diff --git a/include/haproxy/pattern.h b/include/haproxy/pattern.h
index 7f785095d..81ef5df2e 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/pattern.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/pattern.h
@@ -193,7 +193,6 @@ int pat_ref_delete_by_id(struct pat_ref *ref, struct pat_ref_elt *refelt);
 int pat_ref_prune(struct pat_ref *ref);
 int pat_ref_commit_elt(struct pat_ref *ref, struct pat_ref_elt *elt, char **err);
 int pat_ref_purge_range(struct pat_ref *ref, uint from, uint to, int budget);
-void pat_ref_reload(struct pat_ref *ref, struct pat_ref *replace);
 
 /* Create a new generation number for next pattern updates and returns it. This
  * must be used to atomically insert new patterns that will atomically replace
diff --git a/src/pattern.c b/src/pattern.c
index 5ec7316b1..265b05f48 100644
--- a/src/pattern.c
+++ b/src/pattern.c
@@ -2081,96 +2081,6 @@ int pat_ref_purge_range(struct pat_ref *ref, uint from, uint to, int budget)
 	return done;
 }
 
-/* This function prunes <ref>, replaces all references by the references
- * of <replace>, and reindexes all the news values.
- *
- * The patterns are loaded in best effort and the errors are ignored,
- * but written in the logs.
- */
-void pat_ref_reload(struct pat_ref *ref, struct pat_ref *replace)
-{
-	struct pattern_expr *expr;
-	struct pat_ref_elt *elt, *safe;
-	struct bref *bref, *back;
-	struct pattern pattern;
-
-
-	HA_SPIN_LOCK(PATREF_LOCK, &ref->lock);
-	list_for_each_entry(expr, &ref->pat, list) {
-		HA_RWLOCK_WRLOCK(PATEXP_LOCK, &expr->lock);
-	}
-
-	/* all expr are locked, we can safely remove all pat_ref */
-	list_for_each_entry_safe(elt, safe, &ref->head, list) {
-		list_for_each_entry_safe(bref, back, &elt->back_refs, users) {
-			/* we have to unlink all watchers. */
-			LIST_DEL_INIT(&bref->users);
-			bref->ref = NULL;
-		}
-		pat_delete_gen(ref, elt);
-		LIST_DELETE(&elt->list);
-		free(elt->pattern);
-		free(elt->sample);
-		free(elt);
-	}
-
-	/* switch pat_ret_elt lists */
-	LIST_INSERT(&replace->head, &ref->head);
-	LIST_DELETE(&replace->head);
-
-	list_for_each_entry(expr, &ref->pat, list) {
-		list_for_each_entry(elt, &ref->head, list) {
-			char *err = NULL;
-			struct sample_data *data = NULL;
-
-			/* Create sample */
-			if (elt->sample && expr->pat_head->parse_smp) {
-				/* New sample. */
-				data = malloc(sizeof(*data));
-				if (!data)
-					continue;
-
-				/* Parse value. */
-				if (!expr->pat_head->parse_smp(elt->sample, data)) {
-					memprintf(&err, "unable to parse '%s'", elt->sample);
-					send_log(NULL, LOG_NOTICE, "%s", err);
-					free(err);
-					free(data);
-					continue;
-				}
-
-			}
-
-			/* initialise pattern */
-			memset(&pattern, 0, sizeof(pattern));
-			pattern.data = data;
-			pattern.ref = elt;
-
-			/* parse pattern */
-			if (!expr->pat_head->parse(elt->pattern, &pattern, expr->mflags, &err)) {
-				send_log(NULL, LOG_NOTICE, "%s", err);
-				free(err);
-				free(data);
-				continue;
-			}
-
-			/* index pattern */
-			if (!expr->pat_head->index(expr, &pattern, &err)) {
-				send_log(NULL, LOG_NOTICE, "%s", err);
-				free(err);
-				free(data);
-				continue;
-			}
-		}
-		HA_RWLOCK_WRUNLOCK(PATEXP_LOCK, &expr->lock);
-	}
-	HA_SPIN_UNLOCK(PATREF_LOCK, &ref->lock);
-
-#if defined(HA_HAVE_MALLOC_TRIM)
-	malloc_trim(0);
-#endif
-}
-
 /* This function prunes all entries of <ref> and all their associated
  * pattern_expr. It may return before the end of the list is reached,
  * returning 0, to yield, indicating to the caller that it must call it again.