Extreme Trail Horse OBSTACLE CHALLENGE -- Cash PRIZES

[birdsong]

[QUOTE=horselips;3780482]
Yeah, I saw one of these on the RFD channel (or whatever the hell it is).

The “kawtah hoss” people apparently think they have found the smart-ass/dumb-sh!t answer to eventing. :rolleyes:

I saw this big-ass “cowboy” blasting a small & stresseded-out looking 2yo around a course.
The hick redneck announcers sounded positively orgasmic over the colt’s “run”. What morons.

Yet another way for the american kawtah-hoss ass-hats to show their ignorance & stupidity. Yee-fuggin-haw.
:dead:[/QUOTE]

Excuse me??!! Are you being serious?

[birdsong]

[QUOTE=Juneberry;3781095]
OK now that we have completely derailed this thread. I’d like to hear from the others who do extreme trail. It looks like complete fun. but I want to know. Is the link I put up before an example of a good round? are trail competitions judged on the trail elements only? what else is taken into consideration? horses quietness between elements? riders ability? or can a half lame and bucking horse win these sort of things because they make it through all the elements cleanly?[/QUOTE]

I’ve done them for 10 years now…primarily through Mounted Police training sessions ending with competitions. They are great fun and when you and the horse are working well together it shows your horses confidence and your abilities. There are wasy to train your horses…and ways not to train. to

Meantime…Can we just play nice and stop the cat scratching …its so tedious

[Juneberry]

[QUOTE=birdsong;3783217]
I’ve done them for 10 years now…primarily through Mounted Police training sessions ending with competitions. They are great fun and when you and the horse are working well together it shows your horses confidence and your abilities. There are wasy to train your horses…and ways not to train. to

Meantime…Can we just play nice and stop the cat scratching …its so tedious[/QUOTE]

sorry I didn’t mean to come off catty, my question about the competition was an honest curiosity about how the competitions are judged. I am honestly interested in this.

[Shadow14]

[QUOTE=Juneberry;3783346]
sorry I didn’t mean to come off catty, my question about the competition was an honest curiosity about how the competitions are judged. I am honestly interested in this.[/QUOTE]

Read my posts. I gave an honest critic?? on both rides comparing what to look for. This is not catty but an honest running comentary on what a judge would look at. While the TW looked better it made 3 glaring faults while the fat horse looked worse they actually did nothing wrong.
If you want to learn reread my posts

[Juneberry]

[QUOTE=Shadow14;3783587]
Read my posts. I gave an honest critic?? on both rides comparing what to look for. This is not catty but an honest running comentary on what a judge would look at. While the TW looked better it made 3 glaring faults while the fat horse looked worse they actually did nothing wrong.
If you want to learn reread my posts[/QUOTE]

yeah I understand the getting through the elements part. that is pretty understandable. get through them quietly with no spooks without knocking stuff down etc etc. that is pretty much common sense to me. what I’m trying to ask is if the riders ability, the horses quietness and the ride between the elements are taken into consideration for these competitions. or whether you can ride in there and fall off 6 times between elements and still win because you did every element perfectly (an extreme example but hopefully someone understands what I’m asking now)

[katarine]

The judging on these things varies- the last one I did it was simple: cleanest run in the fastest time. Doing the keyhole, for example, stepping out of the pattern was 30 seconds added. But if your horse was fighting the bit or bucking between obstacles, there wasn’t a penalty for that…so the winning time was naturally the smoothest, most cooperative, fastest horse. I wish I had a video from the last one we did…the overall winner was a nice big dun horse and a quiet rider. They just flowed through everything so smoothly, really a graceful run. The quietest, cleanest run will beat the crowhopping fat horse LOL.

June these things don’t have some governing body to decide how it’s scored,it’s not governed by anything… each of them is set up to suit it’s setter-uppers . No one’s going to ask me to prove I have a hoofpick. They aren’t going to judge the way I dally the rope to drag a log. I DO wish they’d add in some basic hey don’t spur the crap out of him to ‘make’ him go in the water…but I guess they’d just knock points off for doing so.

here’s the rules for the January event in Montgomery AL

There will be two judges for the trail course competition.

The rider will have a score for each division. The two scores will be tallied together for one total trail course score.

