Uncategorized 

5 Trail Tips from the MOT – Tim Kimura

robynd

Courtesy of Silver Dollar Circuit – Daily Stride

By: Lindsay Perraton6C6A1173_wm small

B.T. is what they called the Trail era “Before Tim” Kimura, when Trail was the disjointed, black sheep of the horse show world. “It was always the last class of the day, there were barely any entries, and nobody wanted to drag the poles around at the end of the show,” recalls Tim. Now, revolutionized and rejuvenated over the last 22 years that Tim has worked with AQHA, the event has people frothing for the challenge to take on another course.

Yesterday alone, our Trail pen saw almost 250 exhibitors at the Silver Dollar Circuit, a course that Tim claims is “a fast course.”

When you’re building something for a show this size, you have to take into consideration many factors. What’s the level of the exhibitors? What equipment do you have to work with? What’s the size of the arena? How many runs do you need to fit into a day?” Once he has those pieces, he begins to build the puzzle.

To exhibitors, the “Trail King” creates art. To Tim, “It’s a bunch of chopsticks that I put into place.” He by no means devalues his craft, but he does mention that “the only force driving me, is myself. I don’t have someone to push me.” I would say that seems to be motivation enough as the courses Tim builds continue to wow exhibitors and now even spectators. I prodded Tim for some advice on how to tackle the sport he has elevated, and he gave me five tips:

6C6A1985_wm small#5- Don’t scope too far ahead… Where you look is where you land…

#4- Trail is all about one obstacle at a time, one pole, and one gap at a time.

#3- Little things done well make all the different between success and failure. 

#2- Chase perfection and try to catch excellence along the way. 

#1- Focus on the process, not the result.

The man they call the “Trail King” has earned his title by single handedly revolutionizing a class, an industry, and now a way of thinking. He doesn’t know what the future will bring, but what has already occurred in the Trail pen is the creation of a lasting legacy.