1. What is ‘scotching’?
A) drinking too much
B) stuttering into a stop
C) forgetting your pattern
2. A horse said to be ‘hunting the circle’ is:
A) looking for a way out of the arena.
B) resisting traveling on a circle.
C) willingly traveling on a circle.
3. True or false: A horse traveling ‘on the forehand’ has achieved a high degree of collection.
T / F
4. ‘Fencing’ can refer to:
A) an enclosure for a horse.
B) a training exercise.
C) both A and B.
HOW’D YOU DO? (Answers below.)
1. B is correct. “Scotching” is the series of stuttering hesitations a horse makes when he’s anticipating the stop during a rundown in a pattern class. Scotching destroys his balance and momentum, knocking points from your score.
2. C is correct. A horse that’s “hunting the circle” is willingly staying on the circle you’ve put him on, even on a loose rein. He’s looking in the direction he’s traveling and staying arced on the circle, without drifting or dropping a shoulder.
3. F is correct. A horse on his forehand has achieved no collection. A well collected horse carries more weight on his hind end, driving under himself with his hind legs to propel himself forward. This renders him balanced and light on his feet—ready for any maneuver.
4. C is correct. In addition to forming an enclosure, “fencing” is a term for an exercise to improve the quality of a horse’s rundown to a sliding stop. A safe fence is used as a visual barrier to help train the horse to stop at that point—but not before. Fencing can be a useful maneuver in correcting scotching.
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