If you’re going to be competing at a show in a pattern class, you know that you’ll need some serious preparation.
Patterns are generally posted well in advance, but laying down a winning run is not as simple as practicing the same pattern over and over before you show.
We’ve gathered advice from five AQHA Professional Horsemen to help you develop rituals that can dispel your preshow anxiety and get your horse ready for his best performance.
Get comfortable with patterns.
AQHA Professional Horseman Robin Frid’s clients run through the posted pattern in practice, but when they’re focusing on the whole pattern, they ride it without training throughout.
“At that point, you’ll run through the whole pattern at full speed,” Robin says. “If something goes wrong, you can school on it and correct it, and then start over – beginning to end without stopping. No pulling your horse out for a little correction and then continuing. This helps riders learn to deal with a little imperfection during the pattern and not let a mistake from early on in the pattern bother you.”
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article by Abigail Boatwright for The American Quarter Horse Journal.
