Along every riding trail you are guaranteed to encounter a variety of obstacles, from streams that must be crossed and downed logs that must be stepped over to the sometimes ominous and always-closed gate.
The ability to work gates is a skill all good trail horses should possess. For starters, it’s hugely inconvenient to get on and off your horse to open a gate. And what if the gate is surrounded by mud and water? Who wants to dismount, slop through ankle-deep mud to open the gate and then stick muddy shoes into the stirrups?
Teaching your horse to work gates is easy. And if your horse’s primary job is as a recreational trail horse, then consider it a skill he must master. It makes him more useful, more valuable and more of a pleasure to ride.
**For the full article, pick up the October 2007 issue of HORSE ILLUSTRATED.**
Do you like this excerpt? Subscribe Now to read more like it.
There’s only one place in North America where you can experience top international horse show…
Lexington, Ky. — Current U.S. Eventing Technical Advisor and Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello has made…
Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week,…
Welcome to Barn Banter, the official podcast of Horse Illustrated. In Barn Banter episode 25,…
The Akhal-Teke horse—pronounced like “apple” with a K instead of the P’s, and “techie”—is one of the rarest horse breeds…
Welcome to Barn Banter, the official podcast of Horse Illustrated. In Barn Banter episode 25, hosts Susan Friedland and Horse Illustrated…
Making difficult care decisions for a horse that has been closer to us than many family members can be traumatizing…
There’s only one place in North America where you can experience top international horse show competition combined with all the…
On July 4, 2016, law student Leah McKeever went to the barn for a special project. She and her mom,…
Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…