Training Tip: Introducing Obstacles From the Ground Up

Teaching a horse to negotiate an obstacle from the ground gives him the opportunity to think through the situation and keeps you safe. He can carefully pick his way over and through the obstacle the first few times, until he learns to pay attention to where he is putting his feet.

A lot of people panic if their horse stumbles or bumps his leg on his way over an obstacle. In all honesty, I just let the horse do it. In fact, the clumsier a horse is, the more I want him to bump his legs a time or two. There is no better way to teach him to take care of where he is putting his feet. You want your horse to think about what he’s doing and where he’s placing his feet when he encounters an obstacle. Letting him whack his legs a couple of times drives home the importance of slowing down and working through a problem. With a good trail horse, it’s never about speed – it’s about sure-footedness, coordination, dependability and safety.

I expect my horses to walk over low obstacles – anything that is as high as or lower than their knees. There is no reason for a horse to build speed and jump over an object that low. If I’m asking a horse to go over an object that sits higher than his knees, then, yes, he’ll probably need to build a little speed and jump it. But even then, I expect him to remain at a reasonable speed. Never encourage a horse to gallop blindly over something on the trail. That line of action will quickly put the two of you in danger.