Memorizing courses is the Achilles’ heel of many riders – a problem that is often exacerbated at horse shows by a case of nerves.

“Getting comfortable with memorizing courses definitely comes with experience. I think most of us start in the hunter ring, which gives you quite a logical pattern to follow and is a good way to learn how to memorize courses. In the hunter ring, really, after you know the first jump there’s usually only one option of where to go, unless you want to jump an oxer backwards!

When you progress through the levels and into the jumper ring the courses become a bit more intricate. To give yourself the best chance at memorizing the course, be sure to allow plenty of time to walk and watch. Often on a course walk you see people bringing out pieces of paper or notebooks to refer back to the course diagram, or to take notes. Now, of course, we can just take pictures of the course with our cell phones.

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