The DS Club is holding a summer series of TREC events for the 2023 season on the first Sunday of each month. The next two dates are July 2nd (Prizelist, Entry) and August 6th (Prizelist, Entry).
TREC (video)is a 3 phase ridden or driven sport that is all about building a solid relationship with your horse. It welcomes all types of equines – from drafts to ponies to mules – and all styles of riding. The three phases are mounted orienteering (video), obstacles (video), and control of paces (video). The guidelines can be found here.
Orienteering is the cornerstone phase. It gets you outside navigating with a topographic map, a compass, and a watch. It can be done competitively on your own, casually with a friend, or as a family activity.
The obstacle course is based on all sorts of things you might encounter while orienteering. Obstacles include footbridges, ditches, banks, logs, deepwater crossings, and inclines. There are also obstacles that you might have to negotiate in-hand like immobility, mounting, steps up and down, rein-back, and more. The specifics for each obstacle can be downloaded from the USNETO website under the heading TREC, Ridden Obstacles, Description and Scoresheets.
The obstacle course is similar in some ways to a cross-country course in eventing. There are start and finish lines, a time limit, and the obstacles are flagged. The really big difference is in this sport you can ask to go around an obstacle without being disqualified and it’s not all about jumping. It’s a huge plus for developing trust with your horse.
The control of paces phase develops the subtle communication needed to adjust and maintain a mutual agreed upon pace.
Between these three phases, you have a complete cross training program that can stand on its own or complement any other discipline while letting you do what we all enjoy most – partnering with our horse, or donkey, or mini!
Stay connected by following our DS TREC Club FB page!