Patrouillenritt Season ... or the Patrol Ride 29 Sep 2007

A patrol ride is an activity, a little like a gymkhana which is directed to all types or riders, horses and ponies. The final rankings are generally a minor issue, the main point being the team spirit and participation.

A patrol consists of two riders, with a prescribed route and regular stations, or stops with activities at each. Each station has a task to carry out; in pairs, alone, from the horse or from the ground. Riders depart the starting gate in their patrol pair at fixed intervals (every 5-15minutes) and work though the stations along the marked route.
Here are Tamara and Franziska looking on while they wait to do their next task. This was a memory card game, so while the horses relaxed their riders exercised their powers of recall ...



The spectrum of tasks is very wide: from tricky questions on the topic of horses, all the way to sophisticated skill tasks such as crossing a rocking bridge/ramp on horseback or hanging laundry without the horse moving: only the organisers imagination is the limit.

The recipe for success is based not only the will of the horse, their trust in the rider, and their partnership overall. The horses appreciate the game, often unwilling or nervous horses turn out to be eager participants once they have a problem to solve, and riders are continually challenged to be flexible and adjust to new situations.

Here is an example of blowing up balloons, and pinning thim to a line while remaining on your horse ...





Patrol rides run throughout the year and are very popular. Non-riders are always welcome, either as spectators or as helpers at stations, at the canteen or with the organisation.

The likely audience for Patrol rides are all riders, horses and ponies, who enjoy challenging their skills and teamwork.

I have done three so far, and they are lots of fun. I still think that Reiterverein Dornckerberg organised the best. It had a good balance of tasks, challenging but not too hard. I felt like I was able to contribute (which is difficult given my limited German skills) and the tasks were well thought out and set up. The organisation was perfect, and the canteen was spectacular (more kudos to Waltraud and Riccardo, Roman and Rocky). An endless supply of food from the grill, beautiful cakes and drinks flowed all day. Inevitably one learns things, as well as joining in and having fun!

More photos from Reiterverein Dorneckberg are available at their gallery.