3 Mental Hacks Every Western Rider Should Know to Perform at Their Best

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Let’s keep this simple.

If you want to perform at your best, you need training—not hype.

And when I say “hack,” I don’t mean a gimmick or a quick fix.
I mean three high-powered leverage points that make your riding show up under pressure—because they change what your brain and body can access when it counts.

Here are the three.

Hack #1: Focus is a performance skill

What it is: The ability to keep your attention on the ride you’re in—feel, timing, and what your horse is actually doing—without getting pulled into mental noise.

Why it matters: Pressure makes attention scatter. It pulls you into the judge, the score, the last run, the mistake you “can’t make,” the people watching. And when your attention leaves the present moment, timing and feel disappear first.

What it changes: You look steady. Your cues get cleaner. Your horse stays quieter. You stop giving away runs to distraction.

Hack #2: Identity decides what you default to

What it is: Your internal “default you” when it matters. Not your intentions. Not your pep talk. Your default.

Why it matters: Under stress, you don’t rise to your goals—you fall back to what your nervous system believes is true about you. That’s why confidence can feel inconsistent: you’re riding from hope instead of identity.

What it changes: Confidence stops being a mood. It becomes stable—because it’s built on who you are, not how you feel.

Hack #3: Regulation is your access to your real riding

What it is: Your ability to stay online in your body when adrenaline shows up. Not calm. Online.

Why it matters: When your nervous system reads “danger,” it changes breathing, muscle tone, vision, and decision-making automatically. That’s when riders get tight, fast, and mentally loud—even when they know better. You can’t out-think biology.

What it changes: You keep access to your training. Hands soften. Timing stays intact. You make decisions instead of reacting.

What to do next

If this made you think, “Hell yeah, gimme more,” good. You’re ready to uplevel. 

5 Days to Confident Competitor (5DCC) is your next step. This is where I help riders start training these three skills in a simple, structured way that applies directly to real pressure moments.

Talk soon,

Nicole