Trail Obstacles

This is WOF Ann's Mt Treasure. She is not yet 6 months old. Larry Patterson had her out on the obstacle course at the Van Bert Farm prior to the Weanling Obstacle class at the World Show. Anne came in second to a weanling owned by Silver Creek. Larry had already led her up on the terrace, backed her through the L, backed her between barrels and led her over the seesaw.

This is part of the training I like at Van Bert's. I think this is so important to their willingness to do the obstacles they encounter on trail rides.

If you check the web page for the Van Bert Farm you will see at the lower left hand corner a link to clink on to go to a training movie of two of the horses they are training on trail obstacles. It is a very informative clip on what is actually done in a controlled enviroment to get them ready for the trail rides all of them do. That is also part of their training. Each horse is taken on a trail ride at least once and more often many times.

The trail obstacle classes are a show ground for what these horses are taught. It is a very important part of their training and I like to see a lot of participation. On the trail they will not be penalized for ticking a rail or for knocking over a limb but obstacle classes are a great way to get a horse watching where the feet are placed. It also is a good venue get the trainer aware of the foot placement and to help the horse become aware of foot placements.

On the trail however they may be asked to cross a wooden bring, walk through water, step over limbs and maunever to open and close gates while the rider is mounted. I have a very good friend who loves trail riding. Last year I let her take my horse, Chocolate Amigo on a trail ride. When she came back she was thrilled beyond words because Amigo had walked over a wooden bridge and she had not had to maneuver him down to the creek and through the water as she had done with other horses on this trail. He would have done that too but it was not necessary.

Eleanor likes to talk about an old work horse we both loved. I got to sit on her back but I don't remember riding her anywhere. She was always very tired when she got in from the fields and it was enough just to sit on her back. Eleanor however rode her a lot. It was bareback of course. We had no saddles for our horses and mules as they were there for the sole purpose of pulling the plows, the corn planter, or any other equipment. Eleanor talks about Grace and the wooden bridge. Grace hated the sound of her own hooves hitting the bridge and the hollow sound it made. But because she trusted Eleanor, she would eventually walk across the bridge although she never learned to not have that initial fear.

In a trail obstacle competition, the riders have a set obstacle course that all must do in the exact same way. The course will involve stepping over some type of obstacle like a roll of shrubs and/ or some horizonal poles elevated slightly. They will be required to back the horse possibly through an L shaped set of poles. They may be required to walk through some water. They are always asked to walk over a wooden bridge then they may need to gait to the next obstacle.. At some point the horse will be asked to gait. A gate is usually involved where the rider will have to open and close the gate from horse back. It may be a rope gate or a regular solid gate. Sometimes they are asked to pull something like a limb with a rope. They often have to step up several levels to the top of a terrace and stand there for a few seconds and the reins need to be loose. Then turn and go down another side of the terrace.

Are you getting the idea. There are a lot of obstacles on the trail and Mountain Horses are very trail worthy. They are trusted mounts for the trail and not just the beautiful horses that are seen in the show ring that almost glow in the dark from all the baths, show sheen and daily grooming they get. I like the shows. I think it is an excellent venue to get a horse reconized for his exceptional abilities and that is an important part of marketing. It gets the public involved in a way that it would not be involved. Many people just enjoy coming to watch these horses and many get very knowledgeable about their ways of going without ever competing themselves.

The horses are shown to display their individual skills. Yes we all want to win first place ribbons and trophies but there is so much more to Mountain Horses than just a pretty face and a beautiful body. And their ability to perform flawlessley in front of a noisy crowd with bright lights at night and a swarm of bugs flying around them. They are friends and companions. They are co adventurers on the trails. We depend on them to get us on and off the trail safely. And they depend on us for the care they need.

It is a tribute to their trustworthiness when you consider the new enviroment a horse is placed in when showing. At home, in their safe stalls or familiar pasture, they are not conforted with all the different sounds. The dogs they encounter then are familiar dogs. Dogs they see everyday. The smells are different. I didn't think about the smells until Chris Tipton pointed it out to me. You enter the show grounds or go to the fair and one of the first things that confront your senses is the smells. The smell of meat cooking It is pretty overwhelming for meat eating humans. But think about the horse. They hate the smell of death. I wonder does the smell of meat cooking remind them of death. How about those funnel cakes. Smells wonderful and tempting to me. What does it smell like to the 2 year old Velvet or to the 5 month old Anne?

So the long and short of trail obstacles can be summed up in just a few words. Think like a horse. That should be easy (or not).

May the Lord bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards

Mary

Footnote: I could not get the spell check to run tonight so if there is misspelled words, it is not my fault. Did I misspell, misspell?