Trail Hacks – Riding Your Show Horse Off the Beaten Path

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98 – July/August, 2017

By Rachel Kooiker

In today’s world of top equine athletes, you need every weapon in your arsenal to attain peak fitness and performance. One tool that can open up worlds of training exercises is the trail ride. Getting out of the arena is an important, and refreshing, change of pace for most competitive riders and horses, but trail riding isn’t just about relaxing. You can make your trail rides work as an important part of your training program, and they should be just as methodical and disciplined as your arena work. Read on to learn some out-of-thearena exercises and strategies that will help your show horse gain trust, confidence, and improve overall fitness, off the beaten path of the rail.

The Experts

Adrienne and Taft Dickerson of Dickerson Quarter Horses operate a full-service training operation specializing in world caliber show horses in events ranging from Western Pleasure and futurity prospects to finished show and all-around horses. Taft is currently a Top 5 money earner with NSBA and Adrienne has been at the top of the cards at the APHA World Show, ApHC World Show, Palomino World Show, and the All-American Quarter Horse Congress. The team at Dickerson Quarter Horses, including Taft’s father, Donnie, has been part of the training of well over 20 Congress Champions, AQHA World Show Top Ten finishers, NSBA and AQHA Futurity Champions, Tom Powers and Little Futurity winners, and numerous Top 10 leaders in Western Pleasure. Their program is known to build solid horses that are prepared for a variety of jobs, from the futurity pen to an all-around career.

Kelly Boles Chapman coaches and trains youth and amateurs for competition in AQHA and APHA all-around events. She’s also a distinguished judge who holds cards with the American Quarter Horse Association, National Snaffle Bit Association, American Paint Horse Association, Palomino Horse Breeders Association, and Appaloosa Horse Club. She uses the hilly terrain of her Bellevue, Michigan farm to augment her training regime.

Click here to read the complete article
98 – July/August, 2017