Obstacles - Challenge Yourself and Challenge Your Horse with Lynne Murray, Merton Park

This article is from the September 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

There is no doubt you have seen photos on social media with a horse standing on a tyre, crossing wooden bridges, and looking triumphant on obstacles of all shapes and sizes - have you ever wondered why this has become so popular?

Horses, being fight or flight animals, don’t naturally climb upon or cross unnatural obstacles as their first choice. A solid and confident relationship between you and your horse is the key to achieving your goals and in establishing a solid partnership - you need trust. Conquering the challenges of man-made obstacles isn’t as easy as it looks, but when you do, it will be very hard to get that smile off your face. Regardless of age, experience, breed or your chosen discipline, facing obstacles can identify holes in your relationship. Your ability to communicate and give clear and concise direction is so important. Obstacle challenges can help you achieve a better understanding of each other’s responses and behaviours. It is not just physical training but psychological training, the communication skills required ultimately rely on trust and confidence, especially when being asked to pass over obstacles that are narrow, high or those that move under feet.

At Merton Park (Violet Town, NE Victoria), we have developed a vast mountain trail obstacle course, inspired by both ‘Urban Trails’ and ‘Molyullah Mountain Trail’. Between the three facilities, we offer a multitude of different challenges with varying degrees of difficulty. Progressing levels of challenges from your basic poles, to the more ‘intimidating’ swing bridge, attempting obstacles requires balance, confidence and teamwork.

You don’t just walk over these obstacles and it’s done, you continue to work with them. Once confidence has been established in-hand you can then attempt under saddle, remembering you are no longer there beside him for moral support, but attempting as one. Using your imagination, you can now build on your basics, challenge yourselves to correct approaches, pace, halting, turning and straddling. Increasing speed between obstacles can assist with gait transitions, and establishing different patterns alleviates your horse from becoming imprinted and complacent to the job at hand and encourages him to think.

Working in-hand on obstacles shows you the importance of understanding your horse’s body language and your horse understanding yours. Pressure and release responses all play a large part in correct communication. This is the key to success. All these principles are relevant in understanding the importance of your horse’s behaviour and reactions. Whether you are working with a yearling or a seasoned horse, as handlers or riders your objective is to become a solid team. Attempting obstacle challenges may very well show you areas of your relationship that need a little more attention.

Introducing obstacles into your training regime can awaken stale horses, giving them a new “job”, so spice up your weekly routine, and put some very educational variety on your horse’s agenda. You never know, it may even inspire you to look at the world of competition in mountain trail, ranch riding, extreme cowboy racing or stockman’s challenges or plain and simply complement your own training methods in establishing a well-balanced horse in your own discipline.

If you are looking for a fun day out, or looking for a confidence-building exercise, training with obstacles is ideal for beginners through to seasoned riders. Have you got a young horse not yet under saddle? What a great way to start his training.
Why not try and set up a basic course at home – find some poles, a tarp and a few tyres.

Always attempt new challenges in hand first, do your groundwork, work with clear communication skills, stay calm, and don’t be disappointed if he resists, but look at how you are asking and consider if he knows what is being asked. From me to you… it is baby steps, a go slow, and reward every attempt.

TRAINING TIPS

With April Harvey, Natural Rhythm Equine

Recommended Basic Equipment

Rope halter with a quality 10-12 foot lead. A training stick (flag, stick and string or even dressage whip) can be very beneficial to motivate your horse and give you more reach. Protective boots for your horse.

Safety

Sturdy boots, for you, are a must. Gloves and helmet are sensible additions. Always ensure that your lead rope is NOT looped around your hand or arm. Assess each obstacle for any hazards and use common sense.

Prepare Your Horse

Before approaching obstacles it is important to establish clear communication through your body language/energy. Basic ground handling skills such as having your horse move forward freely, stop, back-up and yield laterally with shoulders and hips are paramount. This will set your horse up for success and provide you with the tools to correct any issues that may arise. Your horse should do all of these movements softly with minimal need for contact through the lead rope. Your horse should also be aware and respectful of your personal space. Teach your horse to be comfortable at a distance from you, and if they push into your space consistently back them out.

Start Small

Build your horse’s confidence and understanding of the concept of navigating over or through obstacles by starting with very simple options. Everyone wants to see their horse up on the big, more challenging obstacles, however you will have far more success if you build your horse up to those incrementally. Send your horse over and between poles, walk them over smaller stationary bridges etc until they are navigating them freely and confidently. Only then is it time to advance to more challenging obstacles.

Read Your Horse

Start to look for and understand the stress and relaxation indicators from your horse. What are the eyes, ears, muscle tone and breathing rate telling you? Is your horse comfortable and relaxed? Watch for signs of tension and signs of downward shifts in the nervous system, such as licking and chewing, deep breaths, yawns and head shakes. Give your horse time to transition from moments of tension/worry to relaxation. Getting to know your horse in this way will benefit your entire relationship, not just your mountain trail.

Your horse’s eyes and ears can tell you so much. If your horse is thinking about evading an obstacle, they will usually look in the direction before going there. Notice these moments and correct them prior to them getting off course. Getting to know your horse in this way will benefit your entire relationship, not just your mountain trail.

Take Your Time

Rushing your horse will only lead to stress, resistance and poor execution of the obstacles. Give your horse time to assess, explore and find comfort with each obstacle. If your horse is intimidated by an obstacle, allow them to stand and observe it or approach it from a different angle. Oftentimes they only need about 10-15 seconds of observation for their fear to transform to curiosity and a willingness to move forward. If your horse is choosing to rush, slow them down by stopping, backing and/or letting them stand every few strides.

Monitor Thresholds

Once you can read your horse you will be more able to monitor thresholds. This is your horse’s comfort zone, or window of tolerance. If you push your horse beyond its capacity it can either shut down or get very upset. Try to keep your horse within the threshold, be gently encouraging and rewarding every try.

One Step at a Time

Forget about completing the obstacle. Just focus on the next step in the right direction and then reward that step. If you only focus on getting your horse over/through the particular obstacle you will miss rewarding the smaller attempts they make. Look for and reward EVERY try. Simply letting your horse stand still without interruption, or with a friendly rub or scratch, is a great reward and allows them to mentally process. This helps your horse feel more confident and grasp the concept more easily.

Consistent Boundaries

Have a clear image in your mind of what you want your horse to do. Keep your horse facing the obstacle at all times. If your horse deviates from that path, block the movement with your body language/energy, lead rope or training stick. Set the horse back in the correct position and start again. Do not allow your horse to evade around the obstacle, turn away or barge into your space. The back-up is a fantastic tool to correct these behaviours.

Be Self-Aware

Check-in with your own body. Are you holding tension? Take a few deep breaths and relax. Visualise what you want your horse to do. This will help improve communication with your horse and assist them in feeling more confident. If your horse is having a challenging time ensure that your energy/emotion remains neutral. Getting frustrated or impatient will not support your horse or be conducive to their learning.

Get Creative

Some obstacles provide different options for the approach and execution. Depending on the obstacle you may be able to halt, back-up, side pass, straddle, turn around, mount/dismount etc. By exploring other options, you mix things up. This is great for horses that anticipate or rush the obstacles. Keep them guessing!

Have fun

Being able to explore with your horse is a privilege and it’s meant to be fun! If you focus on building your relationship and communication with your horse, everything else will come together. Reward often and take plenty of breaks to allow you and your horse time to relax and process.

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