I'm a trail rider, no more and no less than any other type of rider.

Yep, Lets squeeze an arena horse through a tight spot and see how it does


Ride them down a narrow trail with steep drop offs

Looking back at the steep hill

Or thru tunnels in the rock



Or up and down switchbacks


While my horses can't do Dressage and don't know what to do with a cow. They get me safely over the mountain

Yep!
My trail horse had a decent foundation on him, I took him out on three rides and found some major holes in his training where I just didn't feel safe with him. Being hurt I can't train or put in the time like I used to so almost $2,000 and a month and a half+ later I get him back, good, but not ready sooo two more months working him around the farm on our trails, lots of lounging, obstacles, dragging, gun exposure (cause you never know), etc... And then we're off, finally!!!
Nice head set, perfect back, ground ties, stands while mounting from the ground, decent side passes, bombproof at 5 and we are just getting started!

Yeah, no training my butt!

I wouldn't take a sky gazer out, and if I did I'd make sure she knocked herself out on the first limb we came across!!!!

Honestly I'm not really in the mood to compete in horses, my job is one of the most competitive in my market! Who the heck doesn't want to make rock posters! Kids line up for free to do what I do and I need to get paid!
I'm awful proud of my "trail horse", but I really don't care to run him around in an arena!!! Wiiiddddeeeee open spaces for me!
Different strokes.....
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Spending hundreds or thousands on fancy show clothes, saddles and tack for ribbons and trophies? No thank you. I prefer to ride in my blue jeans and a t-shirt and I don't need a judge to tell me how good or not good my horse and I are.

Fly, got room for a dozen more horses? So jealous of the scenery! If I had access to rides like yours or paintedhorse, I'd probably never ride in an arena or care to show again :)

I've always had "arena horses" but they have always been trail horses too. Getting out of the arena keeps them true and they don't get sour or bored. Growing up all of the youngsters here after a handful of rides were hauled off property to trail ride behind one of the alpha, been there done that mares. In a weekend trail riding they learned just as much as they would have in an arena and generally enjoy themselves more.

I do a lot of arena riding, comes with the territory being a instructor & colt starter. I make a point to take every one of mine & outside horses to the woods at least once a week if not more. Good for them and me!

I do now own my first true "arena horse", she's quite the diva. Missy is a poor excuse for a trail horse, you'd think her brain fell out of her ears when you leave the arena. In an arena, she works like a rock star, outside of it, not so much. The first time I took her back to the woods, it was more snort & scoot than anything, ridiculous. She's slowly getting better, I'll get her converted one of these days ;)

I agree, but I travel with extras in my saddle bags. MANY times, while away from camp, I've had to do emergency repairs to my tack over the last 27 years. Baling twine and leather latigo, along with a good, Swiss knife are essential.
Still, the point IS valid.

Painted Horse, those are some beautiful pictures! I don't think i'd have the nerve to do that lol!

But yeah, I agree. It's all about 'competition this' and 'arena training' that, but it really doesn't matter what you do, as long as you and your horse enjoy it. So what if I don't want to teach Hippy to pirouette or whatever? I don't think he'd like it anyway hahaha! Whatever makes you and your horse happy!

Just because 'this horse can do this movement', doesn't make it any better than any other horse. Both activities strengthen the bond between horse and rider and that's the most important thing. I think in one way, hacking/trail riding needs more of a bond, because it's absolutely essential that your horse trusts you! Of course trust is important in dressage and such but...

...in showing, trust only = high marks. In hacking, trust = safety. Safety is definitely more important lol!

Man, I'd have to travel hundreds of miles to see that kind of terrain. It simply doesn't exist in SW Ohio. Trails are very limited in distance around here, so our trail horses tend to be very different from yours, lol.
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I HATE trail riding in IL--TO MANY BUGS!! We've taken numerous riding vacations to the Black Hills, SD and Colorado. There is a trail we've ridden around Empire, Co., that looks very much like those shots from Utah.
The first trail ride we're going to take this year is the 5 miles that used to have a RR spur. It was grown up but folks have been riding their ATV's on it and made it usable. It's less than 1/4 mile from my driveway--no trailering, YEAH!!

Trail riding is something to be proud of - like you have said it can't take just any old horse to do it.

I have been many places on my trail horses and let me tell you one of them cleaned up show horses would think twice about crossing a muddy and muggy swamp then up through the hills we have around here. Ever rode in timber country? I mean where its been cut? Its some rough land and the debris is everywhere crossing logs underbrush tangling up in their legs can make a horse kinda scared. So trail horses and trail riders are definitely a different breed and another thing to add is try hunting off of a trail horse and see how he reacts to a gun at first ha ha.