Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge

Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge The Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge and Clinics the Mullins Family has been putting on since 2009

Here at the Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge, we are committed to supporting and promoting responsible and compassionate interactions between humans and and their equine companions. As part of our mission, we understand the importance of addressing the desensitization process for horses, particularly through the use of obstacles. Desensitization is a training technique used to familiarize horses

with various stimuli, helping them become more calm, confident, and responsive in different situations. Obstacle training is one effective method utilized by us to achieve these goals. By introducing horses to carefully designed obstacles, we aim to help them overcome their natural flight instincts and develop trust in their rider. These obstacles can include things like bridges, tarps, water pools, flags, and other props that simulate challenging environments and scenarios. It's crucial to emphasize that the desensitization process should always be conducted with the utmost care and consideration for the horse's welfare. At the Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge, we advocate for positive reinforcement techniques, such as reward-based training and patience, to ensure the horse's emotional and physical well-being throughout the process. We encourage horse owners, trainers, and enthusiasts to approach desensitization with knowledge, experience, and respect for the individual horse's needs and limitations. This includes using appropriate equipment, and gradually exposing the horse to increasing levels of challenge based on their progress and comfort. Additionally, it is essential to recognize that desensitization is not a one-time event but an ongoing process that requires consistency and reinforcement. Each horse is unique, and the pace and approach to desensitization should be tailored to their temperament, previous experiences, and overall readiness. At the Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge, we promote the responsible sharing of information and resources related to the desensitization of horses through obstacles. We believe that open dialogue, education, and collaboration are key to ensuring the well-being of these magnificent animals. By fostering a supportive community where enthusiasts can exchange knowledge, discuss best practices, and share success stories, we aim to contribute to the welfare and positive training experiences for horses worldwide. Together, let's continue to promote ethical horsemanship practices and help horses build confidence, trust, and resilience through the appropriate use of obstacles and desensitization techniques.

Last show of the season and we’re swinging for the fences! Hay batter, batter—our Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge 2025...
09/20/2025

Last show of the season and we’re swinging for the fences! Hay batter, batter—our Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge 2025 is going out of the park.

Ready to ride. Looking forward to a fun cool clinic day. A clinic is an opportunity for you as a rider to come and learn...
09/20/2025

Ready to ride.
Looking forward to a fun cool clinic day.

A clinic is an opportunity for you as a rider to come and learn. You then take what you learn and apply it at home.

Crafting and getting ready for this weekend. We have a themed show on Sunday. Tomorrow our sign-up form online will clos...
09/16/2025

Crafting and getting ready for this weekend. We have a themed show on Sunday.
Tomorrow our sign-up form online will close but fear not you can register the day of.
We are looking forward to celebrating the end of 2025 season with our incredible Fort Bragg Family.

See you Saturday

Sometimes shifting our perspective and looking for the why helps us succeed. This weekend we challenge you to work with ...
09/10/2025

Sometimes shifting our perspective and looking for the why helps us succeed.

This weekend we challenge you to work with your horse and when the struggling begins shift to see it from their eyes. How can we ask differently to see progress.

September snuck up fast. We are excited to come out to Fort Bragg the 20th & 21st. Be sure to get your entries in. This ...
09/07/2025

September snuck up fast. We are excited to come out to Fort Bragg the 20th & 21st. Be sure to get your entries in. This is our final clinic & show for our 2025 season

08/18/2025
Only a 20% chance of rain, but nothing’s stopping us! Our Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge kicks off tomorrow—rain or s...
08/16/2025

Only a 20% chance of rain, but nothing’s stopping us!
Our Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge kicks off tomorrow—rain or shine! We’re ready for cooler weather, fun on the course, and seeing y’all there!

Working on something fun for next weeks show. Google form early entry closes Wednesday but you can still sign up the day...
08/10/2025

Working on something fun for next weeks show.
Google form early entry closes Wednesday but you can still sign up the day of Saturday/Sunday.

Early entry helps us know how many people to anticipate.

Looking forward to seeing you all next weekend.

What a spectacular weekend. We debuted more 3D printed obstacles. (Already have ideas printing now) Thank you to everyon...
07/24/2025

What a spectacular weekend. We debuted more 3D printed obstacles. (Already have ideas printing now)
Thank you to everyone who came out. We look forward to seeing everyone at our August Clinic/Show

Just like that we are off.Day of sign-ups are always welcome. We look forward to seeing everyone. Going to also enjoy th...
07/18/2025

Just like that we are off.

Day of sign-ups are always welcome. We look forward to seeing everyone.

Going to also enjoy the cooler weather as well.

Any guess what new exciting obstacles we are bringing to the coast?

07/09/2025

*****IT IS TIME******
We are heading out early Friday. We will set up Friday afternoon. Remember you can sign up fay of event.

Time has flown and our Fort Bragg Show is just around the corner.
We have some prizes in-store for our competitors Sunday.
Clinic on Saturday so be sure to come out, get some practice in and then Sunday put those skills to the test.

What a wonderful time last weekend. Thank you to our riders for coming out. Saturday was a nice cool weather day for a c...
06/18/2025

What a wonderful time last weekend.
Thank you to our riders for coming out. Saturday was a nice cool weather day for a clinic. Sunday started heating up a bit but we finished before it was too hot.
We introduced some fun new obstacles (even one that plays music)
Looking forward to Fort Bragg July 19th & 20th.
Entry form will be opened on the event page.

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Oroville, CA
95965

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+15304139625

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Our Story

We started working with horses and obstacles as a way to help desensitize our horses to the environment. This was working with tarps in an arena to being about to navigate through and over objects safe a calmly. Over the years we have evolved our program into helping others become more confident riders with their horses in a safe and controlled environment.

The low keyed clinics we offer help reduce the stress that some riders feel as they themselves are learning to be a calm rider. These clinics also are great for those wanting to get a feel for what various competitions may require of them and their horse, such as Trail Trials or Obstacle Challenges.

We also offer our riders the opportunity to be able to use the skills they have learned in our Ranch Hand Trail Course Challenge Events. These Challenges allow riders to navigate around 16-20 different obstacles, both inside and outside of an arena. Riders and their horses will be judged with 5 point for the rider and 5 points for the horse, for a high score of 10 for a perfect run.

Our goal is for our riders to have fun and be safe with their horses. We want you to succeed in this by offering low key shows and clinic to remove some of the pressure riders may feel. We also have a walk through prior to our clinics and shows with the clinicians/judges to allow the riders to ask questions about the obstacles they will be dealing with during the day. We also provide a time for the riders to get together and socialize and share ideas by breaking for lunch, which we normally provide as part of their entry fee.