The little darlings love, love, love patterns. You can see it in the pasture where they all follow the same little foot trail they have made going to and fro, they love eating at the same time, going into the barn in pretty much same order, following fence lines, using the same trails, etc.
So, use it to your advantage.
We don't feed our guys at the same time so they don't get stressed out - meaning if we feed them at 3 in the afternoon, and tomorrow, it is at 7 they simply adjust to it instead of fretting - honestly, the kids can tell time. We used to send them into different stalls so they could adjust to change more easily - we don't do it anymore because we got lazy with 10 of the so now they each have their own stall - which, of course, they just love. The point is, you can do it either way.
Usually say usually, never say never and don't always say always BUT most like to use the same trails - over and over and over again - we don't do that - we make new trails and constantly go in a different direction than they anticipate - to keep the kids on their toes, to make life more interesting and challenging for them, and to get the to be more adaptable.
Horses are a bit like husbands - they aren't always too keen on change - and would rather just do the same thing over and over - so it helps to mix things up a bit to keep their heads going and their minds developing.
When doing the same thing is a BIG asset is when you are trying to teach the something new and/or training them or doing tricks, etc. - it helps their learning curve more quckly if your body stays in the same position, and your hands and your other movements - they learn the fastest this way so you have set you and your darling up for success.
So, figure out when to change things up and when to keep things in a routine - listen to them and figure out what is best for them in the confidence game.
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