Friday Horses - Laurie's Obstacle Course - Conclusion - The High Bridge & 'Round The Farm

[George McGovern]

Last edited Fri Mar 13, 2026, 02:19 AM - Edit history (1)

At competition venues, Laurie and her mare Maddie had ridden across high bridges.
She decided to make her own, which would be the final obstacle on the trail course.
It took nearly two years to build.
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The plan.
She dug the main trench, superimposed a future bridge, posted the image
on Facebook and asked friends what they thought.

Response was overwhelmingly positive. Build it!
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Overview of the undertaking.
Laurie used her New Holland's bucket loader to dig and move dirt.

Poles and posts were attached to the bucket with a chain, to move and set in place.

She moved more dirt to fill in hillsides held in place by three Jersey Barriers.

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The process.
Trenches dug out.

Neighbors and friends donated truckloads of fill dirt.

Old telephone poles were set on tires filled with cement
to build the foundation.


Access paths were built up at each end of the structure.


Jersey Barriers held dirt and rocks in place.

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The High Bridge Finished.

Maddie and builder tested it out.



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The bridge was a success. As word spread, more riders made
appointments to ride the trail course and check out the latest obstacle.
One day two good friends rode on the bridge, during a personal
riding lesson with JoLinn Hoover. She's waving at the camera.

One rode across the bridge and the other under.

Then they crossed together. JoLinn gave another great lesson.

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A good many riders challenged their horses on the bridge.
Sometimes they walked the bridge first.

Others led their horses across before mounting up.


Riders found the high bridge to be just right for a horse and rider.



And safe — above and below.




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The Bridge was to be named after Laurie's late mare Kate.


Now the Bridge was complete.


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We operated the obstacle/trail for about ten years all told.
Riders at all skill levels learned, practiced and above all had fun.
About a year and a half ago we moved to our new farm.
Very good memories remain.
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Around The Farm ~ A long Overdue Look At Pete and Maddie.
A few days ago they were feeling rowdy.

Another day was rainy. Horsies stood inside their still-temporary "barn".
(Soon Laurie will have made provisions for them to move.)

It sometimes seems they get on each other's nerves.


But it never lasts.



Sometimes they stand together.

At times apart.

At one point in time Maddie yawned . . .

And yawned . . .

And . . .

After awhile Pete turned left to leave the shed.

Maddie followed.

Time to see if there was any hay left in the bin.

Today was dry. Windy. The kids moved around their corral.

They stood together.

Moved apart.

And came back together again. Best buds for life.

Thanks for stopping by! We'll see you next week.

[SheltieLover]

1. Very impressive!

Kudos to Laurie! 💪

And dedicated to Kate. ❤️

Ty for sharing!

[George McGovern]

2. Yw SheltieLover! Ty! Love your emoticons!

[BarbD]

3. Very impressive and what fun!

Please explain about trail competition. I've competed with my dogs in agility, but am ignorant about this type of competition for horses. What a wonderful opportunity to bond with a special animal.

[George McGovern]

5. Thank You BarbD! One type of horseback riding is to go on a trail ride.

Trail rides can encompass riding on level ground, through woodlands, in the mountains. My wife learned about "obstacle courses" online. She travelled to a few and found them a good means of teaching horses and riders to prepare for "real-time" trail rides. And to make into a competition sometimes.

In an obstacle/trail course various obstacles are placed throughout a loosely-laid out circuit. Walking through the course-way riders and horses face challenges at each obstacle. They can choose to get through the "road block" or go on to the next. Often riders lead horses over the grounds to introduce them to obstructions, then came back through a-horseback, usually to success.

Laurie set up her trail course in a 2 1/2 acre pasture. Riders made appointments to ride. Horsemanship clinics were conducted in her arena
and moved onto the course. We managed the operation for ten years.

In this forum, each Friday we put up a posting called "Horses and Around The Farm". Today's posting is the third of a series about the obstacle course. If you'd like to see more about it, please click on these two links, which will take you to the first two posts.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1036159040
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1036159380

Thanks so much for your kind comments and interest Barb!

[George McGovern]

7. Competition

Hello, BarbD, Laurie here. Trail competitions do run in a similar way to agility, in that there is a prescribed course of obstacles. Some are timed, but the ones I preferred, often called “mountain trail,” were judged on the horse and rider’s performance through each obstacle: calmness, accuracy, communication between the partners. There has never been a national organization that defined the sport, so there are lots of variations. One of the most famous competitions is at the Oregon Horse Center in Eugene, Oregon. Lots of YouTube videos of "OHC National Mountain Trail Championships" if you want to look.

[LoisB]

4. These stories are so interesting. Laurie is a certified genius and you take the best

photographs. What a pair!

[George McGovern]

6. Awww Thanks Lois. We aim to please.