Bolender's Guide to Mastering Mountain and Extreme Trail Riding

.Author: Mark Bolender

 Good horsemanship is not about domination, but leadership and having the horse volunteer for a partnership with the handler. That summarizes the focus of trainer and author Mark Bolender. In this guide he spells out his philosophy and training regimen that works to build mutual trust between a horse and rider. Bolender's training method, developed to incorporate the horse's natural instincts, is appropriate for riders of any skill level, from those who want to ride for pleasure to those who seek more advanced techniques for mountain and extreme trail competition. In this guide, he provides an array of information: selecting an ideal trail horse, acquiring the proper equipment, earning and building trust, and handling obstacles such as poles and logs, rocks, trenches, water, gates, bridges, campsites, other animals, and people. The guide breaks provides a fascinating journey into the horse's mind and how its instincts can be used to develop good horsemanship.

Mark Bolender is an expert in extreme trail, mountain trail, and competitive trail riding and has won three National Grand Championships. He has designed mountain trail and extreme trail courses across the United States, Canada, and Europe. He lives in Washington State where he owns and operates Bolender Horse Park.

 
Binding: Paperback

Table of Contents:
 Foreword -- Preface -- Warning -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The Ideal Trail Horse -- Chapter 2. The Proper Equipment -- Chapter 3. Into the Horse's Mind -- Chapter 4. Earning and Building Trust -- Chapter 5. Basic Trail Riding Skills -- Chapter 6. Training for the Trail -- Chapter 7. General Approach to Trail Obstacles -- Chapter 8. Trail Obstacles: Poles and Logs -- Chapter 9. Trail Obstacles: Rocks -- Chapter 10. Trail Obstacles: Step-ups, Step-downs, and Washouts -- Chapter 11. Trail Obstacles: Trenches -- Chapter 12. Trail Obstacles: Water -- Chapter 13. Trail Obstacles: Gates -- Chapter 14. Trail Obstacles: Bridges and Teeter-Totter -- Chapter 15. Trail Obstacles: Brush -- Chapter 16. Trail Obstacles: Campsites, Fires, and Fog -- Chapter 17. Trail Obstacles: Animals, People, and Machinery -- Chapter 18. Judging Mountain Trail and Extreme Trail -- Conclusion -- About the Author