Does anyone go on these rides? There are quite a few in my area, and it looks like fun. What kind of obstacles are in the pleasure division? I saw the list on the website, but wasn’t sure which ones would be considered “easier”. Do you have to go with a group or can you go alone?
Under the Obstacles list you can click the + sign for a description. They explain the differences between the pleasure/junior and open divisions. Same obstacles, but different requirements.
I thought about doing it, but they’re giving out prize money in all divisions. This means it’s going to be very competitive and I don’t have the $$ to work with a trainer full-time. Also, my horse is gaited and has trouble with cantering and going up/down hills w/o contact. He’ll never do well.
We’re just sticking with Trail Trials. Much easier. 
[QUOTE=Meadow36;5107163]
Does anyone go on these rides? There are quite a few in my area, and it looks like fun. What kind of obstacles are in the pleasure division? I saw the list on the website, but wasn’t sure which ones would be considered “easier”. Do you have to go with a group or can you go alone?[/QUOTE]
I’ve done 4 ACTHA rides this year with one of my rescue horses who has only been trained by me and we are doing OK in the Pleasure division- mostly we were up tying for 6th and then we just got a 4th last month. She is poorly gaited actually so you never know when she is going to gait or trot, rack or canter LOL As long as the horse is willing and listens, you can do pretty well.
I don’t find it to be any more competitive than you want to make it. I am not a show person, I just want to ride my pony and meet people and practice our skills and we are having a great time in ACTHA :yes:
Lots of gaited horses are doing the rides in KY and a TWH was the top Pleasure division horse in the region (region 5) for last year. He is very well trained, but honestly, I think his owner just really puts the time and effort into him. Even though his owner is competitive, she is also super nice and helpful. I have made many new friends in ACTHA this year.
The Pleasure division is easier than the Open division, of course. In the last ride we had to open a mailbox- the Pleasure division had to walk up to the mailbox and stop the horse next to the mailbox with front legs over a pole that was on the ground perpendicular. The rider opened the mailbox and took out the mail, showing it to the judge, put it box in the box, close the box and walk on, all in 45 seconds. Not real hard for any horse with basic manners and training IMO
The Open division horses had to go to the left of the pole and sidepass it over to the mailbox and then do the whole open/show/close/walk on. The thing is, you can compete a horse in Pleasure and DO NOT have to move up with that horse until it has three 1st places in Pleasure. You could go for years without having to move up :yes:
In some rides you will have harder Pleasure obstacles, but the Open are even harder… just depends on what the Affiliate chooses to do with the obstacles they choose. If you find the obstacles to be harder for Pleasure than what you would think they should be, you utilize the feedback form and TELL the Affiliate about the issues you had on the ride and hopefully they will take it under consideration when planning their next ride.
The $$ they give out as prizes is in the form of ACTHA “bucks” which can only be used at certain sponsors. No one is really competing for them AFAIK. Potentially useful, but only if you want to buy what is being sold shrugs The Affiliate putting on the ride brings in some stuff for prizes from local sponsors, but I haven’t seen anything huge at the 4 rides I’ve been to. Now it does seem that the prizes for medalling a horse or being top in your region are good, though 
I did one last year, and it was okay. Most everyone got lost, due to not enough signage. Since then, they have either changed their rules or started enforcing different rules, because they won’t let me ride in my riding halter.
Here are photos from the 4 rides I did:
4/17/10 Winchester, KY
5/29/10 Stanton, KY
6/13/10 Manchester, KY
8/21/10 Taylorsville, KY
I’ve gotten to go places I would not have been otherwise and meet people I would not have met otherwise
Thanks for sharing, Spookhorse. Nice pics! I recently joined the ACTHA. My first competition with them is Oct. 16th. Looking forward to it. It sounds like fun.
Those were good pictures, Spookhorse. I like the comments you made.
My advice to Meadow is just go. I’m certain you won’t be the only “newbie” out there. A lot of people go to a Trail Trial, unprepared, just to see what it’s like and how their horses react. I’m not doing it only because my horse has no chance of placing, and I can do Trail Trials instead.
I did one in June when they were trying for the Guiness World record which they got. It was fun, but too hot to do one again in June down here.
I hope to do more and have been working with my horse on various obstacles which gives me other things to work on than just trail riding. It will make him a better trail horse in the end. I just wish they’d have some closer as most of them are 4-6 hours away from me and I need a long weekend to make it worth my while, gas, & $.
Directions to the ride is something that needs to be addressed with the Affiliate putting on the ride. I think I good rule for yourself when getting ready for one of these rides is to make sure you have the Affiliate’s phone numbers plugged into your cell phone, and make sure you have the farm or whatever camp name and address it is that you are supposed to be going to in case you need to stop and ask someone for help getting there.
After having a bit of trouble finding the last ride myself, I was thinking of suggesting it to the Affiliate that they have some signs on the main road next time to help guide the way, my directions via Expedia only got me so far and I had to guess and hope a bit that I was going the right way.
