The #1 Mistake Keeping You Stuck In The Show Pen

A few years ago, I was warming up for a big show, and my stomach was in knots.

I had prepared my pattern at home. I knew my stops were solid. We could change leads in our sleep. My mare was dialed in.

But as I sat in the warm-up pen, waiting for my turn, doubt crept in.

💭 What if I completely mess up my stops?
💭 What if the judges think I don’t belong here?
💭 What if I let my horse down?

And sure enough, the second I walked into the show pen… it all went downhill.

I tensed up, overthought every maneuver, and rode stiff. My mare felt my nerves and started anticipating. And when I made one small mistake, I spiraled.

The ride unraveled, and I walked out of the pen feeling frustrated, defeated, and honestly? Embarrassed.

Sound familiar?

The mistake I was making?

I thought my physical preparation was enough.

I believed that practicing my patterns, refining my cues, and putting in more hours in the saddle would automatically give me confidence.

🚨 But here’s the truth no one talks about: 🚨
If your mind isn’t prepared, it doesn’t matter how well you train your horse. 

Confidence doesn’t come from just riding more. It comes from training your brain to handle pressure.

If you don’t learn how to:
👉 Shut down nerves before they take over…
👉 Stay locked in, even after a mistake…
👉 Trust your training instead of overthinking every move…

Then no amount of saddle time is going to get you the results you want.

So, what changed for me?

I stopped leaving my confidence and mental toughness up to chance.

I started training my mind just as intentionally as I trained my horse.

And that’s exactly what I’ll teach you inside my free Ride Like a Pro Masterclass.

Inside this FREE masterclass, you’ll learn:

✅ How to make your best rides repeatable—so success becomes second nature.

✅ My unique Mental Fitness System for peak performance—so you can stop self-sabotaging and start riding like you know you can.

✅ The Anxiety Slayer Strategy—a simple but powerful tool to shut down nerves and sharpen your focus immediately.

✅ The most common mistakes that cost riders points (without them realizing it!)—and exactly how to fix them.

✅ + More about Mental Gym for Equestrians—because if you’re serious about leveling up, this is how you do it.

🚀 Save your seat now → [SIGN UP HERE]

I’m telling you—once you start training your mind like the pros do, everything changes.

🔥 Nicole Burnett
The Rider’s Mental Coach | Founder, Resilient Reiner

P.S. If you’ve ever walked out of the show pen feeling frustrated, defeated, and wondering why you can’t just ride like you do at home… this masterclass is for you. Let’s fix it—sign up here. → [SIGN UP HERE]