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The pressure of seasoning colts often weighs heavily on a lot of people in the horse industry, myself included. I made it 15 years in the barrel industry without having to do the hard work of hauling a young one to see the sights and exhibition. By the time I started hauling mine, previous owners had taken them places whether it was local fun shows or trail rides. It is so easy to get discouraged when you’re at a jackpot and your colt decides to act like it doesn’t even know how to steer or follow its nose in front of everyone watching because it’s too overwhelmed by everything happening around it. Now my seasoned horses have had some moments too, where I’ve come out of the arena wanting to just disappear into a hole or go back to my trailer and cry, I will be the first to admit. It’s not always pretty, but I have found that those moments are more abundant with a colt.
The competition atmosphere can be completely different than the normal day-to-day hacking and training you and your horse do at home. There's a several different sights, sounds, smells, and activity for your horse to get used to in a short amount of time. Sometimes these variables can affect riders even more so than our equine teammates. As you get more experienced and familiar with the competition atmosphere nerves may fade away and become less prominent or they may not be a problem for some individuals at all. For those riders who do get the competition jitters, these are some tips I’ve found over the years to help you and your horse stay calm and focused when you enter the show ring.