By: Matthew M. Brendal
Trail - Richard Shrake VHS ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨
This video has some age and is dated. I believe that this video was made in 1985. Richard Shrake is the original granddaddy of horse showing videos. He approaches the subject of horses with enthusiasm to excel. He always dissects the fundamentals and break the tasks down to the simplest form which is why he is such a good coach and teacher. This video was made for arena trail competition. Richard demonstrates many fundamental techniques that will help you and horse develop trail skills. Richard focuses on the what a good performance looks like. The obstacles and demands were not difficult for the horses and riders he used because they were trained at a high level. There are very few DVD’s or video available that are designed to help riders compete. The viewer should listen closely to Richard and they will learn some great points to increase chances of winning in the show ring. I give this video 4 out of 5 diamonds because I am big fan of Mr. Shrake. I take off one diamond because I would like a little more of his wisdom and I would like to the rider perform more advanced and complex skills. But again this was cutting edge when filmed many years ago. However good fundamentals of horsemanship haven’t changed in hundreds of years. In that sense this tape is timeless.
