KBR Horse Training Information

Exercising Body AND Mind

Obstacle Courses Made Easy
Part Two
by Sharon Beck

The Squeeze Box

The squeeze box is another version of Game #7 the squeeze game. Instead of having the horse move between you and a wall, the horse moves between two walls, that move on their own with the wind. This obstacle was the hardest for my horse. What made it hard for him was that the walls, which are plastic tarp move and make noise when he passes through, he was convince it was going to collapse on him. I had to use treats to bribe him into the chute, but once in it he would race out the other end. It took a long time to get him to walk through quietly or to stand quiet in the center of it. I ended up putting grain on the ground in several places in the chute and leaving him loose in the round pen. He learned if he wanted the grain, he would have to learn to deal with his fear of the moving walls while he eat. It worked he learned to overcome his fear and I can now ride him through the walls, stop and backup etc.

Learning Skills:

    Learning to walk through narrow spaces
    Walking past moving objects

I plan on adding a top to the squeeze box, making it into a tunnel obstacle in the future.

The Snake Pit

The purpose of this obstacle is to get the horse use to having his feet get caught up in something, and staying calm. I placed several sprinkler hoses, the ones with all the little holes in them, they are flatter then a regular hose and if a hole gets ripped in one, it doesn't matter, its just one more hole. They are placed all tangled up together on the ground. When a horse walks through them they bounce up and hit his leg, there are loops that he can get his hoof stuck in, which means he could drag some hose along for a while. When he does get stuck, he needs to learn to stop and stand till I remove the hose from around his leg. The hoses are thick enough so they should not cause any harm if the horse does panic. I never let a horse rush through this, he must learn to take one step at a time, stop, take a step etc. When he is calm with going forward you can start backing him through it.

Learning Skills:

    Staying calm when his feet are trapped
    Learning to take a step at a time.
    Learning to wait till you tell him its OK to move

Another plus with doing obstacle work is your horse starts to build trust in you, so when you do need him to walk through something new and scary looking, he will. With PVC you can make a obstacle, use it for a while, then tear it down and make a different obstacle with it easily.

Well, I hope this motivates you to plan your own courses.

Sharon Beck

Thanks, Sharon, for a really cool presentation!

You can email Sharon at beckshar@yahoo.com.

Continue to:
Bomproofing Your Horse
"Boot Camp" Obstacles
Building a Confidence Course

Return to PVC Obstacles, Part One

Return to Building Yourself a Horse Course


Note: When working around any obstacles, you need to pay careful attention to your situation, your horse, any distractions and what others nearby are doing (what impact they may have on you and what impact you may have on them). Some horses may react unpredictably and you need to be prepared to guide them through any situation... or get competent assistance if you are not sure how to do so!


(More obstacle examples are being prepared.)
Also, if you have any obstacle ideas you'd like to share or see,
email us!


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KBR Horse Training Information, © 1997 Lamm's Kickin' Back Ranch and Willis & Sharon Lamm. All rights reserved. Duplication of any of this material for commercial use is prohibited without express written permission. This prohibition is not intended to extend to personal non-commercial use, including sharing with others for safety and learning purposes, provided this copyright notice is attached.
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