My journey with horse agility started in 2022 when a clinic was arranged at the livery yard I had my two horses in. It was a chilly but bright March day and I took my young quarter horse in for the education. After the successful clinic two of the yard ladies started to do their own agility stuff with their mares. I decided to join in as it seemed like a fun way to get to know your horse better from the ground. We all started collecting items we could utilise – cones, tarpaulins, flags, half round poles, barriers, hoops, the odd road sign! A rope halter and a nice long line is all the equipment needed for you and the horse on the ground. And we joined the International Horse Agility Club.
Each month throughout the year the Club post ‘online’ courses. You and your horse practice, get someone to video you, when you have achieved your desired entry you upload to YouTube and enter. No need to load up the trailer or indeed leave home! Then you eagerly await the results to come out (usually 3-4th of the month). Some of us get so keen we crash the website because we keep refreshing the page! I was pleased to start doing their groundwork agility with my Appaloosa Buckie as well as my quarter horse Chispa. Buckie took to it so well, although he thought he was too clever for some of the tasks, in typical Appaloosa fashion.
The online classes can be done with a halter and rope or even at liberty. And if you prefer to ride there is equagility: you walk the course first then get on and ride the same course, continuously filmed. I particularly enjoy doing equagility and Buckie took to that too. I was so chuffed as I had not ridden him for a few months due to circumstances at the time. We had one lovely summer with both my boys learning about manoeuvres over obstacles with a ‘smile’ in the rope in my hand, and achieved a stack of pretty rosettes as we progressed. Alas I lost Buckie that winter and my Appaloosa agility days were done but I picked up with Chispa come the new year and continued his education, rising up the ranks in online horse agility from Starter to Advanced!
We have tried liberty a couple of times but mainly I enjoy equagility with him. As we progress we score life points and there is a league each year in each of the categories. There truly is something for everyone to have a go at, particularly good for young horse’s education or even older horses that may no longer get ridden. For humans like me, who may struggle with running around with your horse, there are Walk Only classes with a league of its own. And each summer there is the Summer of Sport to look forward to.
Extra courses to enjoy. I love the ‘Wild Agility’ class using natural obstacles like trees and logs on the ground and rivers/streams or even a pond. There are other events such as ‘Act your shoe size not your age’ where you have FUN with obstacles like eating a cake without your horse joining in and skipping or hopping or even star jumps or kicking a ball in a circle maintaining a slack rope at all times! For the last two years we have achieved a special award for competing every month throughout the year, two years in a row, no mean feat! And it’s a three out of three so far this year. I forgot to mention that the competitions truly are International. We compete with others all over the world. Of course it’s always good to see the Union Jack at the start of the line at the top of the results! More info on: www.theinternationalhorseagilityclub.com
By Sue Feast
