02/01/2025
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Far too often I have heard this said and it is often said by riders who have dismissed the merits of obstacle training before doing adequate research on the topic. Some of the best riders in the world compete in ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป which has obstacle courses designed to test ease of handling and speed. The competitorsโ runs in those two classes are some of the finest I have ever seen. Lets not forget the rise of ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด especially ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น where a rider has to calmly navigate obstacles in a ranch horse fashion. Those riders may not be as finessed and flashy as working equitation, but they are easily some of the smoothest and most functional riders. The ๐๐
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป (๐๐ซ๐๐), though not as big as the two aforementioned disciplines, has produced some of the fastest and bravest obstacle horses in the industry.
Even with the growth of these associations and disciplines, obstacles are still excluded for many other training goals. Obstacles can offer so many benefits to a horseโs training. They do not even need to be the focus of a horseโs training. Simply working on obstacles as a supplement to their other goals will help your horse with many things! So, what are some of those benefits? Here are nine I would like to highlight.
๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐
A horse can grow its confidence in a multitude of ways. The quickest way I have seen horses grow their confidence is through challenging unfamiliar obstacles. A horse who works only on their job, for example: reining, will only ever be confident circling, changing leads, sliding, and spinning. They may make a decent reining horse but thatโs it! What happens when the environment changes? What happens when a plastic bag flies across their path in the show barn? They will not know how to process that โspookโ leading to a potentially dangerous reaction as opposed to a horse well versed in obstacles. By working on obstacles such as bridges and tarps, a horse will learn how to process fear in a more constructive way. Slowly with the riders help the horseโs initial fear can grow into curiosity. This curiosity letโs your horse think which will quickly turn into confidence. The horse is able to be afraid of something without blowing a fuse. He learns to think.
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ
The only way to begin creating trust in a horse is to be fair to them. The only way to expand that trust is to challenge them. A horse needs to understand they will not be asked to do anything that will hurt them. They need to know their owner would NEVER do such a thing! By putting the horse in positions where they need to cross an obstacle they fear and offering him the time to complete the obstacle at his own pace, he will grow to trust the rider. The rider should go slow and allow the horse to go at his own pace initially, then begin to push more with time. All the while, the horse is learning to trust his rider despite how he feels about an obstacle.
๐๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ
How many times do we get on our horse and work on the same 3 or 4 things we did for the past week? To help break the cycle, work on obstacles. By changing the topic of work for the horse, he will not be so inclined to burnout from the previous training exercises. It also provides something new for the horse to try and enjoy. This will keep him happy to work and help to prevent souring. Lack of variety is boring to everyone, horses or riders.
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ
A horse that is well versed in obstacles has a high level of body awareness and will thoroughly understand how big his body is. Crossing over bridges and poles will help to make the horse more aware of their feet. Jumping creates awareness of their strides. Gates and others squeeze through type obstacles, help to create awareness of their width. By doing obstacles and showing them how big their body really is, a horse can better understand how to use their body to the fullest.
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐
๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ
An obstacle horse will quickly learn to keep their weight balanced and their feet sure. Constant ex*****on of bridges will help a horse learn to keep close attention to their feet. The reason for this is because the horse has to step onto a foreign platform then navigate the elevated platform and step off. The constant crossing over polls or deadfalls will also help a horse learn to step in such a way that does not hit the poles. A horse that is sure footed is one that will not trip over his own feet or any other arbitrary obstacle. That is not all that sure footedness lends a horse, it can also improve stops, spins, and lead changes, among other things. Because the horse understands where each of his feet are, he will be better prepared for a slide stop, spin, and/or lead change. There will hardly be a time where a horse is caught off guard for a maneuver. He will know how to bring his feet where they need to be.
๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ๐
Did you know track and field runners will often run on sandy beaches to improve their running speed on solid ground? It is an old form of conditioning, one that essentially follows harder training regiments than the actual performance will require. Working on lead changes, spins, and slide stops through and around obstacles is very similar to this. By working in a chaotic arena full of distractions, the horse will need to be even more in tune with their rider to properly execute their maneuvers. Mastery of technical maneuvers in a crowded, distracting arena will greatly improve performance during show day in an empty, quiet arena, where it is easy to concentrate.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ
Having a horse repeatedly do obstacles will help them to understand how to pick up their feet without being told. It will teach them to check their strides and jump in time, effortlessly accomplishing the maneuver with no rider intervention. Teaching a horse to think carefully about their jobs is invaluable. Teaching a horse to think for themselves will also reaffirm a bit of self preservation that can prevent accidents. To put it simply, the horse wonโt put themselves or their rider in harm's way.
๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ
Obstacles such as pinwheels and maypoles will very quickly show a rider the problem with their circles and clarify the issue is a lack of engagement from the haunches. The rider will see this, work the haunches, and improve. Obstacles such as spin boxes will show a rider they travel too much during a spin and help the rider plant the horseโs inside foot in the spin better. Bridge or crossover obstacles will show the rider how centered he can get the horse and how much the horse respects the riderโs legs, especially if he is scared. Serpentines, barrel patterns and figure 8s will challenge a riderโs control of a horseโs lead changes and doing them fluidly. Sidepasses challenge a riderโs straightness during their sidepass. Backups, especially the narrow L shaped ones, challenge a riderโs backup. Obstacles will show a rider the holes in their training, and do so very obviously. For example, it is easy to think a backup is straight in a vacant arena, but when the back hoof hits a pole and that sound echoes across the arenaโฆthereโs some work to do!
๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐
Sure, fancy bridges and noodles are not found in the real world, but a horse that can handle things of that nature is a lot better off. By working on flappy obstacles such as slicker carries, tarps, flags, etc. a horse is less likely to dump his rider when a bit of trash is flying around on a trail ride. Horses that understand bridges will not hesitate so much at the sight of a puddle, stream, or mudhole. Trails, roads, etc. all have trash, some more than others. They also have loose dogs, coyotes, other animals, homeless people, big scary rocks, etc. By working in a comfortable environment with a horse on how to process fear and think before reacting, the horse will be more prepared for the real worldโฆ where he seldom has the time to go at his own pace.
Closing Remarks
Obstacles do not need to be practiced to a comical extent. A horse does not need to do curtains and noodles and other crazy decorations. With the exception of obstacle horses, many donโt need to be exposed to crazy obstacles, especially if obstacles are a supplement to their training. By simply working on bridges, jumps, equitation obstacles such as backups and sidepasses, circular obstacles such as pinwheels, and flappy obstacles such as tarps, the rider can reap all the benefits of obstacle training with their horse. Obstacles do not need to be crazy, a whole lot can be accomplished with every obstacle when done at each gate and successively.
Written by World Champion, Johnny Flores Horses
Certified AQHA Professional Horseman
818-939-1338
