Riders often assume that the best way to prepare for a show is to increase their practice. More lessons, more schooling, and more rounds can feel like signs of commitment. But in Geoff Teall on Riding Hunters, Jumpers, and Equitation, Teall explains that over-preparation is one of the most common and most damaging mistakes riders make. When horse and rider practice past the point of usefulness, the work becomes flat and mechanical. The pair peaks at home instead of saving their best riding for the show ring.
Avoiding over-preparation requires awareness, restraint, and a thoughtful approach to planning. Teall makes clear that good preparation is purposeful—not excessive.
What Over-Preparation Really Looks Like
Teall describes over-preparation as the moment when practice no longer builds skill but begins to drain it. “Being over-prepared is when you have practiced too much and your riding becomes rote,” he writes. The performance that results “lacks spark and energy” and “lacks brilliance.” A round that should feel alive instead becomes automatic, with neither horse nor rider showing the freshness that good riding requires.
Horses suffer from this problem as much as riders do. Teall notes that it is “not at all uncommon to see horses knocking down jumps because they’re bored or sore.” Excessive drilling at home can leave a horse physically tired or mentally dull, unable to produce its best effort in competition.
Over-preparation doesn’t reflect a lack of effort—only that the effort has gone too far.
When Practice Stops Being Productive
One of Teall’s clearest points is that riders only get “so many breakthrough rounds where everything is exactly right.” These rounds are limited, and a rider who uses them up during schooling leaves fewer available for the moments that matter.
For this reason, Teall cautions riders not to chase perfect rounds at home. The goal in practice is to improve individual skills, not to achieve show-ring brilliance before the show even begins. When riders push for that feeling repeatedly, they often achieve it only to find that they have peaked too early. By the time they arrive at the competition, the freshness that produced those excellent rounds has faded.
Teall’s perspective reframes preparation from “doing more” to “doing what supports long-term progress.”
Keeping the Work Purposeful
The most productive preparation, according to Teall, comes from breaking down the pieces of a course and practicing them individually. Rather than repeating full rounds, riders should work on the specific skills they will need in the ring, like straight lines, turns, diagonals, broken lines, or the questions found in Handy classes. This keeps the schooling thoughtful and controlled rather than repetitive.
This approach also protects the horse. When riders limit how many times they school full courses, they reduce unnecessary pounding and the mental fatigue that comes from drilling the same questions repeatedly. The horse stays interested, responsive, and ready to rise to the occasion.
Purposeful practice allows both horse and rider to arrive at a show prepared, not depleted.
Knowing When to Stop
Teall emphasizes that good preparation includes knowing when the work has achieved its purpose. Practicing past that point does not improve skill; it simply increases the risk of overdoing it. While the transcript does not detail specific schooling decisions, Teall makes it clear that riders must guard against the impulse to “hit their peak too early at home.”
Stopping before the work becomes rote preserves the quality of each ride. It allows the rider to maintain the energy and clarity needed for good performance and helps ensure that the horse remains sound, willing, and ready for the show ring.
Teall’s advice encourages riders to trust that effective preparation does not require endless repetition. It requires clear intention.
Planning a Show Season Thoughtfully
Over-preparation also happens at the level of the calendar. Teall devotes significant attention to the importance of planning a show season with care. He urges riders to consider how many shows they need to attend in order to qualify for major events, how many opportunities they need to gain experience, and how many would be too many for the horse.
He frames these considerations as essential questions:
- Am I entered in the right shows to make qualifying possible?
- How can I gain enough experience without overshowing?
- How do I balance time at shows with time at home to work on basics?
- How much rest will I need before the major competition?
Teall notes that “there are no easy answers,” but that addressing these questions early in the year prevents riders from “careening toward a major event with no forethought.” A balanced schedule helps the rider build confidence without exhausting the horse or themselves.
Peaking at the Right Time
Teall describes peak performance as both an art and a result of preparation. Riders need to be in their best form at the show, not in the practice ring the week before. When preparation is paced well, riders arrive at a major competition with confidence, experience, and enough energy left to ride their best.
This approach reflects Teall’s larger philosophy: success comes from consistent, steady work rather than rushed or excessive effort. Each step in training contributes to the final result, and riders who manage their time wisely ensure that their strongest rides occur when it matters most.
A Balanced Approach to Training
Avoiding over-preparation does not mean avoiding hard work. It means understanding the limits of productive training. Teall’s guidance encourages riders to prepare with purpose, maintain balance in their schedule, and trust in the process of gradual improvement.
Riding well at a show is the result of many thoughtful choices, like how often to practice, what skills to focus on, when to rest, and how to plan the season. When riders keep these decisions grounded in intention rather than urgency, they protect the brilliance that excessive preparation can so easily wear away.
Read more of Geoff Teal’s riding philosophy in Geoff Teall on Riding Hunters, Jumpers and Equitation: Develop a Winning Style on Audible and Kindle.
