The rest of this article I wrote for Canadian Horse Journals is available on their site https://www.horsejournals.com/riding-training/rider-development/psychology/when-things-go-wrong-show-ring

But he never does that at home!” When my horse responds to a cue “most of the time”, he hasn’t quite learned it. A busy horse show atmosphere is sensory overload for a green horse. By August, judges have sadly DQ’d a scorecard full of horses not “quite” ready for the ring. Summer school stinks

When things go wrong in the horse show ring, how to turn show ring mistakes into learning opportunities for horse and rider

Training your horse to wait will bear fruit in many disciplines where immobility is assessed. Halting square and staying attentive 3-4 seconds – which can feel like and eternity- is required in dressage, working equitation and in obstacle classes.

Mounting your horse sets the tone for your ride. Teach your horse to wait. Train him to accommodate all mounting forms and tolerate all styles, from either side…graceful and less so. Mounting from the ground, from a block, leg up …or vault on!