Along every riding trail you are guaranteed to encounter a variety of obstacles, from streams that must be crossed and downed logs that must be stepped over to the sometimes ominous and always-closed gate.
The ability to work gates is a skill all good trail horses should possess. For starters, it’s hugely inconvenient to get on and off your horse to open a gate. And what if the gate is surrounded by mud and water? Who wants to dismount, slop through ankle-deep mud to open the gate and then stick muddy shoes into the stirrups?
Teaching your horse to work gates is easy. And if your horse’s primary job is as a recreational trail horse, then consider it a skill he must master. It makes him more useful, more valuable and more of a pleasure to ride.
**For the full article, pick up the October 2007 issue of HORSE ILLUSTRATED.**
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