Keep Him Focused
Anticipation comes from repetition. When you school a maneuver, like a flying lead change, over and over in the same place, it teaches your horse to anticipate what’s next. Even a seasoned show horse—who isn’t over-schooled—gets to know his job so well that he might attempt to do the pattern on autopilot. In either case, when your horse anticipates a maneuver, he’s ignoring your cues and thinking for himself.
When your horse is paying attention to you at home, he’ll carry that habit to the show pen, even when you’re both surrounded by distractions—whether it’s the crowd, other horses, or the loudspeaker shouting draws. This will translate to fewer penalties—and when your horse’s full attention on you, it gives you the opportunity to
