Coming soon in IMTCA will be the “battle of the breeds”. We see this as fun class for each breed can complete on the same level. When it comes to training for the competitive ring, there’s much more of a difference within a breed than between breeds. It’s all a matter of disposition. The most desirable disposition for a horse to compete in Mountain Trail is boldness and confidence and I find this within each breed. In a well-trained Mountain Trail horse, you can see it working out the obstacles before it on its own. It doesn’t rely on the rider to know where to place a hoof or where to go because it already has thought it through. Its head is down, ears are forward, and it’s clearly thinking and working the problem. The rider is merely somebody who asks the horse to accomplish a task.
Mark and (Juanita) Lee own and operate Bolender Horse Park Inc. in Silver Creek, Washington State, which is widely recognized as one of the finest Mountain Trail and Extreme Trail course in existence, drawing students from around the world. Students of every skill level train side by side with horses of every breed.
And even if you don’t want to compete, training for Mountain Trail is an experience like no other, and anybody can it share with their horse. You develop a relationship far beyond any other bond. As many riders have proclaimed, the experience is “wildly addictive”.
Happy Trails and Bolender Blessings
Mark H Bolender
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We feel that another key to building this discipline is for new Mountain Trail Courses to be constructed across the globe. We realize that some Mountain Trail Courses have been very expensive to build but depending on the use they can be a great revenue generating investment. The last Mountain Trail Couse built in Germany had 1,000 spectators show up to watch a challenge. Since this course has been built it has been in non-stop use for training, challenges and clinics.