Obstacles for Everyone

By Carol Gordon, CPA

We generally think about obstacles in a negative way – a problem, something to be avoided or overcome. But many times, obstacles are opportunities in disguise. You can learn something about a situation, another person, or yourself by working your way through an obstacle. Working with your horse on physical obstacles are no different. By working your horse over tarps, bridges, and other trail/versatility type obstacles, you can learn a lot about your horse and yourself.

You may be an instructor that specializes in a discipline that operates exclusively in a ring and think that working obstacles may not integrate with your current program. But think about the last time that your student’s horse wouldn’t pass by the judges’ booth or wouldn’t jump over a particular in and out. Both the booth and the jump are obstacles and by purposefully introducing obstacles into your program, you are a step closer to avoiding those problems with the booth and the jump in the future.

You don’t need a big budget to create obstacles. There’s a lot you can do with what you already have. And once you get started with obstacles, your creative juices start to flow, and you can see potential obstacles in lots of places.

The primary goals of working obstacles should be as confidence building activities for both the horse and handler and to strengthen the relationship between them. So, you should always start working obstacles in-hand first before moving on to under-saddle and preferably in a contained area. Horses are herd animals and generally feel more confident with their handler beside them rather than on their back. And if the horse’s response to a particular obstacle puts the handler at risk, the handler can release the horse without fear of injury to either of them. Then the handler can collect the horse and attempt the obstacle again, using a different strategy.

Two other benefits to adding obstacles to your lesson program:

1. Obstacles are generally low impact so school horses that might be limited as to the number of lessons they can do would be able to be used in an inhand obstacle lesson. A horse that is rehabbing from an injury and can’t be ridden can be used for obstacles also.

2. In-hand obstacles are a great way to engage timid equestrians and ones that may be physically unable to ride, either temporarily or permanently.

You can add obstacles into your current camp program or offer obstacle clinics, using your school horses for additional revenue streams without much more investment. And offering clinics to handlers who truck in might be a good way to introduce them to your program and yourself.

Obstacles are part of many disciplines and are great introductions to Mountain Trail, Working Equitation, Versatility and Trail classes. If there aren’t a lot of programs that offer obstacles in your area, that’s another advantage for you.

Obstacles can be a low cost, easy way to engage your horses and clients in a new and fun way, as well as attract new clients and add something new to your instructor toolbox.

The next issue of Riding Instructor magazine will offer some practical advice about creating obstacles and strategies to navigate those obstacles.

About the author:

Carol Gordon is a CPA with an MBA from Boston College and the owner of Carol Gordon, CPA, which provides consulting services to equine-based businesses. You can contact her at cgordoncpa@gmail. com If you have any questions that you’d like covered here, please email her with your suggestions.