I have been asked regularly if there are any tricks to easily memorize the course. We have all been in that situation on course that we got over a jump and suddenly realized we forgot which way to go. This can be very frustrating, especially when you are still clear up to that point. So here are 4 steps to help you clear your mind, prepare and visualize your plan to never forget your course again.

As Tony Robbins says, “If you want to become great in a certain area, make sure to model those who have already achieved it.” I am a firm believer that we have so much to learn from those at the top of the sport, so I have interviewed more than 15 top-level riders to learn from them, how they train, how they prepare mentally for competition, and how they bounce back when things don’t go as planned. Back in 2017 I had the privilege of interviewing Laura Kraut. She shared so many amazing insights with me and I want to share some of these with you now.

Our mindset, beliefs and past experiences have a big impact on how we feel about competing. Sometimes just thinking about going to a horseshow can already cause us to freeze and feel anxious. This physically unpleasant feeling is our survival mechanism at work. This mechanism has developed over thousands of years and helped us survive. However, when we are on a horse, this “fight or flight” response is not very helpful. Although this survival mechanism is pretty powerful and it takes some practice to overrule, the following exercises will help you create a more manageable amount of pressure.

Being able to stay focused on the task at hand and fully engage in the process is the key to ride your best round and to excel under pressure. I have been able to work with and study many great riders and time and again the ones that are able to focus and completely be in the moment, are the ones that often win or do well at the shows. In case you easily get distracted by thoughts or people watching you, don’t despair, you can train and improve your own focus. However, make sure you start training in advance and don’t wait till you are at the show and the pressure is on.


In this series (“Riding to Win vs. Chasing Perfection”) I’m digging deeper into how to strategize our rides. When should we chase the blue ribbon and when should be aiming for perfection? In the previous installment of this series, I explored the competitive mindset, knowing when to go for victory and its pitfalls (if you haven’t read it yet, click here).

In today’s blog I’m diving deeper into the art of riding the ‘perfect’ round.  Obviously, we are always aiming for that perfect round, even in a fast jump off, but there is an important difference between riding to be competitive and riding to improve ourselves and our horses. Let’s explore the ups and downs of chasing perfection, as well as when and how to set yourself up for success.

As an athlete we’d like to always be in control and have everything work out exactly as we planned. However, the reality is that there are many things that can go wrong, throw us off guard or at least, turn out differently. Often – even when we know better – we spend a lot of energy trying to change the things we can not change and neglect the things we actually do have power over. Here are 5 skills you can always work on, no matter the circumstances.