EC Question of the Week: Memorizing Tricky Trail Patterns

Surely you’ve never forgotten a pattern while showing, right?

We recently asked our readers to tell us how they memorize the sometimes tricky patterns for Trail!  We had some great responses, and you can check them out here:

Kenneth Hoffman and Whitney Romanoff:  Walk the course.

Meghan Murphy Sabbagh:  I walk the course, visualize it, and then repeat it out loud to my trainer right before I go in.

Laura Kellejian:  Carefully read the pattern. Walk the course. Know where you should hit each obstacle coming in and exiting. Also mark your path between each obstacle.

June Liston: Learn it, most importantly, read the steps; walk it, and watch it if there is an exhibitor ahead of you.

Michelle Parker:  I have the written pattern on me and practice it in small sections at the show. It helps me to break it into parts so I don’t get lost. Seeing the course laid out is a huge help for me too. I will stand back and go over the pattern in my head while looking at which obstacle I’m going over and how it is laid out visually. Practice, practice, practice!

And our favorite out-of-the-box response:

Kory Kumar: Helping to set up the course is a GREAT way to help learn the pattern!