(“Doing a test is not like notching your gun.”)

I’m directing this thought to a minority of readers, but I run across this mindset often enough that I think it’s worth mentioning.

Doing a test is not like notching your gun. You don’t necessarily have to move on just because you’ve ridden it once, even if you were fairly successful. You can play with it and adjust it and keep improving it.

You can see if it was an accident. You can see what someone else thinks about it. It’s not like a John Calipari recruit–One and Done. If you were a musician, once you played a piece, you would not discard it and move to the next opus. Better you should make each one a polished jewel.

The opposite circumstance is also worth mentioning. I’ve written before about not waiting for perfection in one test before expanding your horizons to something more difficult. Understanding what’s realistic and what’s likely for you and your horse is tricky. Your instructor/coach should be your primary reality check to help you decide when to step back or when to push the limits. If you do take a step forward and discover it was premature, there’s no sin in taking a tactical step back.