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High Tech in the Backcountry

Modern Ways to Stay Connected on the Trail by Robert Eversole   When is the last time you saw a telephone booth? The cell phones in everyone’s pocket are filling the desire for people to be constantly connected. Whether you’re for or against them, high tech electronics have become ubiquitous … Read More

Mastering the Balance Beam

balance beam

Why Your Trail Horse Needs this Skill   by Mark Bolender The exciting sports of Mountain Trail and Trail Challenges have their basis in real-life situations found on the trail or working on the ranch. Certain obstacles simulate these situations and can be used to train for these sports. One … Read More

Get Ready for Riding Season

10 Tips for Trail Riders by Robert Eversole   Unless you’ve maintained your riding schedule throughout the winter (and if you have, Bravo to you!) this is an excellent time to start prepping not only yourself for the start of riding season, but also to get your horse or mule … Read More

Mastering Log Obstacles

Log Obstacles

Tips for Teaching this Mountain Trail Horse Skill   by Mark Bolender Whether out on a trail or in a show, watching an accomplished Mountain Trail horse moving through a difficult log obstacle makes it look easy. The horse navigates the logs while going forward boldly and confidently, and always … Read More

Selecting a Trail Horse

trail horse

Finding—and Training—Your Best Trail Horse   by Mark Bolender Selecting a horse for trail riding is not an easy process because several factors must be carefully considered. Ultimately, it’s a decision about which horse is right for a particular rider and that’s just the beginning in creating the “perfect” trail … Read More

Checkers Takes the Challenge

The Joy of Demonstrating at the AQHA Show   by Mark Bolender I love the AQHA shows. In July of 2011 I had the privilege of attending the Region 5 event in Langley, British Columbia. I was a demonstrator, clinician, and judge for the sport of Mountain Trail and Trail … Read More

Mark Bolender: At the Top in Mountain Trail

A Unique Approach to Mastering a Challenging Discipline by Nicole Zanakis On a sunny, cool morning in Washington State, I’m watching riders navigate their horses over trail obstacles. Standing next to me is the trainer, Mark Bolender. He’s a three-time national Grand Champion in the sport, and he’s pointing out … Read More

Horse Camping Without Pack Stock

Low Impact Horse Camping for Everyone by Robert Eversole     We’re well into fall and soon the white stuff will be flying. While winter won’t slow our riding, most probably our horse camping will come to a stop which makes this a great time to start the planning and … Read More

“Just Trust Me”

trust

The keys To Building Trust in Your Trail Horse   by Mark Bolender I frequently hear riders say, “I want my horse to trust me more,” yet the horse is pushy when being handled on the ground and will not navigate the difficult obstacles in a show or on a … Read More

The Fear Factor

Exercises and Practices to Take Control of Fear By Robert Eversole   Greetings, I was originally going to write about low impact horse camping techniques for this month’s column. However, instead of that we’re going to talk about a topic that is more important and one that may just save … Read More

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