Submitted by: Bolender Horse Park
World-renowned horse trainer Mark Bolender, known for his Bolender Method™ and for developing the International Mountain Trail Challenge Association (IMTCA) with his wife Lee Bolender will be at the Midwest Horse Expo on April 23-24, 2022 and with Checkers, now a Breyer Model Horse, at Monty Roberts’s The Movement June 17-19, 2022.
The Midwest Horse Expo is the largest three-day horse fair in America. Held annually in Madison, Wisconsin, top professionals in the equestrian industry gather for three days of learning, demos and fun.
Mark Bolender will be presenting his “Mastering Obstacles.” Ever wondered what your horse is thinking or why he spooks at something silly on the trail? Maybe he just refuses to go through water. Mark’s method involves learning how your horse thinks and uses their instinct, and then using that knowledge to create a working relationship. This creates a horse that is bold and confident on obstacles and one that trusts their human partner.
“If you struggle with a horse that doesn’t want to do things on the trail or rushes and leaps, creating unsafe situations, you need to come to my demonstration,” says Bolender. “I am going to show you how to create a confident trail horse that will be willing to go over or through anything you point them at in a safe, calm manner.”
Catch his “Master Obstacles” demonstration on Friday at 11 a.m. in the Hutchison Arena and 6 p.m. in the Nutrena Arena; Saturday at 8 a.m. in the Nutrena Arena and 4 p.m. in the Hutchison Arena; and Sunday at 8 a.m. in the Blain’s Farm & Fleet Coliseum and 1:30 p.m. in the HW Brand Arena.
Stop by his booth, number 1010, to pick up a signed Checkers Breyer Model Horse, meet Mark and Lee and learn more about the Bolender Method and IMTCA!
Monty Roberts’s “The Movement”
Mark Bolender and Checkers will also be demonstrating the Bolender Method at Monty Roberts’s annual “The Movement” at his farm in Santa Ynez Valley, California, June 17-19, 2022. Each year Roberts and other leading experts in the equine industry gather to demonstrate their techniques while raising money for Monty Roberts Mustang and Transition Horse Program, which works with wild/feral horses to make them more adoptable and keep from being returned to a rescue organization.
“We are honored to be asked to participate at such an auspicious event and cannot wait to share our knowledge with attendees,” says Mark Bolender.
Watch Roberts’s inspiring Join-Up method along with a range of other topics including massage, nutrition and more. Bolender and Checkers will navigate the first IMTCA mountain trail course in California, built at Roberts’s Flag Is Up Farm. Bolender will explain how to create a confident and willing trail partner through understanding how your horse thinks and reacts.
On June 19, Bolender is offering individual sessions to attendees of The Movement, to learn from the master himself. Bring your own horse, or use a horse from the Transition program.
Signed Checker’s Breyer Models will be auctioned off in support of the Monty Roberts Mustang and Transition Horse Program.
Don’t miss these opportunities to meet the knowledgeable Mark Bolender and the famous Checkers, who is known for his cheeky personality. “Checkers has a sense of humor, and he definitely doesn’t mind taking advantage of a newbie,” Mark laughs. “He will walk right by a balance beam like he has never seen one before with a brand-new intern. I get on, and he goes right onto it. He teaches them to be better riders.” He also adds that Checkers has no problem giving a new horse a nip on the flank if hesitates at an obstacle. “He’s a great babysitter.”
