SOCIAL CUES

It’s common to worry that participating in “fun” activities with your competition horse will diminish his focus when it’s time to go back to his “day job.” But there are ways to make sure your horse learns the difference between his “work” and “break” activities.

He will learn by association if you provide him with obvious clues. Use different tack, for example, when heading out to the trail instead of into the ring. Change the stirrup length, wear different clothes, change your leg position … all of these are contextual clues that will help the horse understand what is expected of him on any given day.