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Question:
What type of
skills or training should my horse have before we go out on the
trail?
Answer:
This is a good
question and I have answered it in many ways over the years. I
believe a good trail horse should be a horse that works well in the
arena. A horse that is worked in the arena should also be a good
trail horse. A horse that goes out on the trail should be one of the
most well-trained horses because the horse is out in the open. Deer
may pop up, even small animals scurrying through the brush may be
disconcerting. Then you have bicyclists who may appear quickly and
may or may not be courteous fellow travelers.
A good deal of
preparation is needed before a horse should be taken out on the
trail. Remembering that I have worked with many novice riders and
problem horses for close to 25 years now, I have to say that many
problems on the trail are caused because the horses are not mentally
or emotionally ready to go out on the trail. A horse must be
emotionally sound to be safe on a trail. That is the first
consideration. A horse that is concerned about leaving a buddy in
the pasture or barn will call, carry on and be difficult to handle.
This is a buddy-sour horse and he will not be attentive or
responsive to his rider. The horse may rear or buck because he is
not emotionally ready to leave his comfort zone. That type of
behavior must be dealt with before taking that horse out onto the
trail. Take the horse out a short distance and bring him back.
Increase the distance as his comfort level increases.
Another issue
is barn sourness. When a horse is most often ridden around the barn
or in the arena, he may be uncomfortable leaving the immediate area.
The further you try to get him away from the barn, the more
concerned he becomes and the harder he is to handle. The other
aspect of this is that once out on the trail, when you start home,
the horse will want to trot or even run home. He will pull on the
bit and fight any effort to slow him down. When we pull on the reins
to slow the horse, he shortens his steps. We call this jigging on
the trail. It is uncomfortable and unsafe for the rider. That type
of behavior must be dealt with before you go on a long ride. Horses
like this may react at 500 feet away from the barn as well as five
miles. It is best to work with the horse at 500 feet because there
is less anxiety. Again, go out a short distance and bring the horse
back, gradually lengthening the distance as the anxiety lessens.
There are some
skills that both a horse and rider must have to be safe on the
trail. Here are some physical exercises that will help your horse be
safe on the trail. As a rider, you must be able to control your
horse. Can you control the hips? Is your horse resistant and
reluctant to yield? Are the neck and shoulders stiff? If so, work
your horse in these areas. (See my “Suppling and Riding Exercises”
DVD.)
The horse must
learn to follow his nose. When I ask my horse to go left by showing
him with the inside rein, he must follow his nose to the left. His
shoulders also must follow so it is necessary to have good control
of the shoulders. This allows you to maneuver the horse when out on
the trail. If the trail is partially blocked by a down tree, you
need to be able to guide your horse around this type of obstacle. In
order to maneuver on the trail or go over obstacles, a strong “go
forward” cue is a must.
Another good
exercise is backing. Your horse must be able to back up freely. Does
your horse back up as if he were on skates or must you pull on the
horse’s face? Does his head go up in the air, is he gaping his
mouth? Does he drag his front feet? If the movement doesn’t feel
pretty, it isn’t.
These three
very good basic exercises should take care of the training aspect.
The emotions of the horse also need to be taken care of. The horse
needs to be thinking about you. When I ride a horse, I want to see
the ears back on me and paying attention. Sometimes people
misinterpret the ears being back. They think that means the horse
doesn’t like something. But this is what I call business ears. This
means the horse is paying attention and waiting for my next request.
We teach all
the horses here at the ranch to drag and cross tarps and logs. We
drape tarps on them and rattle and bang plastic bags around and over
them. We use the big ball to get them used to things bumping into
their legs. We teach the horses to go over poles and to carry the
ball and the flag. These are all de-spooking exercises. Just because
a horse does the exercise once, doesn’t mean he will always do it.
The exercises must be repeated at intervals to maintain the comfort
level of the horse. Periodically revisiting this type of training is
essential for a safe trail horse. Depending on the horse, the
exercises may need to be reviewed once a month or every six months.
When the horse understands the exercises and you are out on the
trail, you will have control of the feet and that means control of
the horse.
Charles Wilhelm
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