What type of trails do you perfer?

depends on which horse I am on and the mood I am in LOL I like alitle of it ALL!!!

Just like Painted's pictures, nice and easy (lol). I like both actually, easy for a mindless ride or a new horse but a challenging trail to get the "go" out (for me) on a seasoned horse.

I thought I liked intense trails until recently....we ended up on top of a mountain and had to walk our horses down a decline for about 1/2 a mile, it was so steep the horses were sliding on their rear legs, a thunderstorm started and my knees hurt so bad from the pressure going down at such a steep grade I thought I wouldn't be able to make it. It was very scary. I felt an accomplishment having made it, but I wouldn't want to do it again!

I like a combination of them both. Some nice easy stretches to relax with some pretty scenery but I love to cross a creek and climb a good hill here and there too.

Well, I voted nice and quiet trails but I don't know if that is accurate.

Today I went riding with my riding instructor to a local county horse park. The trails were mostly quite narrow (tuck your feet in or loose your stirrups at many points), had some hills, lots of tree roots, lots of twists and turns, branches to duck and dodge, etc. At some points (not sure we were on the "real" trails though at this point) we had a narrow trail with trees on one side and a deep ravine on the other. We had logs we could have jumped but instead we just walked over them.

We took these trails mostly at a walk and trotted just a bit (saved the loping for the wider open trails) so I considered them nice and easy. We had to pay attention and the horses had to pay attention but there was nothing there that I felt was really intense.

I think it is a lot perspective. Some people would consider these trails intense (compared to the groomed, wide enough to ride side by side, etc. trails) while others would consider them a walk in the park and boring--compared with the intense mountain climbing trails they do.

For me leisurely as means doing most of the trails at a WALK--so we can just chat and enjoy the scenery. Taking the same trails today at a trot or lope, they would have been much more intense.

I prefer an intense trail. I really prefer to make my own and just decide where my horse can go down the hill instead of having a pre-set trail to follow. Sometimes, thought when I have a lot on my mind, I like to just ride with my eyes closed and think of nothing but the smell of the air, movement of the horse, and sounds of the prairie. By the way Vida, I didn't know that they had anything in Kansas but flat land and corn fields!!! LOL

Painted Horse - those are beautiful pics! Where is that?

Thanks for sharing!

Well I like to ride fast on a trail... Trot and canter mostly the whole time, with bits of walk to give the horse a breather. otherwise my horse never gets fit enough for the two day mounted games competitions. Where I ride it's mostly very wide green space, so just grass, tracks etc. there are a few creeks to cross, and a few good hills to gallop up. We rgularly ride through the suburbs, so along footpaths/roads you can't really go faster than a trot. And then the days I help dad with the cattle, I go up in the hills full of rocks, fallen trees and rabbit holes where the motorbike can't get to, and push the cattle down. There is one spot, where the sheep/cattle always bolt for the back of the hill and I have to do the "snowy river ride" (that's what we call it :]) Flat gallop down the hill through the rocks/trees/holes to cut the stock off before they reach the gate. If they reach the gate, you'll almost kill the horses and dogs trying to get them out again. It's very scary and very exhilarating. So I guess I like everything :]

Painted Horse- those are such cool pictures!! You are so lucky!!

I didn't pick one because I like both...I have been on a somewhat relaxing trail ride but intense with girl scouts.
It was relaxing because the horses were so old and calm, lol, but intense because we had to go up and down very steep hills and we got to be on the edge-not exactly on the edge but we were on a huge cliff thing and we could see so far out.
My friend in front of me kept pulling these big branches out in front of her then she would let go and they would whack me in the chest, I kept telling her to stop but she didn't she didn't understand she was killing me, lol.
Haha but then later her horse was standing too close to me and mine so I go rachel you might want to get out of the way. And she was like nahh. and so my horse kicked her horse I was like ha, even though my horse totally missed her horse and kicked the air, but rachel still freaked out.

Some of it is Utah, Some of it is the Idaho/Wyoming state line area.

We ride the deserts of Southern Utah in the winter and the mountains of Northern Utah and Western Wyoming in the summer

San Rafael Swell of Central Utah