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Mark Bolender Mark and I have cherished every moment of growing International Mountain Trail Challenge Association (IMTCA) and witnessing the incredible community it has become. On April 26, 2024, we sold Bolender Horse Park and relocated just a mile down the road. Since then, all our focus has been on building our new home and …
Half a point may not sound like much, but boy can they add up! In Mountain Trail competition, each time your horse nicks a pole it costs you half a point. You lose even more if they try to step around them! Whether poles are short or long, thick or …
Some of the prettiest pictures and coolest maneuvers in mountain trail are done on the swinging bridge. It’s impressive to see a horse do a 360 as it sways or turn and back up the other side. An image of a horse with its head down, eye soft and ears …
The water box is a fun obstacle that’s a crowd-pleaser at competitions. But it can be tricky to train a horse to calmly walk through it—let alone do a 360º turn inside! If we break down these scary parts, it makes it easier for horses to overcome. We start everything …
The teeter-totter is a very popular obstacle at many trail challenges, and it’s one of the more difficult ones. That’s because most people do not teach their horses how to deal with the ground moving under them. Suddenly, we get to a teeter-totter and we expect them to “just do …
Try Mountain Trail By Mark Bolender Summer is upon us and calendars are overloaded! It’s hard to choose which horse events to attend. Deciding where to go and what to do with your time and your spare money can be overwhelming. Do you go to breed shows, open shows, …
Training Takes Hard Work, Not Stuff by Mark Bolender Magic for sale! I have a Mountain Trail video that will make your horse perfect on every obstacle. I’ll sell you this magic bit to give your horse the perfect head set. How about this magic training halter that will …
Reduce Injuries with Skills, Training, and Common Sense by Mark Bolender Mountain Trail has its hazards and there is potential for injury in many areas. We trainers and riders have an obligation to protect our horses to the best of our ability. Over the years I’ve noticed some riders …
An Exercise in Focus by Mark Bolender Trail challenge and mountain trail are based on real situations found riding on the trail. Certain obstacles simulate these working conditions. One important obstacle is the balance beam. It simulates some of the difficult log and bridge crossings required to cross creeks …
Patience and Time Leads to Success by Mark Bolender In any equine discipline, a consistent cadence with forward motion is a desired skill. This skill does not come easily but is worth the work that goes into it. In the discipline of Mountain Trail this is a skill that …
