It’s been an interesting year. First I found out that Asia would not be sound enough to compete in Western dressage, at least not this season. I had planned to go to all the rated shows I could find culminating at the WDAA World Show and the Morgan Grand National in OK. Not to be, so I had a lot of empty dates all of a sudden.
The saying is “When one door closes another opens” and in this case that proved to be exactly right. Not just a door—a wide, inviting avenue full of all kinds of new opportunities, friends and great fun.
I watched and met Mark Bolender at Equine Affaire last Fall and was intrigued by his Mountain Trail Obstacles and his approach to in-hand work—building trust and a solid relationship with your horse. I put this information in the back of my mind for further study when I had a moment. That moment came one day when I was waiting for my husband to have a day-long procedure at a hospital. I had a day with good internet and not much to do so I started to browse Mountain Trail.
First I saw the video of Mark completing a challenge on his horse Checkers, bridleless, and loved it: Extreme Trail Champion Mark Bolender Amazing … – YouTube. Then I started to look for Bolender Horse Parks near me. The closest was The Salmon River Horse Park up near Lake Ontario in New York State.
Within two hours I had a weekend booked, a clinic posted and riders signed up for my first Mountain Trail Clinic! I knew that a lot of my students would love it; I knew that it would mesh really well with Western Dressage; and that the horsemanship skills needed to perform and teach it were right up my alley. Now to learn the specifics before my first clinic. There was a judges clinic scheduled at the same park with the man himself a month before my clinic. I could become a certified judge and get to know the park. Perfect!!
I took the clinic and loved everything about it. The slow, kind approach. No adrenaline. To get a perfect score across an obstacle the horse has to negotiate it either in hand or ridden with his head low and relaxed at a steady rhythm in a consistent tempo (see how dressage helps). He has to stay straight and in the middle maintaining forward motion, no tension or rushing.
This discipline could not be a better match for my Kindful Training and I look forward to making the trip to Salmon River many times in the future. I already have 4 new dates booked for my clinics next year and will take my own horses to the Mark Bolender clinics that are scheduled.
