Before starting these obstacle exercises it is very important that you have respect from your horse when leading him. He must stop when you stop and when you take 2 or 3 steps backwards your horse must respond immediately and move backwards, keeping the same distance away that you had when you stopped. If your horse cannot do this do not start this exercise until that is established. He must also know how to lunge properly - going around you, not bullying you, stopping on command - “whoa” and reversing on command. This needs to be firmly established. Obstacle training is not for the purpose of showing off or to impress other people, but to instill confidence and discipline in the horse.
Barrel Obstacle - I start with approximately 9 to 12 thirty gallon plastic barrels, set out randomly, with about 3 feet of space between them. You will use a 12 foot lunge rope and will hold it at about the half way point for all these exercises. You will also need a tap stick to encourage your horse to keep moving.
You are going to lunge your horse through the barrels randomly. The first few times he moves through the barrels he is going to knock them because he is not paying enough attention. As he gets to where he starts focusing more, which he will do because banging into the barrels causes him discomfort, he is going to learn where to put his feet and how to manipulate his body. He will also become more attentive to what you are asking him to do as his leader. What he is learning with this exercise is to multi-task efficiently.
When your horse is moving through the barrels effortlessly and on command you can move on to the next obstacle.
Teeter-Totter Bridge - The teeter-totter bridge that I use is a sturdy wooded bridge approx. 8 feet long. I use a 6x6 timber under the bridge placed at a 40- 60 offset. The 40% is the front. Starting out you will ask your horse to step onto the bridge on the back side (60%) and move across it. Eventually the goal is for your horse to learn to stand on it on command.
Ask him and encourage him to step onto the bridge with your tap stick, lightly and calmly tapping his hind end. When he is on the bridge say “whoa”. This may not work the first time, or the second, but the goal is to have him calmly standing on the bridge. Initially it will move as he stands there. When he can stand on the bridge and actually balance it you have accomplished a couple of things. One is that you have built a tremendous amount of confidence and trust between you and your horse. The other is your horse has built huge amounts of confidence and trust in himself.
The Pedestal - The pedestal is a sturdy 4 foot square platform elevated approximately a foot and a half off the ground. All of your obstacles need to be built with the worst case scenario in mind. They all need to be heavy enough to hold the weight of the horse with no open areas and all sharp edges removed. The base of the pedestal needs to be enclosed. Okay, that said, the goal with the pedestal is to get your horse to load up onto the pedestal on command and step off the pedestal on command.
Starting out ask your horse to step up, I use the term “load up” and I just encourage him to cross it. You have gone through the barrels and the bridge, so this one should work much easier for you. I want him to step up, he may come off right away, but you are going to keep putting him up there and telling him “whoa” when he is up. Please remember to praise him whenever he has accomplished anything you ask.
The Car Wash - I have a big blue tarp hanging from the ceiling. It comes out into the arena the full width of the tarp and I have vertical slits every couple of feet, top to bottom. The goal with this exercise is for your horse, when asked, to move through the tarp without balking. You may have to initially tie back a slit, one to another, so that your horse can see through to the other side. Horses are very sensitive about their eyes and very concerned about making contact with an object around their eyes, so this is a difficult maneuver for them. It may take a few times with the slit open, but when they are comfortable going through it you can drop the opening back into place and start the process over without the slit held back.
Blowing Tarps - This obstacle consists of fans with tarps attached. The goal - to get him to stop in front of the fans with the tarps flapping on him and stand there comfortably. I have two big turkey fans that I have placed on the outside panel of my arena. Attached to these are 6x3 foot tarps. When the fans are on the tarps flap in the wind. I also place two 30 gallon plastic barrels across from the fans to create an alleyway. Initially, to get your horse to move between the fans/flapping tarps and the barrels you may have to place the barrels so the alleyway is three to four horse widths away from the tarps flapping so that they are not hitting him. If you have been working on all the obstacles in one session your horse is going to probably be sweated up and the fans are going to feel good. He will get more comfortable with each pass. Move the barrels closer and closer to the fans/flapping tarps until your alleyway is one horse width wide. When he will move into this space and will stand there with the tarps hitting him you have accomplished this exercise successfully. Success is when your horse can do all these obstacles, on command, and be relaxed doing them.
These may sound like simple things to do and to watch me do these exercises it may look very simple, but they can be very dangerous, even be deadly. If you are unsure of your horse or yourself it is imperative that you learn and practice these maneuvers with someone who has experience. All horses that come to our facility, whether for a tune-up or just starting training, go through this process to build that confidence they need.
About Dennis Auslam - Dennis has been a trainer for over 30 years, working with many different breeds and disciplines. His passion is horses and people and he loves helping people learn how to work with their horses, progress in their riding abilities and make that connection with their horse.
You will find Dennis at various horse related events in 2012. He also does numerous clinics and demos, both at his stable, Redwood Stables in Morton, MN and at other venues, concentrating on Confidence Building for the horse and the rider. For information regarding his clinics and demonstrations please visit his web site at www.redwoodstables.com. Interested in hosting a clinic? Call 507-525-6691 or email us at redwoodstables@mvtvwireless.com
