Have you ever forgotten a pattern? If yes, congratulations. You’re human. Pull up a chair and let me give you 8 of my best tips for memorizing your horse show pattern.
Honestly, if you’ve never forgotten a pattern, there’s a decent chance you just haven’t shown enough horses yet.
The good news is that there’s more than one way to get a pattern stuck in your brain. Some riders learn best by hearing. Some are visual. Some need to physically move their body.
So instead of relying on one memorization trick, use the method that works best for your brain.
Here are eight ways to make your next pattern stick like syrup.
1. Say the Pattern Out Loud
This one can feel a little weird if someone hears you, but saying the pattern out loud can make a huge difference.
Sometimes seeing it on paper isn’t enough. Hearing yourself say the sequence gives your brain another way to process it.
So find a quiet corner, sit in your truck, or hide out somewhere and literally say it: Jog in. Walk in. Stop. Spin.
Whatever the pattern calls for, say it out loud.
2. Walk It Out
This one is tried and true. Get up and physically walk the pattern.
Do it in the barn aisle, parking lot, hotel room, or wherever you’ve got enough space to move.
Mark your center. Walk your circles. Pretend to lope. Pretend to back. Act the whole thing out.
Moving your body gives your brain another pathway for remembering what comes next.
3. Visualize How You’ll Actually Ride It
While you’re walking the pattern, don’t just memorize where you’re going.
Think about how you’re going to ride it.
Where can you push your horse?
Where might you need to offer a little extra support?
Where do you need to set something up carefully?
If you’ve already seen the show pen, use landmarks in the arena too. Maybe there’s a banner, a gate, or something distinctive you can mentally anchor to.
Now you aren’t just memorizing the pattern.
You’re rehearsing the ride.
4. Chunk the Pattern
This one is HUGE.
Sometimes you’re halfway through a pattern and suddenly your brain goes: Wait…what comes next?
If you’ve only memorized the pattern from beginning to end, you may find yourself mentally restarting from maneuver one. (Not ideal when you’re already in the show pen.)
Instead, chunk your pattern.
Practice starting from different points. If you’re at maneuver four, can you immediately tell yourself what maneuvers five through eight are?
Your goal is to be able to pick the pattern back up from anywhere.
5. Use Wordplay
Brains love little hooks. Rhymes. Alliteration. Word associations.
For example, in a ranch riding pattern you might tell yourself: Left after the log.
That little bit of alliteration gives your brain something easy to hang onto.
It doesn’t have to be clever. It just has to help you remember.
6. Draw the Pattern
If you’re a visual learner, grab a pen and paper.
One of my best friends loves drawing out the entire pattern and tracing the route.
For some people, physically drawing it makes the sequence click in a way that reading the pattern never does. You don’t need artistic talent. Stick-horse circles totally count.
7. Use Colors and Visual Anchors
You can use color in two ways.
First, if you’re drawing the pattern, assign colors to different maneuvers.
Maybe green is your small slow circle.
Red is your stop.
Whatever makes sense to you.
Second, look around the actual arena for memorable landmarks.
Maybe there’s a giant American flag hanging overhead.
You can tell yourself: Don’t stop until I’m past the flag.
Those visual anchors can make the pattern much easier to recall when you’re actually riding it.
8. Always Think Ahead
This might be the most important mental habit in the entire pattern.
What’s next?
Not: Ugh, that stop wasn’t very good.
Not: I should’ve ridden that circle differently.
Not: I wonder what the judge thought.
There will be plenty of time to analyze your run once you’re out of the arena.
In the middle of your pattern, your job is to keep riding.
Train your brain to ask: What’s next?
Finish one maneuver, then mentally move immediately to the next one.
That habit helps keep you on pattern and keeps one imperfect maneuver from stealing the rest of your run.
And Give Yourself Enough Time
Here’s the final piece that ties all of these together:
Don’t wait until the last possible second to learn your pattern!
As soon as you know what you’re riding, start memorizing it.
Give yourself time to say it, walk it, draw it, visualize it, chunk it, and test yourself.
You’re not trying to cram. You’re trying to make the pattern so familiar that when the pressure rises, your brain already knows where to go next.
Want to Ride the Pattern Instead of Worrying About It?
Memorizing the pattern is one part of showing confidently.
The other part is being able to stay present enough to actually ride it when the nerves, pressure, and distractions show up.
That’s exactly the kind of mental skill we start building inside 5 Days to Confident Competitor.
If you want to stop mentally leaving your run after one mistake and start riding each maneuver with more focus and confidence, this is a great place to start.
Join 5 Days to Confident Competitor →
Happy Trails,
Nicole Burnett
Mental Coach for Riders
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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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