“Atten-tion! Right, Face; For-ward, March!”

When AQHA Professional Horseman Ted Turner gets his amateurs ready for a big halter horse show, you can almost hear drill commands in the air. But this sergeant smiles.

Before every world show season, Ted gathers his youth and amateur halter exhibitors at his farm, and they go through a little boot camp. Ted knows the horses are ready; it’s those two-footed critters who need drill time. An exhibitor’s showmanship is as much a part of success at halter as is having a well-conformed and fit horse.

“Most of my amateurs, like Terry (Bradshaw), he comes and works every day, twice a day, before he goes to a horse show,” Ted says. “Because he wants to do it right.”

What Ted works on is no secret: His mantra in fitting and training is “repetition:” Doing the same thing, every time, with no variation.

Photo © The American Quarter Horse Journal