wall which really put the finishing touches to the stadium.
The final touch was WOW. Everyone was tired but excited for the day and what it would bring. My wife Lee and I were so thankful for everyone’s hard work and commitment to make this happen for without them it would only be a dream not a reality. There is always so much hard work behind the scenes which no one sees yet is so critical to the success of any endeavor and IMTCA presenting Mountain Trail to the Congress was no exception.
Saturday arrived, the horses were groomed, warmed up, the arena was groomed, and we were ready to go.
It started out with me speaking about “instinct vs intelligence” and how it relates to training horses. It was a fun filled hour of information and my demonstration horse provided did great. After speaking and the practical demonstration there were many questions and comments. It was well received. I finished just in time to warm up my horse Checkers and turn him over to Dr. Scott Myers. Dr. Scott is a great rider, but he had never ridden a horse without a bridle. Checkers and he hit it off at once and soon he was navigating the obstacles like a pro. He was fun to coach and was even able to pull off a 360 on the swinging bridge. Within no time, he was trotting between obstacles and progressed to a cantaloupe. In Mountain Trail we don’t lope or canter but we Cantaloupe. When all was said and done the crowd loved watching and Dr. Scott had nothing but a smile on his face.
Now it was my time to get on Checkers and demonstrate a pattern like you would see at an IMTCA challenge/show. Checkers was on and did a great job as he flowed through the obstacles showing the horsemanship and transitions which are the foundation of Mountain Trail. When I was done it was time to demonstrate ride one lead one with the pony Macen. Macen and Checkers have always worked well together and have a relationship like big brother little brother. The demo went well and was loved by the crowd.
Now the real fun begun when four others begin to demonstrate in-hand and riding. They spent some time just riding the course and moving through the obstacles and demonstrating their skills to the audience. After demonstrating Mountain Trail skills as a group then it was time for each participant too have the course to themselves and ride or show in-hand a preset pattern as would be required in a real show/challenge. Each participant showed their skills in a manner that showed what the new equine discipline is all about. Great horsemanship, finesse, trust and a partnership while having fun is what this is all about. You can see the whole hour by going to YouTube 20184 Quarter Horse Congress Mountain Trail Demonstration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bh6kKuF3cA)
Happy Trails and Bolender Blessings.
Mark H Bolender
ridden a horse without a bridle. Checkers and he hit it off at once and soon he was navigating the obstacles like a pro. He was fun to coach and was even able to pull off a 360 on the swinging bridge. Within no time, he was trotting between obstacles and progressed to a cantaloupe. In Mountain Trail we don’t lope or canter but we Cantaloupe. When all was said and done the crowd loved watching and Dr. Scott had nothing but a smile on his face.
Now it was my time to get on Checkers and demonstrate a pattern like you would see at an IMTCA challenge/show. Checkers was on and did a great job as he flowed through the obstacles showing the horsemanship and transitions which are the foundation of Mountain Trail. When I was done it was time to demonstrate ride one lead one with the pony Macen. Macen and Checkers have always worked well together and have a relationship like big brother little brother. The demo went well and was loved by the crowd.
Now the real fun begun when four others begin to demonstrate in-hand and riding. They spent some time just riding the course and moving through the obstacles and demonstrating their skills to the audience. After demonstrating Mountain Trail skills as a group then it was time for each participant too have the course to themselves and ride or show in-hand a preset pattern as would be required in a real show/challenge. Each participant showed their skills in a manner that showed what the new equine discipline is all about. Great horsemanship, finesse, trust and a partnership while having fun is what this is all about. You can see the whole hour by going to YouTube 20184 Quarter Horse Congress Mountain Trail Demonstration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bh6kKuF3cA)
Happy Trails and Bolender Blessings.
Mark H Bolender
transitions which are the foundation of Mountain Trail. When I was done it was time to demonstrate ride-one-lead-one with the pony Macen. Macen and Checkers have always worked well together and have a relationship like big brother little brother. The demo went well and was loved by the crowd.
Now the real fun started when four others begin to demonstrate in-hand and riding. They spent some time just riding the course and moving through the obstacles and demonstrating their skills to the audience. After demonstrating Mountain Trail skills as a group then it was time for each participant too have the course to themselves and ride or show in-hand a preset pattern as would be required in a real show/challenge. Each participant showed their skills in a manner that showed what the new equine discipline is all about. Great horsemanship, finesse, trust and a partnership while having fun is what this is all about. You can see the whole hour by going to YouTube 2018 Quarter Horse Congress Mountain Trail Demonstration.
Happy Trails and Bolender Blessings.
Mark H Bolender
Learn more online:
www.imtca.org
Dr. Scott Myer, executive director of the Quarter Horse Congress
Mark Bolender on the course with his horse Checkers