How do you drive the cow down the fence correctly?

Driving the cow down the fence correctly means initiating the fence work from boxing with enough authority to get the cow moving down the fence at a pace that allows meaningful fence work, maintaining the rate position at the cow's hip that keeps the horse in control of the cow's pace, and applying consistent pressure that keeps the cow moving forward along the fence rather than turning back prematurely or drifting off the fence into the open arena. The initial drive from boxing to fence work requires a decision and a commitment — the horse and rider must move from the end-of-arena boxing position to the fence with enough intention that the cow reads the pressure as a directive to move down the fence rather than as simply a change in the horse's position. If the drive is too tentative, the cow may simply turn back toward the end of the arena rather than committing to movement down the fence. Once the cow is moving down the fence, the horse's position at the cow's hip provides the pressure that keeps it moving — a horse too far off the fence allows the cow to drift into the arena, while a horse too close to the cow loses rate position. The fence itself assists in keeping the cow's path straight, but many cattle will attempt to drift off the fence if the horse's position pressure is not maintained on the side away from the fence. The quality of the drive affects the quality of the fence turns that follow — a cow driven at a good pace down the fence provides a better canvas for demonstrating correct fence turns than one that is barely moving or one that is running so fast the horse cannot rate correctly and time the acceleration properly.