If you want to reach your full potential as a rider, you have to train your mind just as intentionally as you train your horse.
A rider sat next to me on the bleachers, glowing with excitement.
“Check this out,” she said, pulling out her phone to show me some recent videos. “I’ve finally dialed in my horse’s training. He’s perfect. We’ve spent the past year working on every single detail—lead changes, stops, speed control… he’s ready.”
I smiled and nodded as she played the video.
And honestly? Her horse looked impressive.
Smooth, effortless transitions. Perfectly timed cues. It was obvious they’d put in countless hours of work.
“So,” I asked, “how are you preparing yourself for the show next month?”
Her excitement faded for just a second before she waved her hand dismissively.
“Oh, I’ll just stay relaxed and focus on what I know. If my horse is trained this well, the results will take care of themselves.”
I took a deep breath.
This was going to be a tough conversation.
How to reach your full potential as a rider: Mental strength wins the game
I see this all the time.
Most riders believe that if they just train their horse hard enough, the wins will follow.
And honestly? I get it.
When you’re dedicated to riding, your horse naturally becomes the focus. You school. You tweak. You refine. You obsess over every maneuver, every cue, every tiny detail. You convince yourself that if you can just get everything perfect, success will come.
Along the way, you collect the Back on Track blankets, build the perfect SmartPak supplement program, and find the farrier you’ll never let retire.
But here’s the hard truth…
You can have the most finely tuned, perfectly trained horse in the world.
If you crumble under pressure…
If you overthink your run…
If you second-guess yourself the moment the gate opens…
It won’t matter.
Because the best-trained horse doesn’t always win.
Why the best horse doesn’t always win
Think about it.
If Andrea Fappani handed you the reins to one of his horses today, do you think you’d score the same as he would?
Or imagine Emily Beisel letting you make a run on Chongo.
You’d win the rodeo… right?
Probably not.
Because this has very little to do with simply having a talented horse.
The riders who consistently win are the ones who know how to handle pressure, stay mentally clear, and make great decisions in the moment.
Winning isn’t just about training your horse.
It’s about learning to train your mind, too.
Think about the most dominant riders in our industry.
They’re not the only ones who know how to train a horse.
They’re not the only ones with access to incredible trainers.
They’re not hiding some secret riding technique the rest of us don’t know.
They simply train something most riders ignore:
Their mindset.
The best riders don’t just train harder.
They train smarter by training their minds.
To reach your full potential as a rider, do this: Train your mind before competition
Let’s go back to the rider sitting next to me.
She had spent over a year perfecting her horse.
Every maneuver.
Every cue.
Every adjustment.
Everything had been polished over and over again.
But during that entire year…
She had done zero mental preparation for competition.
A year spent training her horse.
Zero time spent training her mind.
When I asked how she planned to handle the pressure of competition, her answers sounded like this:
🌀 “I’ll just try to stay calm.”
🌀 “My horse is ready, so I should be fine.”
🌀 “Hopefully I won’t overthink it.”
Friend…
That’s not a strategy.
That’s wishful thinking.
If you don’t have a plan for handling nerves, pressure, and mental blocks before you ever walk into the show pen, your performance is already being limited—you just may not realize it yet.
How great riders train their mind
The best riders don’t just school their horses.
They school themselves.
Before they ever think about executing a pattern, they ask themselves:
- How will I handle pressure today?
- What will I do when my brain starts to overthink?
- How will I stay focused if something unexpected happens?
And if they don’t have those answers?
They don’t just hope for the best.
They build them.
Because here’s the truth:
🎯 A confident, focused rider on a solid horse will almost always outperform a nervous rider on a great horse.
Talent matters.
Training matters.
But mindset is what allows you to use both when it counts.
To reach your full potential as a rider, you must train the rider, too
If today’s newsletter hit a little close to home, you’re not alone.
Most riders spend hundreds of hours training their horse…
…and almost no time training the one person making every decision in the saddle.
That’s exactly why I created 5 Days to Confident Competitor.
Inside, I’ll help you build the mental side of your riding with practical tools you can use immediately to:
✅ Stop overthinking before your run.
✅ Stay calm when the pressure rises.
✅ Build confidence that lasts—even when things don’t go perfectly.
✅ Learn how to ride with clarity instead of fear.
Because your horse deserves a rider whose mind is just as prepared as they are.
👉 Join 5 Days to Confident Competitor and start training the rider as intentionally as you’ve been training your horse.
See you inside,
Nicole
Read Next:
If pressure, overthinking, or show nerves have been getting in the way of your best rides, 5 Days to Confident Competitor is a simple place to start.
This five-day training helps you understand what happens in your brain and body when the pressure rises, so you can begin building tools to steady yourself, communicate more clearly with your horse, and ride with more confidence.
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Your horse feels what you bring into the saddle.
When pressure hits, your body, timing, focus, and confidence all affect the ride your horse gets.
Nicole Burnett is a mental performance coach for western riders who want their mindset to match their skill, their horse, and their goals.
Through practical mindset coaching and nervous system training, Nicole helps riders stay steady, communicate more clearly, and ride more effectively — whether they’re rebuilding confidence at home, sharpening their show-pen mindset, or preparing to compete on the national stage.
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