If you have ever had or wanted a horse, you’ll be smitten by this wonderful video of a young girl and her beloved horse Dakota. The video shows Dakota overcoming obstacle after obstacle as she learns to jump higher and higher. It takes a lot of confidence to even get on a horse, so it is no small feat for such a little girl.
But to train one and command one with that same confidence is absolutely stunning. Teaching a horse to jump is a long process. According to Young Rider, it requires five steps of continuous training. First, you have to get a horse used to walking or trotting over a pole for a number of weeks.
Then, the rider must set up a line of five or six poles around five feet apart and get the horse used to trot over that for a period of time. Next, set up a small cross-rail fence, a foot off the ground, near the lineup of poles. Get into jumping position while aiming your horse in the middle of the fence, and the horse will naturally jump over the fence since he’s used to picking up his feet with the poles.
Now the rider must remove the poles (or training wills) and try to jump the fence by itself. Fifth and last, continue the jumping sessions over time, adding more fences. That’s quite a lot of training for a young lady! See how far Dakota and her human have gone in the video below.