Ok, so about 3 months ago I bought this 8 yr off the track gelding. Really nice papers. He's been working the pattern for a bit over a year, and does a real nice job. I've loped and cruised him through at jackpots just exhibitioning and he does great. We were told if he stays in training could make a real nice 1D horse. Anyways I was told to take it slow and basically do another 90 days of slow work. Now those 90 days are up, and I can tell this horse is just begging to get to run through. I think he's ready to start entering and start really running. I just wanted to know ya'lls thoughts on how you can tell if one is ready to run. I just don't want to blow his mind or something by running him to early. Should I just go with my gut feeling and cowgirl up and go run him? Or take the more cautious way and take it slow for another who knows how long. Thanks! I appreciate any help I can get!

Soubnds like he is ready and has a great foundation to go back to. I would let him run and see how he handles it! if he holds it together and works, then don't pick on him! Just ride him to keep him in shape and enter up when you want to run! Keep it fun. Pick your pens and places to run, horses only have so many runs in their lives. 

If he's confident, enter him. If you do and he gets rattled, back him off for a short time and elt him regai his confidence and send him back out. The trick is just maintaining their confidence 

The only way to know is to just do it and find out. Sounds like he should be plenty prepared.

And you don't have to go full tilt when you actually enter him. Just go faster than you have in your exhibitions. Ease him into it. Ask (or allow) for more speed each time.

There is such a thing as going too slow for too long too.

When I would entry my young ones for the first time in a money race (NBHA) back in the day, I would just let them run at their own speed, I never pushed untill after so many races then I would start asking them for a little more at each race they were enter in, they would just start getting faster on their own mostly. 

The only way to know if they are ready to enter, is to actually enter them.  Also, the only way for a horse to be prepared to enter - is to enter them.  You can start at smaller races with lower entry fees but you should start.  You can let the horse run at their own pace and ask for a little speed at the next race.  You may enter a few races and then have to slow back down, but it really depends on the horse.    

I let my horses tell me when they are ready to run. I will start entering them but letting them choose their own pace. I just recently did this with my 4 almost 5 year old that I started a year ago. At first she would slow lope the pattern and even though it sucked going slow, it allowed her to gain confidence and think. Now a year later she is hitting the 1d locally against some nice horses. I didn't start pushing her myself until I saw that she was pushing on her own and she was adding speed each time. Every single time I have entered/ran her over the past year she has beat her own previous time in that arena (i keep a spreadsheet of the date, place, time, etc so I can see her progress on different size patterns). Now that I am confident that she knows how to handler her feet, different ground, and she can still think while going fast I am now pushing her and she is working beautifully. I did this with the last horse that I patterned years ago as well. He was consistently hitting in the 2d locally and was still improving but I sold him when I got pregnant with my kids.

He is stunning. Good luck with him!