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Trail Ideas??

3K views 21 replies 7 participants last post by  Bluefeathurs 
#1 ·
I have a new horse and I was wondering what little tricks your horses know. My dad thinks a good trail horse only needs to know two things. 1. Take care of you. (Keeping your head out of the trees and not falling) 2. Gait (Walking horses and spotted saddle) Anything else I can teach him to do?
 
#2 ·
I have a mare that I taught to "sick-em". True story! Sometimes you get a gelding that won't cross a creek or a mule that won't go in the trailer. Dogs can be helpful, but mules can kick the crap out of dogs. With an 1,100 pound mare biting them on the butt they cross any river or go in any trailer.
Mules and geldings see older mares as matriarchs. Like our own society, no matter how bad some old bat needs to be kicked, nobody does it. "Sick-em" doesn't always work with other mares and can cause a fight. It does work with know-it-alls that tell me what to do with my horses!!!
 
#5 ·
I work very hard at making sure my horses are never aggressive towards other horses, when ridden or handled, so the very last thing I would do, is have a horse get after another horse !!!!!!!
I will have a horse chase a dog that is being aggressive towards the horses
Boy, if another hrose needs a horse to bite him in the **** , to cross a river or get in a trailer????= Something is seriously wrong with the training, and the solution, JMO!!!
 
#4 ·
Look up Trail Trialing (not to be confused with Competive Trail Riding which are timed rides over distance, more like endurance rides). These contests are to show off what your trained trail horse can do in 'real' as opposed to arena situations -- open and close a gate, sidepass over a log, drag a bag of rocks, traverse strange footing, go over narrow bridges, tolerate hobbles, rain slickers, ground tie, all sorts of stuff. They can be a good way to test the training of your horse.

What a trail horse needs to know depends on the kind of trail riding you do, but I'd say a basic thing is to be able to ride anywhere within a group and also go alone. Stop and stay stopped on a loose rein. Stand to be mounted and stay there until asked to move. Will go forward if asked through almost anything (not bears, forest fires, etc). Easily and precisely turned both on the forehand and haunches. Many things can be trained but some things are inborn, like surefootedness, which in my part of the world is called upon quite a bit.
 
#6 ·
Tie over night, either on a hitching rail, or hi lined
learn to spook in place, or at least never offer to bolt, when deer pop out, grouse fly up, ect
Mine have to get used to standing, with reins drapped over their neck, so I can take a picture, get something out of my saddle bag,put on a slicker,ect
Ground tie
Go on aloose rein, at the speed I ask for.
Know how to pick their way carefully, when I indicate I am leaving the exact route up to them, but also never demanding that right ,
Easy to trailer-certainly don't need anyone bitting them in the rear to load, but load easy, un load , waiting, either to be asked to back out, or come out forward, never rushing out
Learn to cross fast flowing rivers, heading as asked, for the opposite bank, versus trying to turn around, etc
Learn to picket, if going on over night pack trips, and thus , also lead a pack horse, or even be a pack horse
Big point for me, =never rush up or down steep climbs, but watch footing, go on a loose rein



Tie out on the trail, while we go further on foot, when hunting



Cross rivers



Pack


Yup, my show horse crosses natural bridges also, and not just those in ashow ring



ground tie



Accept standing here all night, then ride off in the morning=no lunging, no acting 'stupid

 
#7 ·
He has a very good head on him and will always go the easy way (around a log instead of over it if he can) I don't have hobbles, and prefer not to watch my horse fall on his head trying to figure them out, what's the best way to train one to ground tie? He met my old horse last week and was happy to ride in front or behind, but preferd the front. I'm having a hard time getting him to gait alone on a loose rein.
 
#8 ·
https://www.nwhorsesource.com/summer-2016-imtca-newsletter-mountain-trail-makes-its-debut-on-rfd-tv/


Where it says in part:

9 Basic Skills for Mountain Trail

Master these Basic Skills to Improve Safety and Scores

by Mark Bolender



Mountain Trail
The best mountain trail horses are bold, confident and can think their way through an obstacle.

To improve their mountain trail scores it’s important to master nine basic skills. These skills can also be returned to, again and again, to master the variety of obstacles found on course.
Depending on the age of your horse, some skills may have to wait to be taught until he is older.
 
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#9 · (Edited)
One of the things I have found most helpful with my trail horse is his ability to communicate with me and me with him. That really is the bottom line of importance in trails. It is as important that you listen to your horse as it is that he listens to you!

It isn't a skill like side passes and rollbacks but, I think it is equally if not more important. IMO it is foundational for trail.

