding recovery. Other sports handle game day too; see soccer game day.

Show day: FAQs

What should I eat before a horse show?

A familiar, mostly carbohydrate meal 1–4 hours before you ride, light on fat and fiber, then small snacks through the day. If the day runs long, aim for about 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour between rounds, as your stomach allows.

How much water should I drink at a horse show?

Start with about 5–10 mL per kg of body weight in the 2–4 hours before you ride, then keep drinking through the day and aim for pale yellow urine. On hot days add electrolytes.

How do I calm my nerves before a show?

Slow breathing, a fixed pre-ride routine and visualizing your ride all help. Nerves are normal: in one study, riders’ heart rates rose to about 150 beats per minute in front of an audience, far more than in rehearsal.

How do I stay cool at a summer horse show?

Drink cold fluids, use shade between classes, open your jacket when you can, and use a wet cooling towel. Know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and treat confusion or collapse in the heat as an emergency.

Do I need a helmet at a Western show?

Rules differ by discipline and organization, so read your show’s prize list. Whatever the rule, a certified helmet (ASTM F1163/SEI) protects a Western rider exactly as it protects an English rider, and US Equestrian strongly encourages helmets for all riders.