A five-point lead change penalty in reining can feel brutal.
Especially when it keeps happening.
My client came to me after repeatedly getting five-point penalties in her reining patterns that were, understandably, tanking her scores.
She was scoring 65 after 65… instead of the 70s she knew she was capable of.
Ouch.
Reining isn’t cheap. It takes time, money, dedication, and a whole lot of heart.
By the time she reached out, she felt defeated.
She hung her head as she told me what had been happening.
The problem wasn’t her horse
She rode a lovely, spicy mare who had been in full-time training since she was started as a two-year-old.
The rider? She was just as lovely.
Hard-working. Dedicated. A little high-strung.
She cared deeply about doing right by her horse and finally proving—to herself—that after decades of putting work and family first, she could succeed in the show pen too.
So every time she entered the arena… The pressure cranked up to 100.
The lead change penalty in reining that kept showing up
Everything would be going well… Until the lead change.
Coming through the center of the pen, she’d cue for the change… Just a little too enthusiastically.
Her mare would kick out.
Five-point penalty.
Again.
Deep down, she was carrying a limiting belief.
A tiny voice telling her that maybe her horse wouldn’t change unless she really made it happen.
So she over-cued.
The harder she tried to fix it… The more she repeated it.
Even when she consciously reminded herself,
“Be softer.”
She still over-cued.
Another penalty. Another expensive show. Another drive home wondering,
“Why did I do that when I knew better?”
Ever Done Something You Knew Better Than to Do?
Raise your hand if you’ve ever ridden out of the arena thinking,
“I know better than that.”
(Everyone’s hand should be up, cowboy.)
Because here’s the truth…
Knowing what to do and being able to execute it under pressure are two completely different skills.
Why this lead change penalty wasn’t just a riding or training problem
When we sat down together, we weren’t solving a riding problem.
She knew how to cue a lead change. She knew how to ride her horse.
The problem wasn’t lack of knowledge. It was what happened after pressure entered the picture.
Show nerves. Limiting beliefs. Fear of getting it wrong.
Those were driving her behavior—not a lack of riding ability.
Pressure changes how you access your skills
When she came to me, she was stuck in a painful cycle.
“I know better.”
“So why can’t I do better?”
That question carried so much shame.
But here’s what I want you to remember:
Pressure changes how you access your skills.
Under stress, your brain doesn’t automatically perform at its best. It defaults to familiar patterns.
That is why a lead change penalty in reining is not always just about the lead change.
Unless you’ve intentionally trained something different.
The mental training shift that stopped the lead change penalty
Once we identified what was really happening, everything shifted.
- We used visualization to mentally rehearse successful lead changes before she ever entered the arena.
- We worked on calming her nervous system before she rode.
- We challenged the limiting beliefs convincing her she had to over-cue.
Because confidence isn’t built by hoping you’ll stay calm.
It’s built by training your brain to respond differently under pressure.
If you’ve ever thought, “I know better…”
“Why do I keep making the same mistake?”
“Why can’t I ride the way I do at home?”
“I know better…”
Take a deep breath.
This isn’t proof that you’re incapable.
It’s proof that your mind needs training just as much as your riding does.
And that’s something you can absolutely change.
Ready to ride the way you know you’re capable of?
If show nerves, overthinking, or repeated mistakes are costing you points, 5 Days to Confident Competitor is the perfect place to start.
Inside, you’ll learn simple mental tools to help you stay calm under pressure, stop overthinking every maneuver. build confidence before you enter the pen & trust your training instead of letting nerves take over.
Because the goal isn’t just knowing what to do.
It’s being able to do it when it matters most.
👉 Start 5 Days to Confident Competitor today.
Ride on with confidence,
Nicole
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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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