Discussion # 48: How do you get your horse's attention on a fence?

This is the beginning of Jimmy Wofford's latest article in Practical Horseman:

"Let me ask you something: If I longe a horse, can he jump an obstacle while on the longe? Sure. What about if I longe the horse over an obstacle and put a rider in the saddle? Same answer. OK, if I give the rider a blindfold and a neck strap, can the horse still jump? Where are you going with this Jim? Of course the horse can still jump. But what if I blindfold the horse? Have you lost your mind? No, I haven't lost my mind... any more than usual. I just want to make sure we agree that the horse must see the fence."

It's a very rare occurrence in the horse world where everyone is in agreement! But I think this is one statement that everyone would agree on. The horse must be looking at the fence he is about to jump.

So, say you are approaching an obstacle, and you can tell that your horse's focus is elsewhere. What would you do to get him to focus his attention on the jump in front of him? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)