As a self employed writer, Hunter/ Jumper horse show judge and steward, and a teacher of a few riding lessons. When the opportunity arose to become an International Mountain Trail Challenge Assoc. (IMTCA.org) judge, I gladly accepted.
Our coach was the founder of IMTCA, Mark Bolender. http://bolenderhhorsepark.com
The goal of the competition is to “navigate the obstacles with boldness and confidence in partnership with your horse”.(MB) Judging is done on a point system. Entry, 2 points, Navigating the obstacle, 5 points, Exit, 2 points. Wow! factor; add another point. Mess up, you get deductions.
The regulation course was designed with guidance from Mark and built by the amazing Howie White, with assistance from his son and father-in-law.
Behold the mighty course.
For more information: Contact Howie and his crew at Mountain Lane Farm.
The first step in each clinic began with ground work , in the ring and on the course. Mark believes in a meeting of minds, not dominance. The goal of the human is to be the Alpha mare. To win your horses respect.
There was a lot of sniffing going on.
And a fair amount of “you want me to do what?”
The second half of each day was mounted. First in the ring. Cones for focus. Ground poles for foot placement. Then on to the course
Riders and horses were reintroduced to the obstacles mounted.
While the course seemed daunting to some, at the end of each day everyone was navigating the obstacles. No matter what the skill level of the horse or rider, all had a great time.
Mountain Trail is great for any horse from any discipine.
There were:
Dressage horses.
Show horses.
Walking horses.
New horses.
Old horses.
Rescued horses.
Even a Civil War re-enactor.
And an Alpha mare.
It wasn’t always smooth and easy.
It was fun even for the kids, they were coached by Heather White.
Mark put his stamp of approval for a regulation course.
Congratulations to Heather and Howie White and the marvelous twins, Kristie and Hannah Pratt for bringing Mountain Trail to our area.
Thanks to them, I now have an IMTCA judge’s license. And, thanks to being vaccinated, I will be judging this summer!
Come check out the course. Check out Mountain Lane’s schedule on Facebook.
They will be glad to give you a tour. Lessons are available. Contact them on Facebook or through their website. And, be sure and check out Mark Bolender and IMTCA. And, of course, Mikispicks, mikicc.org
We had a lot of auditors taking photos. It would be great if you added them here.
Self Employed Again 
Wicked impressive
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