Training Tip: Confidently Introduce Your Horse to Obstacles

Once you have a foundation on your horse, meaning that he trusts and respects you and you can control his feet, you can begin to introduce him to obstacles. At some point or other during his trail riding career, your horse is going to come across obstacles on the trail – water crossings, bridges, hills, embankments, logs, gates, etc. He’ll need to know how to safely and confidently navigate them. It’s always best to introduce a horse to obstacles in a controlled situation so that you can work through his fear at home rather than waiting until you’re on a narrow trail with 20 other horses.

You can never prepare your horse (or yourself) for every possible obstacle, but you can build your horse’s confidence so that when he is confronted with something on the trail that makes him think about turning around and using the reactive side of his brain, he has the skills to handle it with ease. No matter how well-trained your horse is, from time to time, all horses are going to be frightened of obstacles on the trail.

All obstacles you’ll encounter with your horse can be dealt with in the same manner – by introducing the obstacle to the horse on the ground and building his confidence and then riding him over it.