Getting Your Horse Competition Ready with Wolf Equestrian
- Mar 22
- 5 min read
Preparing your horse for the competition season takes more than just regular riding. It requires a clear plan for training, nutrition, and the right Wolf Equestrian Clothing to ensure both you and your horse perform at your best. The Dressage, Showjumping and Eventing season has already begun, so now is the perfect time to get started. This guide will walk you through practical competition tips, followed by an introduction to the latest riding clothing from Wolf Equestrian to help you look sharp and dress for success in the ring. We will also share details about where you can find us trading this year at some of the top equestrian events.
Training Your Horse for Competition Season
Getting your horse fit and confident for competition starts with a structured training plan. Here are key areas to focus on:
Build a Solid Fitness Base
Start with conditioning: Gradually increase the length and intensity of your rides to build stamina. Aim for 4-5 rides per week, mixing flatwork, hill work, and cantering. If you have access to a gallops, a week before, it is good to use these to support training of your horse, especially when eventing.
Include strength training: Exercises like transitions, lateral work, and pole work help build muscle and improve balance. Using Grid work and coming off your corners with jumps will help with collection, balance and rhythm of your horse.
Rest and recovery: Schedule rest days to prevent overtraining and allow your horse’s muscles to recover. For young horses, rest days to think about what they have done and learnt is vitally important, in this writers opinion.
Getting your timing and lines
Every wondered how to get your timings perfect in eventing, focus on cantering exercises around your arena and adjust your speed over timed intervals to understand the rhythm and timing. Four laps of your arena (40x20) is just under half a kilometre, and typically most eventing courses BE80/90/100 will be around 2.2/ 2.5km with an average pace of between 4 - 6 minutes. This will help you eventing by working out your pace and how to adjust it by feel and sight between each marker on the course to stay inside of the time.
For Show Jumping, typically you will be rewarded for following the correct line over time with an average pace at unaffiliated events, whilst BSJ will focus on a tighter time around the course. This is where you need to understand your horses speed and how to adjust it around the course, whilst remaining balanced and steady. Grid work into Oxers going off at a diagonal across the school can help you balance your horse, see your line, adjust your speed and collect your horse back up again. How it feels and knowing when you can push and rebalance, will help you keep an active rhythm throughout.
Sharpen Skills Specific to Your Discipline
Dressage riders should focus on precision, rhythm, and responsiveness. Keeping your horse flexible by doing moving & bending exercises before competitions will help with the suppleness.
Showjumpers need to practice approach, take-off, and landing techniques at different speeds to support when riding a round of fences.
Eventers must balance dressage, cross-country, and show jumping skills together. The most important thing is to have fun, as your horse will not be a master of all disciplines and they will have a strength, so play to that.
Mental Preparation
Expose your horse to competition environments by visiting busy arenas or shows before your first event if young and remain calm/ relaxed in the warm up. At the end of the day, your there to have fun!
Practice routines such as warming up and cooling down to reduce stress on event day. Treat the day as day out with your instructor or that you are visiting a local event you always ride at and do well. It really is no different and if your tense, your horse can feel this too and so it is important to treat it no different than anything else.
For detailed training plans, visit British Eventing Training Tips or The Horse’s Fitness Guide.
Feeding Your Horse for Peak Performance
Nutrition plays a crucial role in your horse’s energy levels and recovery. Here’s how to feed your horse for competition success:
Balanced Diet Essentials
Forage first: Good quality hay or pasture should make up the majority of your horse’s diet.
Concentrates: Add grains or commercial feeds designed for performance horses to meet energy needs.
Supplements: Consider joint supplements, electrolytes, or digestive aids based on your horse’s workload and health.
Hydration and Electrolytes
Ensure your horse has constant access to clean water.
Use electrolyte supplements during hot weather or intense training to replace lost minerals.
Feeding Schedule
Feed smaller meals multiple times a day to aid digestion.
Avoid feeding large meals right before exercise to prevent discomfort.
For more feeding advice, check out The British Horse Society Nutrition Guide.
Your First Event in April: What to Expect
Competing for the first time in the season can be exciting and nerve-wracking. Here are some tips to help you and your horse perform well:
Prepare your tack and equipment the day before to avoid last-minute stress.
Arrive early to allow your horse to settle and warm up properly.
Stick to your routine as much as possible to keep your horse calm.
Stay hydrated and focused throughout the day.
Review your performance afterward to identify areas for improvement.
Dress for Success with Wolf Equestrian Clothing
Looking the part boosts confidence and comfort during competition. Wolf Equestrian offers a stylish and functional range of riding clothing for men and women that combines performance with classic equestrian style.
The sweat wicking technology or the compression fabrics are the latest innovative designs on the market, and hold the same priorities as any premium brand clothing at a fraction of the price. Take Cavalleria Toscana, Tommy Hilfiger Equestrian or Hugo Boss Equestrian, they all use the same materials as Wolf Equestrian, but they are double the cost. Wolf Equestrian aims to support riders in the saddle whilst not breaking the bank.
Wolf Equestrian Men’s Riding Clothing
Tailored breeches with stretch fabric for freedom of movement.
Technical base layers and Competition Shirts that wick moisture and regulate temperature.
Wolf Equestrian Women’s Riding Clothing
High-waisted breeches and riding tights with flattering cuts.
Lightweight show shirts with sweat wicking built in for the ultimate riding experience.
Introducing Our New Competition Show Shirts
Our latest collection of competition show shirts blends style with practicality. Features include:
Moisture-wicking fabric to keep you dry.
Stretch panels for ease of movement.
Crisp collars and subtle detailing for a polished look.
Mesh fabric to allow movement of air across the body to keep you cool.
These shirts are perfect for any event, from dressage to show jumping, and come in a variety of colours to match your team or personal style.
Find Wolf London Clothing at These 2026 Events
We are excited to be trading at some of the most prestigious equestrian events this year. Come visit us to see our full range of clothing and gear:
Oxstalls Horse Trials - April
Badminton Horse Trials - May (Treehouse Sporting Colours Stand)
Bramham Horse Trials - June
Beaufort Festival of Polo - June
Oxstalls Horse Trials - June
Cowdray Polo - July
Oxstalls Horse Trials - July
Cirencester Markets - August
Burghley Horse Trials - September (Treehouse Sporting Colours Stand)
Gatcombe Park Horse Trials - September
Cirencester Markets - November & December
The London International Horse Show - December (Treehouse Sporting Colours Stand)
These events offer a great chance to try on our latest collections and get expert advice on competition wear.
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