Learn more – and get involved – with AQHA’s newest event: the AQHA Trail Challenge Program.

The AQHA Trail Riding Challenge offers a competitive edge to a weekend hobby. Journal photo.

By Holly Clanahan for Journal Plus

Most of us enjoy exploring scenic trails on a steady horse, right? But you may also enjoy a bit of competition, too. Well, as of 2012, AQHA has just the thing to combine those two interests.

The AQHA Trail Challenge Program asks horses and riders to work as a team, navigating natural obstacles they might experience on the trail. The focus is on horsemanship, and the goal is to promote education, safety and fun. As a bonus, “trail challenge merits” will be recorded on horses’ permanent AQHA records.

What can I expect?
A Trail Challenge can include between six and 16 obstacles, depending on the terrain at the event. Just a few possible obstacles are: working a gate from horseback; stepping over a series of logs while the rider ducks under branches; riding through shredded shower curtains strung between trees; and moving a slicker or mailbag from tree to tree.

While you practice for the Trail Challenge Program, log your hours in the saddle and earn rewards through AQHA’s Horseback Riding Program.

What are the requirements to participate?
Competitors must be a member of AQHA or AQHYA. There will be an all-breeds division for both youth and adults (with no trail challenge merits awarded). There are also youth and adult classes for riders in the American Quarter Horse division. Adults compete in one of three levels. The lowest level is for new partnerships where horse and rider are still establishing trust. Level 2 is an intermediate established partnership, and Level 3 is considered “master level,” where the horse and rider have trust, ability to tackle difficult obstacles and the conditioning to travel a longer course.

Will this be judged by AQHA judges?
Not necessarily. Trail Challenge judges do not have to be AQHA-approved judges; the rules state only that they must be knowledgeable horsemen or women. The judges should answer any questions happily and will even demonstrate each obstacle, emphasizing the educational aspect of the event.

How will I be judged?
Much like reining, each horse starts the course with a score of 70, with additions or subtractions on each obstacle for excellent or poor performance. An obstacle score of zero would indicate that an obstacle was negotiated correctly, with nothing either extraordinarily good or bad about the performance. The judges will be watching, of course, how successfully the obstacles are negotiated. But it’s also important how the horse behaves, how he responds to his rider’s cues and how relaxed he remains.

Other judging guidelines include:

• Leading – Does the horse follow willingly, or does he lag behind or crowd his handler?
• Mounting – Does the horse stand quietly, and does the rider check the cinch before mounting?
• Water Crossing – Does the horse walk through quietly in a continued forward movement? There will be no penalties for stopping for a drink or looking at the water before crossing.
• Log Drag – Does the horse stand quietly during preparation and then pull or drag in control, with neither horse nor rider getting tangled in the rope? The rider may hold rope or dally once. There is to be no tying hard and fast.

Enroll in AQHA’s Horseback Riding Program and earn rewards for time spent in the saddle.

Do I need special gear?
Horses and riders may go in western or English tack and attire, and the rules found in the AQHA Official Handbook will dictate which bits are legal.

OK, I want to learn more!
See the latest information and schedule or call AQHA Customer Service at (806) 376-4888. Email Stephanie McCommon at stephaniem@aqha.org if you’d like to be a judge or if you’d like to consider hosting a Trail Challenge.

Journal Plus is The American Quarter Horse Journal’s online bonus magazine and is exclusively for subscribers to the print magazine. Journal Plus is free to Journal subscribers.

Follow these safety measures to avoid tragedies while riding your horse by roads.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Riding horses in groups increases safety, especially if one of the horses is experienced at trail riding near traffic. Journal photo.

Horseback riders can’t control truck and car drivers. But taking safety measures helps prevent incidents, like the horrific accident in New Hampshire last week, while riding near busy roads and intersections.

For riders, take time to learn about laws pertaining to horses on roads. Do you know which side of the road to ride on? Left or right? No? You’re not alone.

Actually, it depends on where you live. “It’s important to check your state regulations regarding which side of the road you should ride,” says Cathy Bickell, former trails liaison for the Colorado Horsemen’s Council. However, most states barely mention horses other than as vehicles that must abide by the same laws as the motorized type.

According to Colorado state law, persons leading or riding animals on or along any highway should ride or lead their animals on the left side. This is the side facing approaching traffic. Horses act as pedestrians, bicycles act as cars. In other words, feet go with feet and wheels with wheels.

In Texas, the law is different. According to the Department of Public Safety, horseback riders ride with the traffic, as would a bicycle. Horses are a means of transportation and are considered non-motorized vehicles.

Whether you are riding with or against traffic, the rules of the road remain the same. Riders should acknowledge stop signs and lights, yield signs and be extremely careful at intersection. “In areas of heavy traffic, it is often best to dismount and lead the horse across. It’s better to avoid an accident than to create one,” Cathy says. Read the rest of this entry »

You and your horse have some obstacles to overcome before you hit the trail this year.

Debbie prepares Classy Credit Bar for unexpected situations on the trail by earning his trust in the arena. Journal photo.

By Debbie Bibb in America’s Horse

You wouldn’t think that something as peaceful as a trail ride would require homework. The truth is, you have to prepare your horse for everything you are going to do with him.

