Competitive Trail Challenge
Held each year at the very gracious and beautiful Linn Canyon Ranch, Victor Idaho.
If you love riding mountain trails and testing your horseback skills, this event is for you!
This is our largest fundraising effort each year. Please join us for a day of riding, food & fun!
September 22, 2012 – 3rd Annual
ALL proceed benefit our horse rescue – we currently have 10 horses available for adoption, with others on the waiting list!
Help us give hope for the horses.
The CTC consist of 6 miles of trail with 6 judged obstacle stations with open, pleasure, and youth divisions.
The riding competition is not a race, or a timed event. It’s a ride. However, each one of the 6 obstacle stations is timed, and expected to be completed within a certain time. These rides are set up to be fun and enjoyable with bits of challenge mixed in.
There will be 6 obstacle stations, placed an average of one mile apart (each with a Judge & Assistant). The obstacles can range anywhere from opening and closing a gate, then trotting over a series of poles ending with a 360° turn on the haunches to crossing water (no swimming required) and going up and back down a steep embankment. All of the obstacles are considered “natural” to a trail horse – meaning an obstacle will not be created that you and your horse would not normally encounter while out on a trail ride or around your home, but they will be challenging. The course has yet to be established, but as soon as it has been developed, it will be posted on the website. On the day of the ride, competitors will receive a Competitors Packet, along with the list of obstacles.
The judges will be looking for things such as: communication between horse and rider, smoothness/collectiveness, completion of obstacles within the time allotted, and various other skills based on the specific obstacle to be announced.
You will start the course with several others (group starts), depending on how many are competing, but you can move at your own pace and with your friends. You don’t want to push your horse too much and come up lame at the end of the competition – that could result in a disqualification. There will be a vet on call (Dr. Summer Winger), as well as 3 ‘Safety Riders’.
The Competitive Trail Challenge fees are as follows:
Divisions:
- Open: $50 (After competing several times, your points will move you into the Open Division)
- Pleasure: $50
- Junior: $40
- Adult buddy: $20
- Junior buddy: $20
The ride is expected to take 2 to 3 hours per rider.
Each year we do something a little different, from Artist Booths and great food to horse training demos and horse health specialist, pie raffles & silent auctions. It’s a day filled with friends, food & fun!
