Hands-free Obstacle Course

[Tatonkas Dream]

Per the insert in the Lone Star Perf (Corsicana, TX)

We have added "hands off obstacle", the first couple of shows it will only be hands off (a halter w lead tied around or thrown over the neck)

Our goal is to eventually call it halterless obstacle

class will be $10 per horse to enter

$5 entry fee/ $5 toward the jackpot

The winner being the person who completes the entire course without touching or leading there horse through an obstacle pattern.

If there is no winner the money that is reserved for the jackpot will be rolled over to the next show.

1st place will receive 50%, 2nd 30%, 3rd 20%.

I'd love to try but we as a team are no where near ready for that one... it will be one to watch for sure

 

[Karen S]

Hi Margo,

I help work all of the Lone Star Pony Club all performance shows as their ring steward. Amy Moerman and her mom came up with the idea of a "Hands Off" obstacle class to give all of the Youth and Adults a challange. The October show was the first time it was presented and we had three people with miniatures and three or four shetlands. The theme last month was 'Fire Prevention" since October was Fire Prevention month. One of the members of the club is a Volunteer Fireman and she brought all of her fire gear to use in the obstacle class.

They had to walk throug fake flames (A fire curtain cut in strips, was an old bed sheet made on an arch and a stand). Each person had to walk through the flames. The next obstacle was to side pass a fire hose, the thrid obstacle was to walk to the fireman and move his boots and place his helmet on his head. the fourth was to cross the bridge.

This month we used a Christmas theme: Walk up and pet the reindeer (had to walk between two motion reindeer then move onto the Yule Tide log and side pass then move to the Christmas Tree forest and do a serpentine weave through the forest then move onto the christmas packages and back through the packages and then do 180 degree pivot on the back feet and walk across Frosty's lake. They were to stop in the lake and pick up a snowball and throw it in the bucket, then they were to walk to the Candy Cane Lane, ground tie check their holiday mail in the mail box and them walk to the finish line.

One person did get all the way to the lake, but she left her leadrope tied too long around her mini's neck and it got it front leg caught in it. Sandy C. ended up having to touch her horse to free the leg (course we all would have ) had that not happened she would have won the class.

We are hoping that next year they will be pulling off those halters and leads and see how many will be able to do the class "Hands Off". Those mini's/Shetlands that did try did respond to voice commands of their owners. We have one guy that comes to the shows and does liberty with his horses. I noticed last month that he uses hand signals for his horse to change leads and directions. He doesn't even have a whip in his hand. It was amazing to watch both of them work together in the ring. He said it takes a bit longer to do what he does but it works.

As I posted in my prior message....work on side passing that's one of the harder things to do...need to work on backing....and the ground tying. With ground tying I know everyone yanks a couple of times on their leads to signal their horses to stand still...without the lead you don't have any signal to give.

Design any type of course but the main stuff is side passing, backing through and "L", ground tying, could have to step into a hula hoop and do a pivot on one back foot..walk through stuff or over a bridge. Work on it this winter and then ask your shows to put this fun non-rated class in and see how many of you can do it.

Karen

 

[Margo_C-T]

THANK you, Karen, for sharing the details! Sounds to me like a great, fun concept; I will share it with our little 'driving and more' interest group, and we might well be adding it to our 'fun and games' get-togethers!

Margo

 

[hobbyhorse23]

With ground tying I know everyone yanks a couple of times on their leads to signal their horses to stand still...without the lead you don't have any signal to give.

Coming from big horses I've never understood that. You yank on a lead to punish a horse, not to give them a signal.

Of course some people do it very softly and that's okay, but others are like "Bad pony! Stand!"

With most big horse breeds you simply drop the lead or reins and say "Whoa, STAND," then practice backing away and eventually walking around until the horse can do it as long as you need them to. I found myself unintentionally using the hand-signal for a canine sit-stay with Kody (some habits die hard with a little critter in front of you!) and that seemed to work surprisingly well. We come to a halt, I pull myself into that erect posture that means "showmanship time" and turn to face him, wait for his feet to plant and his attention to focus on me, then say "Kody, whoa, STAND" and give him the hand sign of inverting my hand and pushing my palm towards him at the level of my ribcage. Then I carefully lay down the lead line and start backing away. I need to remember to work on it more as I stopped about the time he was learning to stay still and only watch me while I turned my shoulder to him and start walking around him. It helps to have a driving horse- they really should have learned not to walk off unless told to by the time they are in cart!

"Whoa" means stop, "Whoa, Stand" means stop-and-don't-move-again-until-I-tell-you-to.

So Karen, the person does walk through the course with the horse like normal? Would you be counted off if you directed them from afar like the liberty guy? I'd think that would be worth bonus points! LOL

Leia

 

[Karen S]

Hi Leia,

No you won't be counted off. Sandy C. uses her hands to point and talks to her horse.

To the reindeer: She told her horse to come and he followed her, she stop the horse stopped. She walked slowly to the yule log (to do side pass) and pointed down to where she wanted the front feet. She then stood at its shoulder and verbally told it to pass still using her hands as a guide just like she does when she holds the lead. She walked throught the trees in a serpentine pattern and the horse was at her side and walked along with her. She walked onto the lake (blue tarp) the horse stopped, smelled of the tarp and she coaxed it to step onto the tarp (most horses don't like the crinkling sound). Sandy stopped in the middle of the tarp and the horse took a step and that's when it got it's front leg in the lead that was wrapped around it's neck. The lead had fallen down when the horse put it's head down to smell of the tarp. Had the lead been a bit tighter around the neck she would have finished the pattern. Sandy was the only one that got as far as she did.

Remember you can give verbal ques, hand signals as long as you don't touch the horse in any way.

Karen

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Awesome. Thank you!

Leia