|
Everyone wants to see the horse that can do "everything", which is understandable. We all have day jobs, there are bills to pay, people to see, and things to do. When it comes to the horse, wouldn't it be nice to just jump on and go? Well, because of this attitude (and it's a fair one), we oftentimes overlook the horse with limited or no training. We don't have the "eye" to see a diamond in the rough, or we've got too much going on.
The Challenge
On the weekend of August 22nd, the 2009 Trainer's Challenge of the Unwanted Horse will be held at the Louise Leatherdale Center at the University of Minnesota. It is there, before a panel of judges, that these trainers will demonstrate how they've taken a horse that no one wants - a horse that came to them untrained and inexperienced - and with the right amount of time and investment in training, turned it into a horse who is now a willing companion.
While everyone was invited, we wanted to make sure we knew our trainers first. So, we asked them to download this application, print it out, fill out the required information, and send it in. The cost of putting their name in the ring (so to speak) was the price of postage plus a $25 donation to the Rescue. But before they committed to spending some 100 (or so) days training a horse, we ran down the expectations of this Challenge so everyone could start on the same page.
- It is our intention to assign each and every trainer that submits their application by May 1st a horse from a "pool" of horses under the care of the MN Hooved Animal Rescue. However, due to illness, or health of a horse, this assignment is not guaranteed.
- Horses will be assigned to trainers by way of lottery during the middle part of May and it will be up to the trainer to transport their equine student to their training facility.
- The horses will be of different training levels which will be taken into account at the time of judging. It would be sort of a "before and after" evaluation.
- The basic skills a horse should learn include: standing quietly for a farrier and veterinarian, load and unload quietly into a trailer, stand patiently for tack and untacking, and being able to be ridden on the rail and on the trail. Going above and beyond these skills is encouraged, as they would be looked upon favorably by the judges.
- Judges for the Challenge will not have ties to the Rescue, and it is our hope to have no less than three judges in total.
- All horses will be subject to a drug test on the day of the Challenge.
- All horses are still considered to be in the care of the Rescue and will be checked at least once a month by a MHARF representative to ensure the health and safety of the animal.
- Upon completion of the Challenge, any horses not adopted out will be returned to the Rescue, unless other arrangements are made.
So by now, we had the trainers probably wondering "Why should I enter this Challenge? Why should I invest time into a horse that's going back to MHARF at the end of the Challenge? Why give $25 to MHARF?" Those are very good questions; how's this for motivation?
- We're not going to keep this all quiet and everything - oh, no - not by a long shot. We're going to advertise the Challenge and will let the media know what we're up to and we think they'll be interested. But if they're not...
- We're going to be posting progress on this website. We get a little more than 1,400 hits a day and if you would like to keep us appraised of your progress, we'd be more than happy to post it. We can post whatever information you'd like to have posted (within reason), such as your barn name, how to get in touch with you, and so on.
- Last but not least, here's some monetary motivation to consider. We've changed things up a little from last year in that we're offering more awards that carry a monetary prize. For example, we still have a Grand and Reserve Prize - the Grand Prize for the Challenge is a $3,000 purse, with second place taking home a $1,000 purse - but we are now offering five $200 class awards (one $200 prize for each class). And just like last year, bragging rights are certainly part of each award.
By now, we're hoping that you're as excited over this as we are! And if f you're a trainer, be sure to hurry and fill out that application! We're looking forward to hearing from you!
*Please note: The Trainer's Challenge application requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Don't have it installed? Go download it here.
|
