MAKING
A SIMPLE TRAIL COURSE
By SUSAN
DUDASIK
Now that
you and your horse understand the basics of ground training,
it's time to put all that knowledge to work. By now your horse
should be able to stand quietly, turn on the forehand and haunches,
sidepass and back in hand. He should also be willing to approach
strange objects and walk over poles and tarps. Succeeding in
trail events, whether in the arena or on competitive rides,
requires practice and exposing your horse to a variety of obstacles.
Unfortunately not everyone has the room to create an extensive
course, but with some creative thinking you can make a simple
practice course.
In the
past almost every Trail class required your horse to walk through
a row of tires. Today this obstacle is rarely seen but that
doesn't mean you can't use tires for other things. Used tires
are easy to find and can often be obtained free from your local
tire store. When selecting tires, condition is unimportant as
long as there are no holes and the metal rim is removed.
You will
need at least eight tires for a simple course. Make raised step-overs
by placing two tires about ten feet apart and laying a pole
across them. By adding more sets of tires and poles or varying
the height of the tires, you can change the difficulty of the
obstacle. Tires can also be used for markers. Place four tires
in a row and in-hand, weave through them at a trot; stop, and
back through the pattern. Place several tires around the area
then lead your horse up to the first one, trot to the second,
stop at the third and back to the second and so on. Tires can
also be piled to make small jumps. Just remember, whenever you
move a tire, give it a good kick first to remove any resident
snakes or spiders.
Old tarps
are another good item for your trail course as long as they
don't have holes in them which can get caught on a hoof or shoe.
Tarps make great walk-overs and can be made more challenging
by placing a few walk-over poles on top of them. A sheet of
plywood can be used as a bridge, then place the wood over the
tarp so it looks more like you are going over something. Practice
leading your horse over the bridge then come around and lead
him over the tarp and across the shorter span of the bridge.
Poles are
a vital part of any trail course and you can never have enough
of them. Try to acquire as many varying lengths of plastic and
wooden poles as possible. Remember to vary the texture of the
poles since each has its own characteristics; plastic poles
are lighter, roll easier and make a hollow sound when hit, wooden
ones are more stable and make a solid thunk when hit. If possible,
include some rail ties or unusually shaped logs. The poles will
be used to make walk and trot-overs, back-throughs, jumps, turn-around-boxes
and sidepass guides. Be creative in making back-throughs; they
can be as simple as two poles spaced a few feet apart or they
can be placed in an L, W, U or Z shape. When your horse succeeds
at that, make them more challenging by raising the poles or
spacing them closer together.
One obstacle
seen at practically every show is a gate, so a good trail horse
should know how to work a variety of them and from several different
directions. In fact, did you know there are about eight ways
to work a gate? Starting on the right, you can either push the
gate open or pull it to you, then your horse can pass through
it either head first or rump first. That makes four, now do
the same from the left side and you have eight ways to practice
working a gate. If you don't have access to a safe, workable
gate, an inexpensive, portable one can be made from a length
of rope and two fence posts, jump standards or tall poles stuck
in large buckets of sand. Fasten one end of the rope to one
pole, put a non-slip loop over the other end and slip it over
the second pole, instant gate! This type of gate is gaining
in popularity and is appearing at numerous shows. Add to the
difficulty of the obstacle by placing the poles closer together,
decorate the surrounding area with brush or put a tarp in front
of the gate. Be safely creative.
Tree branches
and brush can be potential obstacles though they disintegrate
faster and will need to be replaced more often. Use them to
decorate obstacles, create narrow back-through alleys or low
jumps. Get your horse used to feeling brush hitting his legs
when he backs-up. This may seem like a strange thing to have
to introduce, but if you only work or ride in a dirt arena or
along dirt trails, he has never felt brush or tall grass hitting
his legs. Don't assume that since your horse is out on pasture
that he will associate the tall pasture grass with brush hitting
his legs.
There are
a number of inexpensive items you can use to create challenging
trail obstacles. Old 55-gallon drums or plastic trash cans can
be used for jumps or back-throughs and for setting things on,
like a sack of cans or a raincoat. Plastic milk jugs filled
with sand make great markers for gait changes and stopping spots.
A coffee can or bucket attached to the fence can substitute
as a mailbox and two cinder blocks and a pole make a small jump.
Old plastic flowerpots are perfect for step-overs or fill them
with plastic flowers to add color to your course. Artificial
Christmas trees, plastic lawn ornaments, and realistic stuffed
animals can also spice up your obstacles.
Another
helpful idea is to start a Trail Class notebook. Fill it with
any information you can find. It should contain Trail class
articles or pictures of obstacles, as well as photos of any
interesting obstacles you see at shows. Get copies of different
course patterns or jot down how various obstacles were negotiated.
Be sure you include any obstacles or patterns you have come
up with as well as any ideas you think might be fun to try.
Up-date your notebook often, then when you're stumped for new
ideas, just flip through your book.
Coming
up with obstacle ideas is like embarking on a treasure hunt.
The more things you find, the more creative your obstacle ideas
become. Once the new obstacle is designed, you can't wait to
try it, and before long, you and your horse will be walking
over, through and around some of the wildest, most challenging
obstacles imaginable, all in-hand, from the ground. The reward
of this kind of training won't be the blue ribbons hanging on
the wall, but the partnership you and your horse have developed
as you work together to meet the challenge of conquering more
and more complex obstacles. Once you and your horse can maneuver
difficult obstacles from the ground, imagine how successful
you'll be when you're ready to ride through a course.
Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
