Agility on Lead
Read More
A young handler introduces Dartmoor Pony Shadow to agility poles
This photo shows several key elements of Horse Agility. The lead is loose. The handler is allowing Shadow to put his head down and check out the pole. She is modeling “pick your legs up”, and her clear body language has invited Shadow to walk in step with her. Horse Agility competition courses consist of 10 obstacles, worth 10 points each. Five points are based on the horse doing the obstacle correctly; the other 5 are based on the handler cueing the horse correctly. For example, in the first course we did, Brandy earned a perfect score while I lost points for letting her lead get tight! Levels in Horse Agility competition are: Starter, First, Medium, Advanced, Advanced One Star, Advanced Two Star. Here are examples of Brandy’s courses at a few different levels.
Starter Level Brandy is working with a young handler. No points were deducted for the “poo” break because horses are allowed to stop and relieve themselves. Play Video
Medium Level Horses are always allowed to stop and investigate an object. It is not unusual for them to play with things since agility encourages investigation. Play Video
Advanced Level May 2016 The first obstacle is to open the gate, pass through, and close it. Obstacle 2 is side pass on pole. Since Brandy had struggled with that, I carried a treat pack to reward her immediately for a good effort. Treats are allowed in Horse Agility as long as they do not interrupt the flow and are not used to as a lure. I normally do not give treats until the course is complete. Play Video
Advanced One Star Level March 2017 This course has only 5 obstacles instead of the usual 10. We negotiate each obstacle twice, but do something different each time. This shows that the horse is watching handler’s cues, not just memorizing a pattern. Play Video
Comments / Questions