You need to teach him to do what you’re asking him to do, no matter what’s going on around him. That’s why it’s crucial to begin working with your horse in a safe environment – like an arena – in the months leading up to trail-ride season. By working in a safe “classroom” environment, you allow your horse to become consistent in obeying your cues. Once your horse is consistent here, you can add distractions or move to a more challenging environment, such as a bigger arena or a trip away from home.

Ultimately, you’re not teaching a horse to cross a tarp, bridge or water; you’re teaching a horse to have enough confidence in you to do what you ask him to do. Read the rest of this entry »

With the right care, horses are built to weather winter.

Neal keeps the ranch’s yearlings in a narrow, rough pasture up a cedar draw in the badlands. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Winter weather can be fickle and harsh in southwestern South Dakota. From Rapid City near the Black Hills to Interior near the Badlands, the average high hovers around 35 degrees Fahrenheit and the low around 10. But record highs are in the 60s and lows in the minus 20s. It can be tough on horses, whether they are in a barn or on the range.

“The up and down, freeze and warm, freeze and warm – it works their system pretty hard,” says Neal Livermont of Livermont Quarter Horses near Interior.

“You wake up in the morning and ask, ‘Is the wind blowing?’ ” says Patty Brunner of Brunner Quarter Horses in Rapid City. “It can be 4 degrees, but if there’s no wind, it’s almost a pleasure!” Read the rest of this entry »

How you manage the problem can make a difference for your horse.

Hay should be free of dust, weeds, dirt, insects and mold. Journal photo.

By Dr. Thomas Lenz in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Many horse owners across the country have been affected by drought, floods and fires during the last year, and the result is a severe shortage of hay in many parts of the United States.

Horses need to eat at least 1 percent of their body weight in forage daily. Long-stem hay (at least 2 inches in length) also promotes a healthy intestinal tract and decreases the risk of colic. In addition, horses are designed to graze 16 to 18 hours a day, and when nutritional forage is not available, they tend to chew on fences, trees and one another’s manes and tails. Read the rest of this entry »

The American Association of Equine Practitioners offers 10 tips for choosing the best horse hay.

Use these tips to select the best hay for your horse. Journal photo.

From the American Association of Equine Practitioners, an AQHA alliance partner

High-quality hay is an important source of essential nutrients in your horse’s diet. A horse’s protein and energy requirements depend on age, stage of development, metabolism and workload.

A mature horse will eat 2 to 2.5 percent of his body weight daily, and for optimum health, nutritionists recommend that at least half of this should be roughage, such as hay. For a 1,000-pound horse, that means feeding at least 10 pounds of roughage each day. Read the rest of this entry »

A 150-year-old sidesaddle sparks a search for the history of riding aside.

A fabled Mrs. Williams rode this sidesaddle from Virginia to California in 1849. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

“Exceedingly rare & early Ladies Side Saddle with classic raised floral carved incised tooling representative of the earliest Northern California Saddle Makers. All original including Carpet Seat, Leaping Horn, and cinches. Attributable to Main & Winchester, San Francisco. Fine condition, circa 1850s. Appraised value: $3,500.” Read the rest of this entry »

The man who inspired Ray Hunt, Greg Ward, Dr. Robert Miller, Jack Brainard, Pat Parelli and thousands more.

Tom Dorance helped many people learn to communicate better with their horses while sitting on his camp chair. Journal photo.

By Lesli Groves in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Tom Dorrance sat on his little camp chair, and I sat about three feet away on a bale of hay. From out of the canvas bag lying at his feet, he pulled a piece of black nylon string. He had knotted the ends together to make a loop, and he told me to stick out my index finger. Slowly, his small hand reached out for my hand and then turned it so my index finger was pointing straight up. He draped the string over my finger, then he put his finger into the loop and pulled it taut. Using his free hand, he wove his middle finger in and out of the string, then he touched his fingertip to mine. He gave a little pull with the index finger that held the other end and voila! The string just dropped away from our connected fingers. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you ready to move your horse to a hackamore?

Take your time when moving your horse into a hackamore. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Respectfully responding to just a hair’s feel on the reins, the finished bridle horse is a masterpiece.

Creating the sensitivity and response of a spade bit horse begins in the hackamore.

If you are in a hurry, don’t count on finding perfection. Read the rest of this entry »

Learn the different riggings for western saddles.

The rigging of a western saddle helps keep it on the horse's back for a secure ride. Journal photo.

By AQHA Professional Horsewoman Julie Goodnight

Q: I am going for my Certified Horsemanship Association certification, and although I am much more familiar with English saddles, I am hoping to get a low- level certification in western, too. Read the rest of this entry »

Breast collars do an important job.

Breast collars have the function that makes this “work horse” a vital piece of tack. Journal photo.

By Dennis Moreland in America’s Horse

A breast collar can dress up a rig, and many of them have a lot of silver or tooling on them. But really, that’s not what’s important. It’s the function that makes this “work horse” a vital piece of tack. Read the rest of this entry »

Write about your ride to learn from your mistakes.

This is Rugged Colonel, "Lark," and I running a reining pattern at a local stock horse show. Photo courtesy of Melissa DeYoung