Horses will be judged at each obstacle for willingness, skill of completing the obstacle, attempt of the obstacle and the rider’s skills at handling and maneuvering the horse through the obstacle.

Each entry’s total ride time will be recorded and will determine a tie breaker if there are multiple entries with the same trail score.The competition time keeper/time clock will record the entry/competitors time.

Scoring: Each obstacle will be worth 10 points for a possible total score of 100 points.

It will be left to the rider’s discretion type of saddle, bridle and bit, halter, hackamore, gear and equipment. Appointments will not be part of the entries score.

Entries that choose to ride bridleless , this will not give bonus points or reflect in the riders score. However, bridleless will be allowed.

*Helmets are not required, however are recommended.

*Attire will be at the discretion of the rider. Attire will not reflect as part of the entries score.

*Use of crop and spurs at the rider’s discretion.

*Competition open to all ages of girls and boys, men and women.

I hope that answers your questions.

[Juneberry]

Thanks Kat, that does.

[gabz]

Katarine is correct about the “setter-uppers” determining the rules of judging.

The few judged trail events I’ve entered DO award points on equipment so far as safety.

Wearing a helmet adds points; breast collar and halter w/ lead rope add points. Carrying spare water, collapsable bag to get water for horse, first aid for people & horse, whistle, compass, hoof pick, bandages, banamine, etc. etc. all garner points because these are things that a long trail ride might require.

Of course, the rides I’ve participated in were conducted over several miles of trail - not in an enclosed or restricted area. These rides take more than 1 hour; sometimes up to 3 hours to complete, with stations along the way.

What mulelady showed us, and is “advertising”, is slightly different, so as Katarine pointed out, safety gear points probably don’t figure into it. Going from one obstacle to the next with little or no hesitation/resistance on the part of the horse, and executing the obstacle - is the ultimate goal.

[Mtn_trails]

Some of the “obstacles” noted I must admit, are things I’ve never encountered in all my years of trail riding. You don’t orginarily see tarps and pennants in the backcountry unless you are packing them in. But as any responsible backcountry user would do, you would remove them if you did see them. I’ve never gone past crates of chickens, had to sidepass along a log, or walked over a mattress. My horses do what needs to be done to keep themselves and me safe and appropriate. They do look like a lot of fun but I prefer the more realistic, natural obstacles.

[MuleLady1]

“natural” or “unnatural” obstacles

I ride down country roads where there are houses. Along the roads I find garbage cans overflowing with very unnatural items, plastic bags fluttering down the road, trampolines with kiddos jumping and screaming, couches tossed out on the side of the road, etc. Tarps might be on the fence fluttering in the breeze or fluttering on a passing vehicle. There is no end to the STUFF I have seen :sadsmile: that shouldn’t be cluttering up the scenery.

There just isn’t anything much that I haven’t run across. When camping I’ve run in to many “unnatural” items/obstacles in the woods: mattresses, jugs, trash, etc.

An mount that will be unflappable when it comes upon these items, regardless of where they are found, will be a safe mount. Hence, we have all kinds of items and obstacles in some of the competitions. The goal is to see how trusting and willing the horse/mule/donkey is to do what is asked in a safe manner.

[cloudy18]

No kidding, MuleLady, we came upon a limo and a huge pile of trash in the middle of nowhere on a trail ride last fall. You never know what you’ll see…

[katarine]

We were riding in Oak Mtn State Park once, in the backcountry part where you never see another rider. Totally natural setting, no trash, just wonderful. We rounded a bend with my SO leading our little duo of horses when my SO’s horse, Chip… froze and spun his butt hard left- frozen, staring.

There hung Frosty the snowman. White faced, orange nose, black button eyes. A sad, lost, Mylar balloon, he’d lost enough loft to end up about 5’ off the ground, his string tangled in a dogwood limb. But staring intently at Chippy. Funny thing was neither my QH, nor my other TWH, really cared. Eh, what’s that. But Chippy could discern it was a face, and a face with no body, no less. It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

Somedays there’s no telling what you’ll find in the woods

[gabz]

It sure would be nice to be able to ride where there are no human-made distractions. Only the wildlife and nature.

