ountain Trail has moved to southwest Nevada in a big way with the construction of a Mountain Trail course in Pahrump, Nevada
M
Mountain Trail course in Pahrump, Nevada at Happy Hoof Beats Equestrian Center which is on property owned by horse trainer Barbara Callihan.
38 / Sport and Trail Magazine
MOUNTAIN TRAIL
IMTCA Southwest Nevada
By Mark Bolender
This is the latest IMTCA approved course designed and built by Mark Bolender. The course is on a compact site yet it offers everything to all riders from the beginning rider to the most advanced.
It is a rare thing to see water in this part of Nevada yet this course offers a small pond and a squirting water box. Both water obstacles are designed to withstand years of use. Along with the water obstacles the course offers several types of bridges that may be encountered on a real trail ride such as a suspension bridge, rolling bridge and a bridge with side rails, plus it features a ninety-degree turn.
In the Pacific North West where I am from we have a number of bridges in poor repair and it is not uncommon for them to move slightly while navigating them which in turn has led to a number of accidents with injury often sustained by horse or rider. By building a bridge that rolls we can teach the horse to address a moving bridge in a safe manner. The horse’s instinct is to bolt off a bridge that moves which can result in injury to horse and rider so by simulating a bridge that moves in a controlled training session we can build a bold and confident horse that is able to deal with this situation in a safe manner.