5 Days in the Boots of a Horse Trainer

Six of our most advanced riders participated in a clinic from July 19-23 involving many aspects of horse training and care. Participants were assigned two training horses for the week that they were responsible for riding or working with each day. Participants were also expected to manage routine barn care including: feeding, turning out, mucking stalls, watering and sweeping. The ladies also helped out with unloading the hay wagon and dragging the arena with the harrows on the ATV. Activities varied from sidepasses and softening while mounted to ground driving, lungeing, leading, sacking out, saddling and mounting work for the horses with less or no previous mounted training. The horses ranged in ages from 1 yr to 20yrs and included paints, appaloosas, quarter horses, a shetland pony and two halflingers. The girls practiced their trailer loading skills and were witnesses/assitants to the vet while she gelded the yearling colt.
Below are some of the pictures taken throughout the week, as well as the practice "sale pictures" with a few of the horses who participated in the clinic.