There are sections of trail here in Michigan that have boardwalks built over swamps. Long, low steps that horses need to negotiate to get beyond some crazy washouts, etc. I won’t ever forget my horse backing up about 6 of those steps, very quickly, to avoid something else. LOL… He had walked down the opposite ones, had crossed the wooden bridge and gone UP the steps, but coming back on the same trail, he decided the bridge was evil. :lol: But only for a few moments. Great hind end conditioning… ha ha ha.

Friends of mine tell of how they came across someone’s mudding 4x4 buried up to the engine compartment hood just off the trail. There was a note on the roof of the cab and the keys. Note said if anyone could get it out, they could have it!! What’s the most curious, is that that area is off-limits to motorized vehicles (and bicycles) so the “guy” had no business back there to begin with.

Again, I think it’s more about the softness and willingness of the horse to do what’s asked of it despite what is around.

[Mtn_trails]

@gabz;3788613

Friends of mine tell of how they came across someone’s mudding 4x4 buried up to the engine compartment hood just off the trail. There was a note on the roof of the cab and the keys. Note said if anyone could get it out, they could have it!! What’s the most curious, is that that area is off-limits to motorized vehicles (and bicycles) so the “guy” had no business back there to begin with.

And now the forest service is going to have to spend taxpayer money to get it out. Great.

[gabz]

@Mtn trails;3788797

And now the forest service is going to have to spend taxpayer money to get it out. Great.

That’s a possibility; however, I’m sure that the guy and his buddys probably went in with an appropriate tow truck. The area is a county rec area that does use tax dollars - but I’m sure they wouldn’t foot the bill on that fiasco. Many of the horse trails are maintained by volunteers and trail groups.

The downside, is that there are some really, really wicked ruts in some areas - 6 - 18" deep from motorized tresspassers and those ruts have allowed heavy rain runoff to create gullies farther along. There are some ancient deep ruts that are permanent due to the clay soil. Just awful.

But then again, along the shore-to-shore that’s horses only, I’m amazed at how deep the trail is. horse after horse going in the same 6" wide track. I don’t understand why some don’t spread out a little bit to make it a 12" wide track where they can.

[enjoytheride]

This is the extreme cowboy race that I am familiar with

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJlzVpDEhwo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BX2MvQEPCE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6aZ2PaXOkA&feature=related

[jeano]

I still say if you havent played horse soccer with an armadillo for the ball, you havent lived.

Couches, appliances, dreaded tires, rotting deer carcasses and abandoned toilets are the norm where I ride. Fortunately, there seems to be no acre of ground in GA that doesnt have at least one drywall compound bucket in it, handy for using as a mounting block after your horse shies out from underneath you.

[Icecapade]

one tiny little thing

on only thought on this was something shadow said…

dismount downhill so you can remount up hill… not sure what exactly that means… but its horribly unsafe to dismount downhill… especially as many many people aren’t balanced when they dismount. Dismounting down hill is dangerous as you can pull your horse down or over.

Up hill is safer, even if you slide under, (had it happen) you may get stepped on but you won’t get squished!

[MuleLady1]

In a competition where you have to get off on one side and remount from the other, it is best to dismount on the downhill side so you don’t have to get up on the downhill side.

We aren’t talking a drop off but more of a slant like in a ditch.

[Shadow14]

[QUOTE=Icecapade;3790802]
on only thought on this was something shadow said…

dismount downhill so you can remount up hill… not sure what exactly that means… but its horribly unsafe to dismount downhill… especially as many many people aren’t balanced when they dismount. Dismounting down hill is dangerous as you can pull your horse down or over.

Up hill is safer, even if you slide under, (had it happen) you may get stepped on but you won’t get squished![/QUOTE]

We were told to turn the horse at right angles to the slope, dismount and then remount on the opposite side. If you were not thinking you got off on the uphill side of the slope and then circled around the horse and found yourself on the downhill side of the horse with a horse that suddenly grew a few hands in height and most likely doing it on the wrong side to boot. Almost impossible to mount.
If you are thinking you put the horse sideways on the hill so your OFF side was facing down hill. :You dismount on the OFF side downhill, moved around the horse to the near side, CHECK GIRTH then mount from the uphill side which is also your normal near side. It was easy but get your dismount wrong and you were screwed.
I didn’t choose to mount/dismount on the offside, I was just doing what I was told and making the best situation out of it.
Think before you get off.