Remembering SJ courses

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Annagain

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I have a friend who really struggles to remember jumping courses. She keeps getting eliminated and it's really getting her down as she's spent ages bringing her youngster on, he's jumping brilliantly and growing in confidence every time out and she feels she's letting him down. I said I'd ask on here to see if anyone has any useful advice or tips. Part of it is her nerves, I think. She's not nervous about the actual jumping but she gets so nervous about being able to remember the course that it prevents her thinking properly and the more she worries about it, the more it happens. She's tried everything from not focussing on the numbers and trying to remember the pattern to telling a story that is supposed to help her but she says when she's in the ring, it all comes too quickly for her to think and she just reacts, which usually means she goes for the next jump she can see a path to. She's practiced loads of courses at home but she never has a problem there when the pressure is off.

Has anybody had a similar thing happen to them and if so, how do you deal with it?
 
Does she watch the course being ridden? That might help. Also maybe focus on the numbers and slow down a bit. Like ride some clear rounds without walking the course just look for numbers
 
I found walking the course and then replaying it in my mind useful and also watching others ride the course as Roxylola suggested.

If your friend can remember a course at home but not at a show then it might be worth her trying something like NLP
 
Roxylola said:
Does she watch the course being ridden? That might help. Also maybe focus on the numbers and slow down a bit. Like ride some clear rounds without walking the course just look for numbers
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Yes she always plans time to watch at least 5 riders, she says this helps (and if you ask her to describe the course before she goes in, she can) but it just goes out the window when she's in the moment. Maybe trotting round some smaller courses /clear rounds would be an idea. Thanks
 
I always try to "double-encode" courses in my brain. I try to memorise the layout of the jumps and then remember the colour of each jump. Then if one fails, I've got a back up in my mind. I make sure I can run through the course with my eyes closed.
Perhaps a few quiet clear rounds with the possibility of doing the course again if she gets it wrong the first time would be a good half-way house between at home and competing. Once she can get the course right first time round reliably, move on to other competitions.
 
I struggle with this alot and more recently have found that remembering fences rather than their numbers helps me!

Eg - Red brick to blue wave to green stripe etc.
 
Visualisation!

I look at the course, walking it if possible. If not (as sometimes happens eventing) I will look at it from several angles.

Then I will turn my back on the course or shut my eyes and tell someone the course. I will include riding notes.

So, come on a left rein to the little upright that faces the collecting ring. That is downhill, so gather him bck together for the slippery corner but put some leg on on case he is drawn to the other horses on the left hand bend. Next is the related distance of fences with the red fillers, on the diagonal. I must get the wings all lined up and there is a tent to look at in the distance. It is uphill so I need a compact and powerful canter as the distance will come right with that. As soon as I land, I will need to check as it is a wide oxer on the way out and he may be flying, so I need to be balanced for the right turn to the brush fence that is along the edge of the arena rope. Ets Etc.

Once I can recite the whole course, with the colour of each fence, distances and point to aim at, then I know it has stuck.
 
I never forgot show jumping courses, Mum used to say it was because it was all I had wanted to do and so because it was so important to me it stuck in my head. But I used to forget dressage tests as I never had a reader and rarely practiced my tests at home. I used to compete at Novice and Elementary and invariably would get the two mixed up, especially if they were similar. Not always, probably about every 2 out of 6 outings. Dressage never floated my boat like jumping did ever though it used to terrify me riding a very spooky horse!
 
Tell her to remember that she can always stop or turn without jumping penalties as long as she doesn't cross her tracks. It takes off some of the pressure.
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I'd definitely go to some low level clear rounds with a view to going in totally dry - no watching, no course walking - and trotting round navigating off numbers only. Maybe an arena hire or two first to do the same if that terrifies her completely.
My thinking being, if she can get round "blind" just navigating off looking for numbers and learn to take her time it will give her confidence that having walked a course she can slow down or stop and navigate if she gets lost.
Obviously with the assumption that she'll be ok with a flowing course and unlikely to ride a hand brake turn after a diagonal or something like that
 
Roxylola said:
I'd definitely go to some low level clear rounds with a view to going in totally dry - no watching, no course walking - and trotting round navigating off numbers only. Maybe an arena hire or two first to do the same if that terrifies her completely.
My thinking being, if she can get round "blind" just navigating off looking for numbers and learn to take her time it will give her confidence that having walked a course she can slow down or stop and navigate if she gets lost.
Obviously with the assumption that she'll be ok with a flowing course and unlikely to ride a hand brake turn after a diagonal or something like that
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That's one of the strategies I'm thinking of using - hard to tell what the courses will be like in this area. There's not a lot of expertise in unaffiliated competitions round here. You might get a really nice course but you might get a jumble of handbrake turns and dodgy distances too!

Next question, should I spring this on her or tell her in advance? I've told her to find a competition to go to just the two of us with no-one else on the yard so the pressure's off (I think part of the problem is she goes with people on the yard who are super competitive and plaster everything over social media) and I have some strategies for her to try. I'm concerned that if I tell her what they are, she'll worry about them but I don't want to take her too much by surprise and panic her either.
 
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Annagain said:
That's one of the strategies I'm thinking of using - hard to tell what the courses will be like in this area. There's not a lot of expertise in unaffiliated competitions round here. You might get a really nice course but you might get a jumble of handbrake turns and dodgy distances too!
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That's not ideal - maybe put something on here (or other social media) for recommendations of venues with flowing courses. Most of the time I can figure a course out with only a couple of the numbers but I assume there's a flow to it - id be stuffed with a load of turn backs 😂
 
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