When can we start competing with a young horse?

Hi! Here is how I look at it. You can take a young horse out once you have built a working line of communication and a system into your training. In other words, you have a handful of checkpoints you run through every session, and once they come easily you can start travelling to other places. When you arrive somewhere new, do exactly as you do at home: work through each step, spend a little extra time wherever the horse does not quite understand, and repeat there until it is paying attention and answering easily.

There are two things about horses to keep in mind:

1️⃣ They do not like surprises, meaning they want to be able to predict what is coming. When we train our horses we need a clear system so the horse can understand what is expected of it. That is why we always work to a clear system.

2️⃣ Horses are flight animals, and any change in the environment is a potential danger, so in a new place the horse pays far more attention to possible threats.

So with a clear system and an understanding of how horses behave in a new environment, you can start going out once you can do everything the competition will ask of you at home, with a relaxed, calm horse.