Anyone else struggle to relax when dcs are competing?

[Cirrusly]

We are currently at a sj competition and dd is about to go in. I'm hiding in the car feeling sick. I am so annoyed with myself!! I get so nervous I could barely sleep last night. Luckily dh is very hands on and chilled. Anyone else!

My mum won't even come to competitions, not because she's worried just because she doesn't want to have anything to do with my riding because she's bitter about me doing it in my gcse year and about the cost even though I pay most of it myself😅 Loads of my friends mums get really nervous though

Well the only thing ds has been in so far is a gymkhana and as I was the person on the end of the lead rein wishing I'd worn a better bra, then no I wasn't very relaxed .
I couldn't even bear to watch the first time he cantered on the lunge. The instructor called over to me "Why aren't you watching? He looks like he's been doing it all his life". I had a peek and there was ds with the biggest grin on his face and cantering round like an old hand, but I can't really say I'm now chilled about him doing it (ds is disabled, for context). I really don't know how my mum survived me and my sister competing. or disappearing off on our ponies for the whole day before there was any such thing as a mobile phone for that matter!

How did your Dd get on at the competition Cirrusly?

Yup, can't bear to watch, but you think sj is bad, try having eventing children!

Oh definitely. My daughter did SJ, PC, XC etc. I was so nervous. Not because I was worried that she would fall or anything, but I was nervous that she would knock a pole or pony would refuse a jump. I so wanted her to do well and not be disappointed.

Yes it can be quite stressful but never so much that we can't watch - normally because she expects us to be videoing her !

She puts enough stress on herself without us adding to it. We once went 7 hours to ride in a HOYS qualifier and, even though she won, she said she'd never go back as it would be too stressful to drive all that way home if she got beaten!

I have to say that although she has successfully Arena Evented she's not done a proper outdoor event yet. Doing cross country over fixed fences may crank up our tension !

You've all got nerves of steel - I can't watch my DS ride our pony at all unless I'm leading, which as you can imagine is not great for his confidence (He's 13 and pretty competent). He hasn't ridden ours at all since he was cantered off with on a hack back in the spring. He turned and stopped the pony and was fine - I nearly had heart-failure and insisted on leading him home. Not good. My new year's resolution is to get him back in the saddle at home as both he and pony love to jump.

Relax??? I am standing at the edge of the arena making weird twitching movements as I ride every fence with them. Usually muttering at the same time. DH and DD1 can't stand next to me when I'm watching either of them ride! As Fireinthegrate said though, it's more that I want them to do as well as they want to do than fear of them falling off. I trust their ponies very much indeed, which helps a lot with my nerves I think.

Pony club racing
I always make sure I have brown trousers on!