The 5-Point Penalty Problem—and How to Fix It

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A 5-point penalty. 

My client came to me after repeatedly getting 5 point penalties in her reining patterns that were, understandably, tanking her scores. 

She was getting 65 after 65 instead of 70 after 70. 

Ouch. 

Reining costs a lot of money and takes a lot of dedication and emotion. 

She was rough around the edges, and feeling pretty beat up. 

She hung her head in shame as she shared what was going on. 

Her horse was a lovely, spicy mare who had only been in full time training since she’d been started four years prior. Her rider was also lovely and high strung. She cared deeply about her horse and riding well, and was putting allllll the pressure on herself to prove she could do this after decades of devotion to her work and family. 

So, with the pressure cranked to 100, she’d enter the ring and start loping around. And when they came through center to do a lead change, well, she’d cue for the lead change a little too enthusiastically and have her horse kick out. 

There was a limiting belief that maybe, just maybe, her horse had come untrained, and she could “guarantee” a change by cueing firmly. 

Her show nerves were also absolutely getting the best of her, and leaving her a total mess, which didn’t help because once she realized what was going on, she’d try her darn best to cue gently, only to still over cue! 

And have yet another 5 point penalty. Another couple grand down the drain for a show that went nowhere. 

The tears and shame as she wondered, “Why did I do that when I knew better?”

Raise your hand if you have ever been guilty of somehow not executing in your ride even when you “know better”? 

(Everyone’s hand should be up, cowboy). 

So there we were, sitting together, unraveling the mystery of her 5-point penalties. The root wasn’t in the riding knowledge—she knew how to cue her horse. She knew how to execute a lead change. But there was something deeper at play.

Now, here’s where we dive into the heart of the matter: knowing better isn’t always enough. We’ve all been there. You study, practice, and train like mad, but the second you enter the show pen, nerves hijack everything you know. It’s like watching your own hands and feet misfire when you know exactly what needs to happen.

When my client walked in with her head down, brimming with shame, she was caught in a (negative) loop. She thought, “I know better, so I should be doing better. What’s wrong with me?” But the reality is, knowing and doing are two very different beasts—especially when you're under pressure.

This is where you need to give yourself permission to seek help. To not have it all figured out. To stumble, because imperfection is part of the process.

In fact, consider this your official permission slip to both get the help you need, and to be imperfect. A double whammy! 

Here's the thing: your mental performance, especially under pressure, is often what makes or breaks you in the show pen. My client wasn’t dealing with an untrained horse, and she wasn’t untrained herself. She was facing limiting beliefs and show nerves that left her overcueing, overthinking, and spiraling. It was all about what was happening between her ears, not beneath her saddle.

And that’s exactly what we worked on together.

Visualization became her key tool for mentally rehearsing those moments. We worked on managing & calming her nerves before even stepping into the pen. We went deep into dismantling those limiting beliefs that were triggering her to overcue in the first place.

Because here’s the truth: when the pressure is on, your brain and body default to old habits—unless you’ve intentionally trained them otherwise. That’s where visualization and mental rehearsal come in. They’re not just a nice-to-have—they’re the foundation of confidence and calm in the pen.

So, if you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “I know better than this, why am I not doing better?” take a breath. It’s not a reflection of your ability, it’s a reflection of what’s going on in your mind.

And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Let’s get you out of that penalty box and into the winner’s circle where you belong.

You in?

Ride on with confidence,

Nicole

PS- Join me in my upcoming Masterclass on Mental Rehearsal for Riders, where we’ll break down how to mentally prepare for the ring and step into the show pen with true confidence. (Details coming this week!) Or, if you’re ready for even deeper work, become part of Resilient Reiner Academy and take your mental game—and your riding—to the next level.