ACTHA Monthly | 12
ACTHA Monthly | 16
Judge Criteria: Horse is to be judged on a calm/quiet attitude, the ability to stand still, and bravery. A good arcing circle around the campfire and a balanced stop are good indications of rider control over their horse under an unusual situation.
Options:
• Pleasure / Junior-Walk into camp and circle the campfire; stop and stand quietly in front of the tent for three seconds.
• Open-Walk into camp and circle the campfire; stop and stand quietly in front of the tent for five seconds. Be prepared for someone to emerge from the tent.
• Did you see the description? It says the horse and rider will encounter an “unusual situation.” Enter the campsite, and meet a cool young hunter in camo, or the scarecrow from Oz, or somebody. You may be asked to dismount your horse and approach them in a confident manner. Introduce yourself with a handshake, smile, dance a jig, whatever, and announce you will be riding through and wanted them to know you will be momentarily interrupting their hunting, hiking, wandering, something.
Tips: An actual fire isn’t necessary for the campsite obstacle (you can make smoke with dry ice if you choose), but the glory in this obstacle or any others are the amount of variations you can add to them to make them as fun as you can.
Imagine your riders approaching this same campsite obstacle. There are tell-tale signs that the camper isn’t very tidy because the site is littered with soda cans and debris that have to be navigated around. This time the camper happens to still be at the campsite, and is sitting in an Adirondack chair at the pond fishing. An inner tube floats nearby, slowly meandering across the water. The rider approaches the fisherman, who neither looks up to acknowledge her, nor gestures to welcome her in. Regardless, our rider dismounts to strike up a friendly conversation.
She asks the fisherman a question (Isn’t that what trail riders are supposed to do), who doesn’t respond but extends his hand in greeting; they shake. Sounds easy enough, right? Did I mention that the fisherman is actually the Sasquatch? You know the hairy and ape-like kind. OK, I know it’s implausible, but ride hosts, you know how fun it is to make ‘em feel like they’re getting too much candy for the penny.
I, in fact, judged the campsite obstacle at the Great American Trail Horse Festival at the Von Holten Ranch in Mora, Missouri last month. Three Sasquatches had taken over a campsite along the borders of an open field. Open riders had to ride in between three tents and pluck a bag of beef jerky from the hairy hands of these hairballs. The other divisions pulled a squeaky bag of jerky from a tree with a grumpy Sasquatch growling and preening next door (you didn’t hear it from me, but
Judy Limsky and Picasso perform an obstacle in front of judge Marilyn Ledbetter
Photo by Aponi