How to Compete in a Trail Event

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Competitive trail riding combines the obstacles you would find on the trail, such as bridges, bushes and gates, and puts them into one carefully designed course.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Spurs
Jeans
Long-sleeved Shirts
Western Saddles
Headstalls
Riding Boots
Saddle Pads

Step1

Start with a horse that's very low-key. Racing type horses or performance horses don't do well in this event. You need a horse that's patient and can move in a slow, controlled manner at the walk, trot and lope.

Step2

Enter the arena. Stand at the beginning of the course and nod to the judge to indicate your readiness.

Step3

Begin the course. Each course is set up to be followed in a certain pattern.

Step4

Encounter small wooden bridges edged with trees or shrubs; move sideways and walk, trot and lope over rounded wood boards (cavalettis); walk forward and backward through narrow corridors; open, go through and close gates while on your horse; step in, turn around in and exit boxes made of rounded wood boards; and walk, trot and lope through different designs created by rounded wood boards.

Step5

Be patient. This is a very slow event that takes planning, concentration and patience.

Tips & Warnings

Any breed of horse can compete in trail.
The pattern is usually posted somewhere near the arena up to 1 hour before the event begins.
Don't rush. This is not a timed event. The horse and rider are judged on accuracy, ability and pattern completion.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 Sometimes horses will spook at parts of the course, and they may buck. The following will be helpful to know if you ever need to get your horse back under control:
1. Put your head up. If you are looking at the ground, that's where you will end up.
2. Push your heels down and your legs forward. This will help you brace yourself.
3. Lean back. This may feel weird, but it will keep you from toppling forward.

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 Practice is key! Get your horse used to unusual obstacles at home first, then hopefully it won't spook in the arena!

Anonymous said

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on 3/13/2006 Sometimes horses will spook at parts of the course, and they may buck. The following will be helpful to know if you ever need to get your horse back under control:

1. Put your head up. If you are looking at the ground, that's where you will end up.
2. Push your heels down and your legs forward. This will help you brace yourself.
3. Lean back. This may feel weird, but it will keep you from toppling forward.

Anonymous said

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on 12/20/2005 The only thing that makes sense is practice. If you have an arena with a gate that you can open on horseback, do it. Focus on walk, jog, lope poles, circles, simply all the little things that build up a test.

Desensitize (get your horse used to)different things that may scare him. I'm not sure as far as trail classes go with the rules, but it's probably a nightmare to compete with a horse that's afraid of the obstacles.