In this case the handler has opted not to attach to the saddle. Ice and Cindy Long Roading is another skill that the field trial horse must master. Roading is a method to condition a dog. You put a dog in a harness and attach a thirty-foot rope to the harness from the saddle. Some people have purchased a field trial or trooper saddle and did not know what the tab in the back of the saddle was for, that is what the dog is attached to.
Some people attach the rope to the rings in front of the saddle.
The dog is encouraged to lean into the rope and harness and pull hard. The rider and horse follow. Thirty minutes of roading is the equivalent of an hour of free running. The dog usually stays out in front of the horse so the horse must tolerate the rope crossing over his chest as the dog moves from the left to the right. Roading is also used to excite and educate the dogs.