horse agility ... anyone do it ?

[tazzle]

I have always done the sort of stuff that is involved in the new equine discipline called horse agility. We cant go to the competitions as ot transport but we have been involved in doing local demos.

Its greaaaaat fun and you can do it with any size equine ..... we even have horse and dog agility in the same field

basically its obstacles designed to promote and maintain physical and mental agility / fitness whether or not the equine is aslo ridden / driven ... but can be ideal for horse not fit enough for those actvities. Aslo ideal for humans to get to learn about groundwork and develop bonds / trust.

Thats the explanation

here are a few photos ( myself and friends)

i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/tazzle22/mayagility011.jpg

i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/tazzle22/mayagility060.jpg

i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/tazzle22/Picture118.jpg

i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/tazzle22/mayagility005.jpg

and a short vid to demonstrate that it s an all inclusive sport !

s17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/tazzle22/agility/?action=view&current=mattfirstagility_0001.mp4

and another vid ... the tunnel

s17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/tazzle22/?action=view&current=clipoftunnel.mp4

anyone do anything more "unusual" ?

oops pressed to quick ........ last line should be ... anyone else do other unusual stuff with their horses ..... we do "tricks" as well and use clicker training.

Looks like fun, I reckon my horse would do this because we had a little go at trec last year and he wasn't worried about walking over tarpaulin in a howling gale with the rain lashing down, and he's quite good with bridges and stuff like that. The only thing is, he's an absolute pig to lead and no way would I want todie be trapped inside a big black tenty thing with him! He looks uncannily like the cob in your first pic but not as well behaved unfortunately.
Loved the sound of the boy in the wheelchair laughing with joy. Actually we borrowed a wheelchair for ds during the easter hols as he's outgrown his Major and he loves horses...

I'd love to do it, and I reckon dpony would be good as he works well with no lead rein on (he'll follow me anywhere at any speed tbh) and is pretty unflappable in handy pony stuff

tazzle,are you the lady who enabled the young lad to go to his prom on horseback? If so,I saw the pics on H&H and it made me all weepy.

ah pixel...... maybe he will do it freestyle and using clicker / treats

sounds like he def not needing to be despooked in order to do the obstacles then !

The cob in the first pic is mine and we did have a LOT of work to get to the stage of the that particular tunnel .... would def not advise it unless really know your horse !!!

She will also pull Matt in his chair if we are out for a walk .... he holds one end lead rope and I hold the other. We are fundraising to get an adapted carriage for him and other kids in chairs so they can drive too. M loves riding but it takes four of us to get him on board ...... am thinking of digging a ditch to stand Taz in so we can just shoehorn him on

i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/tazzle22/Website%20media/prommountingblock.jpg

is your ds old enough to do this ... is he in chair all the time ..... one thing though .... pushing that ruddy chair through the grass when it gets long and or rutted is not only kanackering its goann break me or I will send M nose first inot the ground !!!

yes mirage ..... and thanks .... I just put one of the photos in previous post.

well CMOT you will be in the freestyle class, the ultimate aim we tend to do almost all of our personal training off line.... that way know she is doing it cos she wants to. Halter on if others there ....

Ds is 11 and he only uses the buggy/chair as he can't walk well and gets tired easily, plus his autism means he gets overwhelmed in crowded places. He can't mount from the ground but he has no problems using a mounting block.
The ditch sounds like a good idea but it could soon turn into a swimming pool knowing what this country is like. Can't you train Taz to kneel down like a camel instead?

Am now thinking that my sister's 22 yo welshie might be a better bet, he's only 14hh and although he's feisty to ride he has excellent ground manners. How would we find out more about it?

Pixie am teaching her to bow atm which will lead onto a laydown I hope sometime in the future ..... knowing M he will certainly be game to get on that way ..... watch this space

... and yes.. even today yard full of puddles and mud ... usable ditch nt really a realistic option *sigh

vanessa b set up this www.thehorseagilityclub.com/great-britain.html but if you google horse agility there are some really cool scandanavian videos that I was watching before vanessa's club was up and running.

this is her and us at a demo in wales

s17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/tazzle22/videos/?action=view&current=agilityemwdemojune2010.mp4

The 22 year old sounds like a great bet for thes ......... and if she is good on lead rope then ds might have a new hobby.

Several lads with autism visit us and have a great time relaxing with our little herd ....... one lad in particular will spend as long as he can with Taz with no anxiety at all even if other people around.

oh this looks FUN

You know, I was thinking of you with this MightyNice !
Weather horrid here today, so ds and I were playing in the indoor school. So after ds had ridden, we did some trick training with dpony . Amazing what he'll do when you have a pocket of treats

Thanks Tazzle, I'll have to show Sis and see what she thinks. Might be fun for her too as she has only this week started riding again after a year off due to severe back/hip pain and is taking things very slowly.