You are having a good round, but coming to the last line your horse spooks. Are you better off circling and sorting it out, or just continuing?

My advice is to continue, as you have no idea how the rest of the class has been and you could still be eligible for a ribbon.

How many strides is too late for a lead change?

In Palm Beach and indoors, probably one stride past the ideal spot on the diagonal or in the corner could be noted. I would say three strides past that point would be noted as a minor fault.

When jumps are moved for a flat class, should rails and gates be left leaning on the standards?

No โ€“ it is now a USEF rule that the rails and gates need to be laid on the ground out of the way. Placing them up on the standards is spooky and could be dangerous if a horse runs into them.

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