Trail tips from AQHA Professional Horseman Tommy Sheets, plus another fun photo gallery.

By Holly Clanahan for The American Quarter Horse Journal

AQHA Professional Horseman Tommy Sheets

Clinics are one of the hallmarks of the AQHA Regional Championships. People come to these events to compete, of course, but also so they can learn to compete better. AQHA Professional Horseman Tommy Sheets of New Albany, Indiana, pitched in to give competitors an edge in trail. Here, we’ll review his tips for working the gate: 

You’ll need to practice working the gate from both sides, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll discuss a right-handed gate, which you’d approach from the left side. And to start, we’ll talk about how to train your horse at home, in preparation for the show ring. 

Tommy says as the rider walks up to the gate, she should stop the horse when her leg is lined up with the first gate standard. Then the rider bumps the horse’s head down, asking for vertical flexion, focus and a complete halt. 

“When we get to the gate, we bump them down three times and say, ‘Whoa’ every time. Bump, bump, bump and say, ‘Whoa.’ So they know when they go to that gate, the first thing they do is lock down into the bridle.” 

Too often, Tommy says, horses will get up to the gate and start looking around. 

“Any time that horse looks left or right, those judges cannot plus the gate. That horse’s head must remain straight. So when you get to the gate, when you’re schooling, say, ‘Whoa’ and bump. When you get to the gate when you’re showing, and you say, ‘Whoa,’ the first thing that horse does is lock down.” 

Next, with the horse still stationary, the rider picks up the rope and doesn’t allow the horse to start backing yet. Again, she’ll bump the horse’s head down and say, ‘Whoa.’ Then the rider should rock her weight backward – which is the cue to begin backing – and the horse should back on a diagonal path. When the rider’s leg reaches the back gate standard, she’ll stop the horse and bridle him up again. 

“On this first side, we put them in the bridle three times,” Tommy says. “So they know when you get to that show pen and you say, ‘Whoa,’ the first thing they do is drop that head and get in the bridle.” 

So you’ve got the gate open; now it’s time to step through. Sometimes you’ll have a raised pole to step over and other times you won’t, but Tommy says to practice as if there will always be a pole there. More on that later. 

The rider should move her rein hand forward and ride deep through the gate, walking close to the first standard, then circling out to make a “C” shape. As her leg lines up with the second standard, she’ll stop and bridle her horse up, again saying, “Whoa.” 

“If you’re showing and you get in trouble, you say, ‘Whoa,’ and that horse knows to lock down in that bridle,” Tommy says. “ ‘Whoa’ means stop and stand still. If you get in trouble at the gate, stop and stand still. Slow your motion down.” 

Again, the rider doesn’t want her horse to start backing until she rocks her weight back – and she won’t do that until the horse is straight. She’ll back up until her leg is in line with the first standard, then stop her horse and bridle him up again. When he is standing still, nicely framed up, she’ll shut the gate. 

“You never open or shut the gate while that horse is moving,” Tommy says. “Completely stop – with the horse’s head and neck straight.” 

Harley Huff of Evansville, Indiana, served as the demonstration rider for Tommy Sheets. Here, she takes Skips Top Asset over the pole, working to get his right front over first.

Now back to the pole: The rider wants her horse to step over the pole first with the leg closest to it. In this example, the right side of his body is next to the gate and raised pole, so he should step over first with his right front leg. Tommy says if the horse leads with the wrong leg, he’s likely to hit the pole with a back leg. 

To train for this, the rider should approach the pole at an angle and cue with her left leg (if she’s trying to get at the horse’s right front leg). She’ll give either a kiss or a cluck and ask him to pick up the right front foot, up and over the pole. With the rope gate hung out of the way, she’ll circle the gate a few times, clucking and using the leg cue at the pole each time. 

“Any time you’re going over a pole to the right, you lead with the right leg. If you’re going over a pole to the left, lead with the left leg,” Tommy says. “It is not an accident. It has to be trained.” 

But if you’re in the show ring and the worst-case scenario happens – your horse leads with the wrong leg – Tommy says the rider should immediately move into damage control: Go straight over the pole instead of turning while the horse is crossing it. That increases the odds that he’ll make it over without ticking the pole. 

Tommy cautioned the riders in attendance not to take these new tips and start applying them at the Regional Championship. Go home and practice, he advised. 

“It is not that hard to train the gate, but it takes a lot of patience and a lot of time.” 

The Region Four Championship continues through Sunday at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio. Region Four encompasses Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Ontario. Learn more about AQHA’s Regional Championships and see what region you’re in. 

Read up on all the Region Four Championship reports here. 

And don’t forget to click on our slide show photos to read the captions. 

Holly Clanahan
Editor, America's Horse magazine