Troops moved from garrison to garrison on both sides, a lot more border patrols along forests and old roads by groups of knights, ostensibly to keep subjects safe from monstrous wildlife. Certainly they were not scouting out the best supply routes or path finding for potential army advances. Why, that would be preposterous. It was nothing too overt, just plenty of scabbard rattling. Then the ponies started taking notice, letters from the princesses that he simply had to ignore or risk making it appear as if he had no control over his nobility.