3 Ways I Use Visualization As A Rider

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Howdy, Cowboy!

Ever feel like life—or the weather—throws a wrench in your riding plans? Well, today was one of those days for me, and let me tell you, it was all about shifting my mindset.

I woke up to pouring rain and a 20-degree drop in temperature. My heart sank—there would be no riding today. I had been looking forward to a productive day in the saddle, and now it felt like my plans had been completely derailed.

So, what did I do? I gave myself a solid 5 minutes for a little pity party. Yep, 5 minutes to let myself pout about the situation, stomp around a bit, and shake my fist at the sky. But then, it was time to pivot. I couldn’t let a missed ride ruin my entire day. As a mental coach, I’ve learned to adjust quickly and find other ways to stay on track, even when things don’t go as planned.

I remember one time last year when I was preparing for an important show, and a similar weather surprise hit. Back then, I didn’t handle it as well. I ended up stuck in frustration for hours, feeling like I had wasted a perfect training day. The mental impact was more lasting than the missed ride itself, which is why I've worked so hard to develop mental resilience.

Meditation to the Rescue

I meditated for 20 minutes, and wow, did I need it! That mental peace and clarity came through later when my kids were bickering and going at it. Normally, I might have let their energy stress me out, but thanks to my meditation session, I was able to let it all roll off my back like water off a duck.

Meditation wasn’t always my go-to strategy. I used to think it was just about quieting my mind, but now I realize it’s about something deeper: awareness, acceptance, and finding peace in the chaos. It resets not only my emotions but also my energy. After those 20 minutes, I was centered, grounded, and ready to take on the day—rain or no rain.

But meditation wasn’t the only tool I pulled out of my mental performance toolkit that day. Next up? Visualization. Aka Mental Rehearsal.

The Power of Visualization

After meditating, I threw on an 8-minute audio track and went all in on my visualization practice. When I say “all in,” I mean I closed my eyes and imagined every single detail of my ride. You see, I tend to get a little busy with my hands and legs in the saddle, wanting to fix everything, nitpick every movement, and prevent mistakes before they happen. So for this session, I visualized myself letting my body do less—trusting my horse, letting my legs hang, and my hands stay quiet. Just me and my horse, moving in perfect harmony, with nothing to fix.

During this session, I realized that I use visualization in three key ways. Let me break them down for you, because they’ve been game-changers in my riding:

1. Practicing Something Specific

Visualization is a great way to practice a specific skill or scenario in your mind before you do it in the saddle. Like today, I visualized my horse loping perfect circles while I focused on doing less. I imagined how it would feel to ride with light, gentle aids, trusting my horse to respond with minimal input from me. The more vividly you can imagine it, the more your brain believes you’ve already done it, which helps create the neural pathways you’ll need when you actually get in the saddle.

2. Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable

One of my clients shared an amazing insight with me about how she uses visualization. She told me that before her first show of the season, she spent a week visualizing herself in the warm-up pen, feeling the tension and nervous energy all around her. But instead of freezing up, she imagined herself staying calm, confident, and focused, no matter what. By the time the show rolled around, she was mentally prepared to handle the stress, and it made a huge difference in her performance. Visualization helps you ease into uncomfortable situations with confidence because your brain has already experienced it.

Another of my clients told me how he visualized his hunting trip—imagining the cold, the environment, and how he’d stay comfortable. He almost didn’t go hunting because he hates being cold. But he mentally rehearsed beforehand, and by the time the trip came, he was mentally prepared. How powerful is that?

3. Noticing and Correcting Bad Habits

During my mental rehearsal today, I noticed a little squiggle in my horse’s steering—a subtle wiggle that I sometimes miss while riding. Even though all this was happening just in my mind, I found when I was steering my horse along in a circle, and then I’d steer him straight across; well, right before we’d rejoin the circle, there was a little squiggle. A little hesitation, a “which way are we going? Left? Right?”, and some discomfort with, “What if we make a mistake?!”, and it comes out as a little wiggle in my horse’s body before turning. 

Turns out, my brain was so used to this that it showed up in my visualization, too! Even though it was just happening in my mind, that squiggle was a sign of a habit I needed to correct. This is where the magic of mental rehearsal happens: I can address that squiggle mentally first, shifting my neural pathways, and improve my ride in real life!

Mental rehearsal is in fact the perfect place to address the squiggle, because it’s my thought process that influences my behavior and actions in the saddle. If I can’t even imagine a smooth straight line before a turn, why would I think I could ride it? 

It won’t happen. I need to visualize, or mentally rehearse, this until I can smoothly perform it in my mind. Then I’ll have the neural pathways and muscle memory to ride it in that smooth, effortlessly straight way when I am in the saddle. 

Pretty damn cool, right? It’s wild how even in our minds, those habits pop up! Mental rehearsal helps me catch those little things that might otherwise go unnoticed during a busy ride. If I can’t even imagine a smooth, straight line before a turn, why would I expect to ride it smoothly? That’s why visualization is so powerful—it allows you to rehearse the ride mentally until it feels natural and effortless, paving the way for a better experience when you’re actually in the saddle.

Why Visualization Works: The Science Behind It

Did you know that your brain can’t always tell the difference between something vividly imagined and something that actually happens? That’s why visualization is such a powerful tool. When you mentally rehearse a skill, or repeat a thought, your brain creates new neural pathways, just like it would if you were physically performing that skill. This means that by visualizing, you’re effectively “training” your brain to perform better when it counts.

Studies have shown that athletes who regularly practice visualization improve their performance nearly as much as those who practice physically. It’s all about priming your mind for success.

Join Me for the Mental Rehearsal for Riders Masterclass!

This is just the beginning of what visualization can do for your riding. If you’re ready to dive deeper and unlock the power of mental rehearsal for your riding, join me on October 23rd for the Mental Rehearsal for Riders Masterclass.

We’ll be covering advanced visualization techniques, how to prime your brain for competition success, and practical steps to make mental rehearsal a part of your everyday routine. This is your chance to take control of your mental game and transform how you ride—mentally and physically.

Grab your seat and get ready to level up your riding!

See ya in class!

Nicole

The Rider’s Mental Coach + Founder, Resilient Reiner