Young horses - how long for them to get used to the show atmosphere?

I really feel for you - my 6 year old is similar!
Wired to the moon, eyes popping out of his head, although he is ALOT better than he was.
In my experience it really is just repetition, repetition, repetition. And as hard as it is STAY CALM! I am a right little stress head, and as my trainer pointed out, if you're stressed the horse will be stressed. Helped me a lot :)

Good luck and thanks to everyone for the advice! :D
 
well, the little bugger had me off today in a mega-spook...

I had decided that for today's session, I'm going to take a strong approach to his spooking, and not let it happen. I thought to myself "it's good practice for being out at a show".

So a few minutes in, 5 deer wander up to the fence, staring at him, and sticking their noses through the fence to get a better look at him...I decide I'm going to pretend they are dressage judges in a box, and I'm going to make him go past them :p ... well it went a bit pear shaped, and there was some leaping in the air, spinning, bolting at top speed in the opposite direction - I saw my right stirrup go flying past me at speed and land in the sand, and I followed it shortly after...landed on my head, managed not to get stomped in his hurry to flee the horse-eating monsters at the side of the school...luckily I wasn't hurt. In all the commotion, the deer fled the scene.

I did actually get back on him, but he was WIRED for the rest of the session. I need a new strategy :)
 
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