01/06/2026
This!
When I’m preparing to ride a pattern—and I mean any pattern… reining, cow horse, horsemanship, ranch riding, it doesn’t matter—I want to talk about something that separates the good patters from the great patterns.
I hear people say all the time, “Yeah, I know the pattern.”
And then they’ll start reciting it to me like they’re reading off a shopping list:
“Left circle, right circle, run down, stop, spin, back…”
Now look, I’m not saying you don’t need to know where you’re going. You do. If you don’t know the pattern, you’re already in trouble.
But knowing what the pattern is and knowing how you’re going to show it are two completely different things.
Because “knowing the pattern” is memory.
“Showing the pattern” is preparation.
When I go over a pattern in my head, I’m not just memorizing maneuvers. I’m mentally riding the entire thing, step by step, like I’m already in the show pen. I’m practicing it in my mind the same way I ride it on my horse.
And here’s what most people don’t do—but they should:
As I run through that pattern in my head, I’m rehearsing every single piece:
What am I going to be looking at when I enter the pen?
Where is my true middle?
Where are my run down lines?
What should I be looking at to get straight?
Where is the dirt I want to avoid?
Where do I want to place my stops?
What marker am I riding to on the circle so my shape stays consistent?
What am I looking at through the center so my lead change stays straight?
Where exactly am I going to start asking for that transition?
Where do I want my small slow to peak?
Where do I want to start building speed on the run down?
Where do I want to stop—what dirt am I aiming for?
Where do I want to hesitate so my horse’s mind comes back down before the next maneuver?
I’m not just thinking, “Circle here.” I’m thinking, “I’m riding to that banner. My eyes are up. I’m keeping my horse straight. I’m starting my transition right there so it’s finished right here.”
Because the truth is, the riders that consistently place aren’t “winging it” in the pen. They’ve already ridden the pattern—sometimes ten times—before their horse ever takes a step in the gate.
And that mental practice matters more than people want to admit, because shows don’t just test your horse.
They test your organization.
They test whether you can keep your eyes up, stay ahead of the pattern, ride the arena, and make decisions before your horse forces you into them.
This is exactly what I make my students do at a show. I don’t just ask them, “Tell me the pattern.”
I ask them, “Tell me how you’re going to show it.”
And if they can’t tell me what they’ll be looking at, where they’ll start each transition, what their plan is for their horse’s strengths, and where they’re going to set up each maneuver… then they don’t really know the pattern yet. They only know the words.
Because the show pen doesn’t reward good intentions.
It rewards preparation that looks calm, confident, and deliberate.
So the next time you’re getting ready to show, don’t just memorize the pattern.
Ride it in your mind. Practice every step. Practice what you’ll look at. Practice where you’ll ask. Practice where you’ll finish.
Then walk in that pen and ride it like you’ve been there a hundred times.
