“Crossing bridges, closing gates, walking past shower towels hanging between trees and trunks lying on the road. It is not a simple gymkana nor an original walk in the woods: it is the Mountain Trail Horse, a discipline created in America by the rider Mark Bolender and increasingly popular also in Italy, where, since 2015 , it has had a particular spread. The philosophy of the Mountain Trail is to show a total teamwork with your horse, managing to juggle paths formed by narrow passages, Tibetan bridges, walkways over the water and some tests of control and skill, such as bringing your own horse at a table while eating and drinking Discover now all our travels, tours, holidays and horse trekking in the USA. Mainly outdoor, with at least six natural and artificial obstacles , lately the Mountain Trail has started to be set up also indoors to be more usable. The MT is a huge game of trust and collaboration between horse and rider, and the reason that makes it so trendy is that it is really within everyone’s reach , even for those who do not ride assiduously. For beginners, for example, the path can be of great use even just by walking with the horse by hand.
Being within everyone’s reach is not just about riders, but horses too. The Mountain Trai discipline, in fact, is open to any breed and all forms of riding because, not being focused on aggressive performance, it is based solely on the relationship of trust between the pair. During MT competitions, the evaluation of the work done is judged taking into account the technique with which obstacles are overcome, precision and any penalties can be assigned if you fail to complete the exercise on horseback or after more than three refusals. The purpose and importance of this discipline is that everything is done calmly and naturally : the horse must calmly juggle the various obstacles, not be afraid of them and, above all, trust their rider. The victory of the second over the first must always be mental, never physical. In Italy, as we have said, the Mountain Trail discipline began to spread considerably in 2015, but in reality it has been there since 2000. Useful for any rider and any discipline he practices, the MT routes can be found quite easily to try a different and very educational experience with your horse.
The Selle Museum In the province of Florence, and more precisely in the locality of Marradi, the idea of a “saddle museum” was born. The author of this beautiful initiative is Vincenzo Moffa who in the course of his life has expertly preserved any object related to the world of the horse, creating a curious […]
In Rancate, near Mendrisio, in the Canton of Ticino, the Züst Art Gallery houses the rich Giannelli collection : one of the richest collections about the horse in the world. Through a series of bits, spurs, stirrups and harnesses, a journey takes place that traces 4,000 years of history , during which the horse has […]