With winter months ahead of us, I was was looking for a “Winter Appropriate” Horse Agility Competition. One competition that the International Horse Agility Club holds is a Monthly Challenge. Instead of setting up an entire course, you focus on one specific challenge. So here is what Horse Around New England has come up with—–
Every Month an Agility Challenge will be posted. There will be different degrees of difficulty you can enter every month or not; it’s up to you. Entries will be by video. Points will be given and accumulated through the winter.
A Challenge Award Ribbon will be given every month for those who enter. We will have 5 challenges in all. At the end of the Winter Challenges (the start of Spring) I will add up all of the points.
Place Awards will be given as well as Agility Champion Rosettes for the competitors with the highest points (Woo Hoo!!). So the more months you enter, the more points you accumulate.
My goals?? For you to have FUN and COMMUNICATE with your equine!! No Entry Fees!!
HORSE AGILITY WINTER CHALLENGE
Deadline for Video Entry is December 27th
In this first challenge we are communicating with our equine to stand calmly on a mat or tarp while the handler backs away.
Place a small mat or tarp on the ground. Four feet from the tarp place a cone or some other type of marker. Place a second cone four feet from the first one, and then a third four feet from the second. (Please measure, do not eyeball it.)
Walk your equine to the tarp and have him “Whoa” with his front feet on the tarp. Then ask him to stand while you back away. You can do the exercise with a long lead or liberty. The horse must stand still on the mat, with you at the cone of your choice, for 3 solid seconds.
A handler standing at the first cone (four feet from tarp) gets 2 points; standing at the second cone (eight feet from tarp) gets 5 points. And if you can back as far away as the third cone (twelve feet from tarp), and your horse stands for 3 solid seconds, you get 10 points!
Points are deducted if the horse moves, so don’t move on to the next cone in practice until you have accomplished the shorter distance first!
Email your name; your horse’s name; your address; your Youtube video link to:
scedwards15@yahoo.com
Horsin Around New England 