As to the riding halter, that was addressed on the listserve as to why it’s not allowed (insurance purposes). There are many bitless bridle options that are allowable so that shouldn’t be a reason not to go again
And thanks tailgaitin and Malda for your kind comments regarding my pics. I love taking photos while I ride, I can go back and look at them later and they help me remember all the fun I had that day
That looks fun. I’m going to have to try that next year.
I don’t know about ACTHA but I’m looking at participating in a local judged pleasure ride this weekend. Pretty excited, have no idea how we’ll do. (Er, if any of the obstacles require sidepassing? Not so well as Pony still doesn’t really “get” it.) That said, he’s good out on the trails (though I suspect his big issue will be waiting his turn quietly while horses “leave” him at obstacles. Even that though, I figure he’ll get over within one or two repetitions). We’ve never done one of these before, though. I’ve done other things with him and tried to expose him to different stuff. (made a point of visiting the farm’s mailbox a couple times, actually, and he didn’t care. Though I now realize I never actually tried to get him close to it and open it. May have to do that this week!)
Anyway, I’m just rambling on now. Basically, I’m really interested in this sort of competition as I think it’s something he’d do well at. (he’s a draft, we’re never going to be overly competitive in hunter/jumper or dressage shows. But then…my ambitions for us aren’t very high so that works out. )
Great pics and thanks for sharing. I had a few questions - Is the entire ride done at a walk? Are there obstacles to maneuver at trot or canter? And also wondering…I would assume they don’t want your horse jumping the water and ditches? Just walking nicely across.
Wow you guys are great!! My horse is very young (3 y.o.) and very “unworldly”, so I was thinking of using this as a fun way to put miles on him and get him used to field trips. It would be fun to get ribbons and prizes, but it isn’t totally necessary. We are going to go on some local trail rides first, and I have ridden him on the shoulders of the roads around my house (very little traffic). He does eyeball things that he doesn’t like, but he seems to get braver every time we go out there. He’s not really fazed by the traffic or bicycles or anything like that; but if there is a “for sale” sign on someone’s front lawn then that gets a good hard stare.
We have worked on crossing scary things like cardboard, he will trot over little logs and stuff, we are making a “cowboy curtain” this weekend, and we are going to dig a ditch in the field for the “down an incline / up an incline” exercise. I have a bridge too, but he has always had issues crossing it. Well, it’s something to work on!
Trailgaitin - which ride are you going on? I am in Central FL too…
Malda - what is a “trail trial”?
The ride can be done as fast or as slow as you want, there is no “optimal time” to come in like with a CTR. I usually walk/trot/gait and throw in a canter in a nice area but it depends on who I am riding with. The Affiliate should also have a judge at the end of the ride just to watch your horse come in and do a figure 8 at trot/gait to check for soundness, but it is really informal.
Some obstacles require a trot/gait or canter/faster gait, but most I have seen so far have been walk (walk over poles, back down shallow ditch, back an L, etc) You can check the website for details on the obstacles that can be used- each Affiliate picks them based on their terrain and materials. In four rides, I haven’t come across any that really were so totally alike that it was boring. Like water crossings- we’ve done embankment down into water, large creek, small puddles, and walk halfway out into a shallow river and come back. And yes, your horse should be taking the water quietly- unlike mine and a few others in the embankment :lol: Interestingly enough, while my horse didn’t get a great score on the embankment because she jumped it, I got a good score since I took it well considering its unexpectedness :winkgrin: She does better on large water and gets good scores. The puddles caused me embarrassment though, since she simply sidestepped the first one and refused the second one entirely… Bad pony… we would have placed in the top three easy if it weren’t for that one!
Here’s a link. http://etinational.com/trailtrialrules.html
It’s pretty similiar to ACTHA, but not as intense/doesn’t need as much training. It seems to be more focused on a calm horse, at least that’s my impression.
We did one last year and we would have placed except I messed up on a couple of things, my horse was great.
[QUOTE=Meadow36;5110394]
Wow you guys are great!! My horse is very young (3 y.o.) and very “unworldly”, so I was thinking of using this as a fun way to put miles on him and get him used to field trips. It would be fun to get ribbons and prizes, but it isn’t totally necessary. We are going to go on some local trail rides first, and I have ridden him on the shoulders of the roads around my house (very little traffic). He does eyeball things that he doesn’t like, but he seems to get braver every time we go out there. He’s not really fazed by the traffic or bicycles or anything like that; but if there is a “for sale” sign on someone’s front lawn then that gets a good hard stare.
We have worked on crossing scary things like cardboard, he will trot over little logs and stuff, we are making a “cowboy curtain” this weekend, and we are going to dig a ditch in the field for the “down an incline / up an incline” exercise. I have a bridge too, but he has always had issues crossing it. Well, it’s something to work on!
Trailgaitin - which ride are you going on? I am in Central FL too…
Malda - what is a “trail trial”?[/QUOTE]
Meadow,
I’m going to the Oct. 16th one in Dunnellon and the one in November at the Fla Horse Park. Hope to see ya there!
Awesome … those are the two that I was looking at going to! I will PM you when it gets a little closer, maybe we can meet up!
I am doing on in MD in November- it will be my first- anyone else here going?
