07/27/2026
I want to talk about having a horse go over obstacles.
Challenging obstacles.
Many people think it's about exposing your horse to every obstacle known to mankind, and there's nothing wrong with that line of thinking, there's room in this world for differing opinions.
But for me, I think the most important thing is to have your horses trust in you, and trust in your decision making. Dr Steve Peters recently said
“The quality of our horsemanship is revealed not when the horse understands, but in how we respond when the horse does not.”
I feel this statement is a huge part of not only horsemanship, but in getting a horse to go over obstacles. You have to be empathetic to what they are telling you, not only around obstacles, but in all of your interactions, and that trust will take the two of you a long way.
In this video I show some challenging obstacles my wife Robyn and her horse Oscar encountered recently at the California Mid State Fair, and discuss how Oscar was really good, without really having much obstacle experience.
