# Mountain Trail Course Obstacles



## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

I finally decided that our 5 acres is not the prime horse pasture, since it is very sandy and rock and grows very little forage since it is not irrigated and has little capacity to grow much. The horses have their sizable dry lots and I am turning the rest (minus space for green houses and gardens) into a mountain trail training center of sorts.

There is already a track around much of the property from the previous owners' riding dirt bikes. Yesterday I took my rock bar and removed the rocks so it is a decent trotting/gallop track. I'm now trying to plan out obstacles, but I DO NOT want them to make my place look like a carnival :wink:. ie no pool noodles in the trees or other such nonsense. I live in an HOA and do need to be mindful of that.

*What kind of natural looking obstacles have you all built or seen?* I would like it to be reminiscent of the course built at the Oregon Horse Center, or Mark Bolender's Horse Park. Any ideas would be great!


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Create some Step Offs and Step Up ledges. Could be with rail road ties or bring in some ledge kind of stones./rocks.

Same thing with some logs for stepovers. If set up correctly you could use them to practice stepping over, or front feet only over and then side passing off the end.

Design in a small draw that you can get the horse to do down thru and build a bridge over it for pactice crossing a bridge. If you are in an area where water is available, Fill the draw with water and have a water crossing.

Place a gate to practice opening and closing from the saddle. Also any trees are great for sidepassing over to and hanging a coat or tying ribbons onto a branch. Try to circle the tree with one hand staying on the tree all the way around. You can do it forward. Teach the horse to back around the tree and stay close enough to stay in touch.

These are all things you could use in real life out on the trail.


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## Thunderspark (Oct 17, 2012)

I have a obstacle riding arena. I have the steps made out of railroad ties, wooden bridge, big logs to step over....if you have trees, you can clear out where you can weave around them too.


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