# Trail Class! *Videos* How are we doing?



## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Hey guys....I promised vids of me training Arthur for trail class. Here they are!

Here's the L backthrough, 30 inch spaced poles:





 
Here's another backthrough, 18 inch spaced poles (the minimum the show can give me is 30 inches, so we're in good shape):






Another backthrough, 18 inch spaced poles:





 
Here's the turnaround box. 6x6 ft poles:





 
I didn't get a video of him just backing up...forgot about that. I tried to get him to walk through a kiddie swimming pool; the kind with the big boat front on it. He stepped around it for a while til I put grass in it and said basically, if you want to eat grass, you're not eating it from the ground you're eating it from the boat. And he obliged. Then he put a foot in it, and another, when I tried to get another he walked through. Won't stay in it though. Still a little "whats-this-crazy-thing-sage-is-making-me-walk-through" kinda thing. Lol. Walked him over 5 ground poles spaced 24 inches apart....That's basically it. Just groundwork today. Please critique or offer suggestions  I tried to teach him to sidepass but he just did NOT get it. Any and all help appreciated in regards to teaching a sidepass! Thanks
Sage & Arthur

P.S-I've been trying to decide what level Trail Class we should do. Are there levels for 4-H trail class at the fair? My first year in 4-H so idk


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## SilverSpur (Mar 25, 2010)

the back through is very rushed for a horse that's learning, and this is why he is hitting the polls. you need to slow down and concentrate on where you are positioning yourself so that you can get him to turn without hitting. this will also make it look a lot neater. 

as for the box turn, unless course pattern says to turn him in that direction, you should always turn him away from you.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. It's not an in-hand course though, it's a mounted one. I'm just solidifying the groundwork right now so I can do something productive while I'm down with a collarbone injury. I'll focus on turning him away from me when we practice, though. Thanks! How should I position myself differently in the back-through to help him more?


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## Gidji (Dec 19, 2008)

I'm guessing you're doing under-saddle trail? Not led, because we only have young horse led trail.

Its really important not to rush anything in trail, because a judge looks for a willing, alert, obidient (sp?) horse. That doesn't mean your horse has to be slow, it just means that if your horse wants to look at the bridge before he goes over it, then you should let him. Provided he doesn't sniff it for too long, all should be good.

Most trail courses also have a lope over pole. Work on him loping over a pole, not jumping it. All you need is a ground pole like you use for the L's. If you're going to a big show, they decorate the arena with bunting, and pot plants and lots of ribbon etc. Its really important that they're desensitised to that because I've seen horses spook at Nationals or try and eat the plants when they go over the bridge.

Can he side-pass? Thats really important for opening gates and sometimes they might make you side-pass the L.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

I'm going to start work with side-passing tomorrow. How do you teach that? He doesn't seem to understand whenever I try.

Yes, under saddle. I guess I was rushing because on the 4-H rules pamphlet it says the judge may put a time limit on it and you're graded on what you can do in the amount of time provided.

It's kind of hard to do lope-overs in-hand, but I'll try it. Should the horse get his steps right himself, or should I start him loping at a certain distance so he has the right amount of stride?


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## SilverSpur (Mar 25, 2010)

ok if this is under saddle for the show. i would be using the butt end (the bit you hold) of a crop and using it as my "leg aid" from the ground. first getting the horse to turn on the hocks by applying pressure at the girth. then a turn on the fore by applying pressure behind the girth. both directions. once a horse understands this it is much easier for the horse to side pass. 

in the box turn you don’t want your horse turning like that under saddle. you want the body to be in the centre all the time and you use a combination of hip and shoulder movements to turn your horse.


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## SilverSpur (Mar 25, 2010)

equiniphile said:


> I'm going to start work with side-passing tomorrow. How do you teach that? He doesn't seem to understand whenever I try.
> 
> Yes, under saddle. I guess I was rushing because on the 4-H rules pamphlet it says the judge may put a time limit on it and you're graded on what you can do in the amount of time provided.
> 
> It's kind of hard to do lope-overs in-hand, but I'll try it. Should the horse get his steps right himself, or should I start him loping at a certain distance so he has the right amount of stride?


 first explain how you are asking him to side pass.

never ever rush training! this is precisely where problems come from. the more time you give yourself and the horse the less time it take to teach them.

as for lope over you can do this in a lunge line


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Lol he doesn't lunge. Like at all. He's not even phased by the whip....he'll just stand there and try to eat grass. Any suggestions on that?

Okay to ask him to sidepass right now from the ground, I tie the lead rope to either sides of his halter and put the loop around his neck. Then, facing the horse's left side, I take my left hand and neck rein him to the opposite directions with the lead rope. At the same time I use my right hand to put pressure behind where the girth would be. He just backs up, though.


