How should a head horse leave the box?

A head horse should leave the box with maximum forward commitment the instant the rider's cue is given — hard, straight, and directly on a line that will intercept the steer at the correct position for the catch. The departure is not the time for a collected, rated exit: the steer already has a head start from the scored distance, and a flat or hesitant break from the box gives the steer more ground than the header can afford to give up. The horse fires forward with full drive, and the rider's job in the first two or three strides is to stay balanced and allow that forward energy rather than bracing against it or steering aggressively. The line of departure matters as much as the energy: the horse should leave on a straight track toward where the steer will be by the time the horse arrives, not directly at the chute where the steer started. Horses that leave the box angling toward the chute rather than leading to an interception point arrive late or out of position and require correction mid-run that costs time and disrupts the header's swing. The break itself should feel effortless to the rider — a horse that requires leg, a slap, or a cluck to produce a hard departure has lost the sharpness that a competitive head horse needs. After the initial burst, the rate begins: the horse reads the steer's speed and adjusts its own pace to arrive at the steer's left shoulder in the correct position for the header to deliver. The departure and the rate are two distinct phases that happen in rapid sequence, and a horse that executes both correctly gives its header the cleanest possible run from the very first stride.