ACTHA Monthly | August 2015 | 13
OBSTACLE TIPS
JEFF WILSON
I am twelve-years-old and just rode in my first ACTHA ride. It was a two-day CTC and I really liked it. I got to ride with my older sister and we had a blast. The obstacles were really fun, especially the water crossing. And, we got to see wild hogs out on the trail. I won first place both days, and won my very first belt buckle. It's so cool. My little sister also just started with ACTHA, but she was sick and couldn't do this ride. I can't wait for the next ride so both of my sisters and I can ride together.
––Bridger Jesse, Florida
by
Photo by Rein Photography
free (try that on an unbroke). Our horses have to be ok with branches reaching out and grabbing their leg. It’ll take the slack out of your reins if they’re not.
You never know when you might need to drag a branch out of the way on a trail, or pony a horse home. When dragging a log, a branch, a bag, a tire, or whatever, your horse will perceive anything that follows him as chasing him. To overcome his natural instinct to flee, he must learn to relax with you and feel confident that all is well.
To teach this, simply start with a soft rope that you can dangle down “Junior’s” sides, both on the ground and under saddle. The beauty of this is that if he gets concerned, you can simply drop the rope. Eventually, you will need a longer rope, or lariat, that you can drag around. To start with, don’t drag the rope around behind you. Leave the long rope in the middle of an imaginary circle and travel around it. Once Junior’s comfortable with that, you can begin traveling forward and backward, pulling it. Pay attention if he steps into the rope that a loop doesn’t catch around his leg. Our horses may not be complete chickens, but they sure have their henhouse ways.
Using a branch could come next. Make sure you have a clean area to work in so nothing gets tangled. Again, I would start with the object in the center. Horses have been known to spin and kick, so for Heaven’s sake, make sure you have a decent saddle and tighten the cinch.
The goal here is only to get the horse comfortable with pulling an object that follows him. Don’t load the wrong wagon, who cares how long it takes. The expert in anything was once a beginner, so make it easy on your horse. If you get a couple quiet steps, you and he are winners.