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## SilverSpur (Mar 25, 2010)

he sounds confused, i wouldnt bother trying to simulate the rein bit as i think this is what is confusing him.

stand at his side and ask him to step over with his shoulder from pressure (one step), then ask for him to move his hip over with pressure (one step) once he is doing thins start to bring those 2 "bottons" to the center to create the rib button that is used for the side pass. remember not to rush it or expect him to side pass meters at a time. remember you are teaching him, not re-enforcing something he already knows how to do well. baby steps.


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## Jhinnua (May 26, 2010)

Another thing to do to help him and you would be put him on a fence rail and make him go sideways be pressure and release on either side of the girth (front, back) and then when he's got that down take him off the fence and do the same thing so he has a basis for what you're asking.

I agree though: don't simulate the rein.

As for lunging... drag his head up off the ground and make him turn around you on a leadrope by making him move his haunches around you while you're walking toward his shoulder and trying to keep his head behind your shoulder. He'll be confused but as soon as he steps forward and away from you, let him go... and then do it again until he gets what you want.

I dunno if that made any sense at all... I'm trying to pull what I remember from what I taught my gelding.

If you're using a round pen, walk right up to him and make him move away from you anyway you can. He doesn't have to be phased by the whip, but he will have to realize that you will smack him as hard as it takes to get him to move if necessary.

I had to literally punch my horse multiple times to get him to understand what I meant by 'get your butt out of my way, please' he was so unphased by everything else I did.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Jhinnua said:


> Another thing to do to help him and you would be put him on a fence rail and make him go sideways be pressure and release on either side of the girth (front, back) and then when he's got that down take him off the fence and do the same thing so he has a basis for what you're asking.
> 
> _I'm not sure a fence rail would work, as it would only block forward motion. He tries to back up._
> 
> ...


My messages are in blue. Thanks for the advice, I just had a few questions


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## Jhinnua (May 26, 2010)

Put his butt toward the rail instead of his head.

Do anything that will make him move away from you. If you press his shoulder and he takes a step away from you incorporate it into making him go forward at the same time. If you have to change the yanking and smacking to moving his feet away form you instead of standing still, do so. As long as he doesn't get a physical or mental scar, go for what will make him get out of your way.

If he walks next to you start stopping yourself, but making him continue to go forward by driving him.

If I had a camera or something I'd show you what I mean, but I don't have a camera or a cameraman atm so I can't. X]


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Lol then I think he'd go forward xD I'd put him inside a corner in the pasture but it's lined with hot wire on the inside....don't want to punish him for trying. Geez I really need to get an arena built! It'll be much easier to teach him to lunge without the distraction of grass. I'll work with him today to teach him to lunge, grass or no grass lol. Thanks for the advice, I'll try to get a video and ask questions ig I get into problems!


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## Jhinnua (May 26, 2010)

Hahaha. You can try doing it outside of the pasture, on a driveway or something.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Lol I freak about driveways....we had a MFT who we were loading off the trailer, and it was a ramp-not even a step-up. And his front legs were still in the trailer when his back legs slipped underneath the corner of it, and he was sitting in the WORST position. If he'd have been any other horse, he would have died from thrashing and making it worse. Bo was the horse who, when a tree falls in front of him on the trail, looks at it absent-mindedly with the "oh, i wonder where that came from....hmm..." look and walks around it. So we were so lucky he just sat there while our beefy neighbor from next door came over and pulled his back end out from under the trailer. So grateful he lived next door. This was like 20 years ago, but I'm still paranoid from what my mom's said about it! So no driveways for Artie. Haha I could lunge him in the dirt pasture but it's all rocky....I'll probably end up doing that anyway


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

Why can't you ride with a broken collar bone? If you are training for a ridden class then riding is the way you should train for it.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

kevinshorses said:


> Why can't you ride with a broken collar bone? If you are training for a ridden class then riding is the way you should train for it.


I've been fighting with my mom over letting me ride. She says no, to be a good girl and listen to what the doctor says. He says a fall on it will have me down for a lot longer. I don't see how I'm going to have a *chance* of falling, what with a has-never-spooked horse who would rather sit and eat grass than bolt, and just walking, backing, sidepassing, etc. It's not my decision, otherwise I'd be up there now.

I just got in from working with him on pivoting around his back hoof. I use a stick with a soft cap on the top and tap him behind the armpit, at the same time directing him with the halter the way to go. When he starts to try to move that back pivot foot, I move his front end so he has no need to move it.

Where should the cues be on the horse for pivoting around the front and pivoting around the back versus just asking for forward motion? I don't really pay attention to where I'm squeezing when I'm riding him forward, I just squeeze/kick where my legs fall. So where should the sidepass, moving his hip, and moving his rear "buttons" be? Is right behind the armpit good for moving his shoulder? I ride Western by the way


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