This week, we rode outside on the track, which is 150 x 300 and set  in the middle of a big pasture so I can ride on it or off it. The horses really needed to get outside…. For the first couple of days, it was like I’d opened the gate and turned them l oose!Yesterday I rented the coliseum at Ardmore. I took a couple of the older horses to school and clean things up after being shown. I took the 3 year olds to build confidence and relaxation, so that they realize that every time they’re in the arena by themselves it’s not always a big deal. They’ve been shown 3 or 4 times each and, for the most part,  I rode them around quiet and relaxed, although I did ask them to do a few hard things.

I find this helps keep horses from anticipating what happens in the patterns, which are pretty predictable. Horses know that the same things happen in the center of the arena: there will be a lead change, speed up, and slow down. Sometimes, they try to be helpful and make decisions about what comes next on their own. Same thing=2 0about going down the sides. Unless you mix up what happens in a show pen situation, the horse can easily think that anytime we get on a straight line, they’re supposed to run. They forget that they’re supposed to run when y ou ask and otherwise, they’re supposed to wait.

I also always try to avoid the scenario I see often: a lot of the time, people ride quiet and relaxed at home and then, when they get to the show, they ask their horses to do a lot. The horse starts to think that the arena is a bad place to be.