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Mark Bolender 
Age Shines on the Obstacle Course by Mark Bolender The discipline of mountain trail goes quite naturally with an aged horse. While an older horse may struggle at the most demanding level of the sport, it can still be quite good for them. Recently I watched a healthy, yet … Read More
Building an International Sport by Mark Bolender YOU DON’T OFTEN FIND the western horse next to an English style horse in the same competition. This also goes for seeing multiple breeds competing together — Arabians, Peruvians, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, minis, warm bloods and even mules. Mountain trail is different. … Read More
Master these Basic Skills to Improve Safety and Scores by Mark Bolender To improve their mountain trail scores it’s important to master nine basic skills. These skills can also be returned to, again and again, to master the variety of obstacles found on course. Ability to move the shoulders … Read More
Why Obstacle Training is Good for Every Horse by Mark Bolender Your horse’s mind is an amazing place, but understanding the basics is an absolute necessity in order to effectively train it. The reality is I want to change the horse’s natural instinct, reaction, and teach it to think … Read More
Create Your Own Challenge and Learn Easy Tips for Mastery With a little know-how, a rock obstacle is easy to construct and easy to master. I love this obstacle because it teaches a horse to slow down and think. It will teach the horse to carefully pick up and place … Read More
How Horses Teach Us to Be Better Leaders by Mark Bolender It never ceases to amaze me how consistently the horse remains a forgiving creature. I can’t tell you how many mistakes I have made in training, and how many mistakes I have observed being made, that the horse continues … Read More
Teach Your Horse Focus with this Obstacle Challenge Mountain trail is based on real life situations found working on the ranch or navigating a trail. With the International Mountain Trail Challenge Association (IMTCA), it has become a discipline that shows off the perfect trail horse. This horse moves boldly and … Read More
Gain Success Navigating a Frustrating Obstacle by Mark Bolender The raised back-through can often be a frustrating experience for the horse and rider. I commonly hear this: “I don’t understand why my horse will not trust me more and just do it.” Often their horse is pushy when being … Read More
Become an Effective Leader by Working with Your Horse’s Natural Instinct by Mark Bolender The principle of “thinking it through” applies to both horse and rider and is a powerful tool if used properly. It is a change from just lunging the horse next to a scary obstacle (which … Read More
Train Your Horse to Calmly Negotiate Rolling Logs by Mark Bolender A scramble is an obstacle designed to teach the horse how to walk through a set of small rolling logs that move. This obstacle is a result of a real trail situation where I was riding near Mount … Read More
