Walking On Volume 5, Issue 5, May 2018 | Page 14
The TOP 10 Myths of Distan
By Tammy V
Recently on Face-
book, I quickly tried
to debunk some of
the myths and con-
cerns associated with
competitive trail
riding (CTR). Am I an
expert? No. But I was
once the person who
had these same fears.
My desire to try the
sport finally prevailed
as most of the worries
were a non-issue. As a
casual competitor with
© ANDY KLAMM
just under eight hun-
Author Tammy Vasa and her horse Windy.
dred competition miles,
I have been involved with the sport for over a decade
and heading into my fourth year as a ride manager.
Here are the Top 10 reasons I was concerned about
competing and what I learned from the sport which
debunked those fears.
(most likely). She has never been an easy horse, or per-
haps I have never been the best rider. However, when I
look at where we started -- kicking out at the touch of
a stethoscope to almost running a judge off the trail –
she managed to pull off a few wins and enough points
to garner the 2015 Region 6 Novice Champion.
She didn’t do it on her own; we did it as a team with
me as her leader. We practiced at home. We practiced
while pleasure riding. Some of it was probably sub-
consciously planted by the sport and we improved. All
horses are smart, and as owners we need to find the
way to communicate better with our equine partner.
Through competition I learned how much we lacked
in this department, and because of the sport itself, I
became a better competitor.
©JIM EDMONDSON
Clutter-free, simple stabling set up. A horse’s home away from home where the
horse can rest, eat, drink and sleep.
© MIKE COLLINS
Standing quietly for a vet exam.
1. My horse will NEVER do THAT (fill in the blank)!
From lunging, picking up her feet to standing at
mounting -- even at 15 years old, my mare still has a
mind of her own. Or perhaps she still has my number
14 • Walking On
2. OMG I have to tie my horse to the trailer over-
night! She will die! She needs to rest and lie down
and stretch her legs and exercise and roll! I will
not risk my horse’s health or my beautiful trailer
having her tied up overnight!
If tied correctly, the horse is as safe as it would be in
a stall or corral, and trust me, the horse doesn’t want
to exercise any more than you will following a ride.
Coming back to the trailer at the end of the ride is the
horse’s happy place, and tied correctly, your horse can