4 Milk Jug Obstacles That Will Embolden Your Equine

Reduce, reuse and recycle your way to a more confident horse.

1. Chug-A-Lug

I do two variations of this obstacle, one where the milk jugs are on a rope and one where they are tied on a crop. The crop I use from the ground, dragging it alongside as well as touching the horse with it so he can get used to the sound. The rope version is more advanced and used exclusively as a mounted drag.

Source: Pinterest via Asema Lisa.

2. Milky Way

Dangly, boppy things become your horse’s friend.

Source: Pinterest via April Enger.

3. Big Dipper

Milk jugs work even better than small plastic bottles for this obstacle, because they have a unique, hollow sound when stepped on or rattled into each other.  For horses over 16 hands, I recommend piling the jugs inside of poles on the ground.  My 16.2-hand dude found the kiddie pool too small to walk through and consequently jumped the whole thing.

Source: Horses For Trail.

4. Spilled Milk

This one is actually pretty interesting because randomly placed milk jugs look eerily like blowing trash bags. When your horse’s hoof “clanks” into one or your dog starts carrying them around you get even more sensory input.

Source: Flick/Gregg Boege/CC.

For more bravery-inspiring exercises, check out Amanda’s post on pool noodle obstacles from earlier this month.

Go Riding!