One time, we were riding a while after days of a hard rain (12+”). Unknown to me, the normally stable ground around this one area had turned into a sandy-clay bottomless mud pit. My horse refused to cross. Now, if I didn’t know my horse and trust his judgment (something that was built over time) I would have probably whipped up a cussing storm while trying to make him cross, thinking it to be a baulk. Instead, I trusted him and we took another way across.

It was only later that I spoke with someone who, after our ride, had forced their horse across and barely got out, that I realized he had known something I did not. I was glad that I trusted him enough to listen to him. He took care of me by telling me there was a problem with the footing. I took care of him by not forcing him into a situation where I wasn't entirely sure if there was real danger or not.

The flip side is that there are horses who will baulk or refuse without seeming rhyme or reason. If that is how your horse is then it is good to know that too.

It comes down to knowing your horse and keeping an open line of communication between you (no daydreaming on either of your parts). That constant feedback loop helps to build trust, especially in the beginning.

IMO a well established mutual trust is one of the most important skills you can have on the trail That might be what your father was talking about when he said "takes care of you" but, it is a two way street!
 
#10 ·
One of the things I have found most helpful with my trail horse is his ability to communicate with me and me with him. That really is the bottom line of importance in trails. It is as important that you listen to your horse as it is that he listens to you!
What your father was talking about when he said "takes care of you" but, it is a two way street!
Can't stress this enough. The last thing you want is a horse that won't slow down in tight area and at the same time you have to trust your horse to know where to put his feet.
You aren't going to be able desensitize for everything you might find on a trail, but if you have a horse that responds when you ask and you know your horse, then you can usually figure the other stuff out.
 
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#11 ·
Good point by Reinin, which I touched on, with you at times giving the horse decision making, where you yourself are not sure, trusting his better instinct, BUT, the horse always waiting for you to give him that decision making, not ever taking control himself.
Thus, we often ride where esp in spring, there are deep muddy holes in a forestry trail, but where i know there is a bottom, even if the horse cannot see one.
In that case, I expect my horse to go through it, trusting my judgement
We also ride through thick willows in the mountains, and in grizzly bear country. Thus, on a horse I trust, who usually goes ahead on that trail through the willows, even if he does so on alert, esp when they are being blown by the wind, stops and does not want to go forward, I do not insist, as he well might have become aware of a bear
Yes, you have to know your horse, and have good communication, as there is a fine line between giving a horse the benefit of the doubt in the right circumstance, and allowing the hrose to dictate where he will or will not ride
Sometimes, we have to cross abog, although I avoid them like the plague, but if you are on a long loop ride, and going back will add 10 miles or more, and it is getting dark, you have no choice
The muddy churned up part, is where wild hroses and other game have crossed, so you know there is bottom, even if your horse sinks to his belly in spots.
The un touched parts of that bog, on the sides of the trail through, look appealing to a horse, being mossy and green, looking more solid, and a horse,esp one that has not been exposed much to bogs, will try to head there. It is very important that a horse then trusts and respects you enough, to go through that obviously muddy boggy trail, and does not panic,w hen he sinks some, trying to plunge to that green area, and thus deeper into the bog
Had that happen once, on that mare I bought off the track. She got into a bog, my husband had already crossed on his hrose, panicked, and plunged in deeper, going down and cutting her one leg on some submerged sharp branch
On the other hand, I have wound up riding out in the dark, on a trail that involves many river crossings back and forth, where that trail is difficult to pick up and find, in day light , on the opposite side. I have given my horse her head, and she un erringly crossed in the right spots, picking up the trail on the opposite side of that river again, through the trees
 
#12 ·
My horse is somewhere a little over 4, and since we live on hills bogs aren't normally around here. I am working with him daily trying to communicate better and learn each other. He is very responsive the the bit (I swear he could ride with a piece of thread) and he seems very interested to learn.
 
#15 ·
That's good willingness and curiosity are good traits. I do alot of obstacle work in the arena and also try to change things up on the trail just to keep things interesting. My biggest challenge is being consistent without getting stuck in rut.
You may never come across a bog, but you are going to run into situations where your horse is going to need to rely on your judgement even though he might be uncomfortable. Routines and training develop trust, and muscle memory. Getting out there and riding tests those skills.
 
#14 ·
I tend to talk to my horse when I'm out alone. I don't really do it on purpose, but she has learned to use my tone of voice (and no doubt my unconscious aids) to slow up, speed up, become reassured to go forward, take it one step at a time, etc. And I listen to her as well. She knows things I don't, too. I think that when you ride alone, that's when you start to become a team which relies upon each other. It's subtle.
 
#16 ·
Agree that ingrained responses, help also out on a trail.
For instance, if a horse moves off your leg, knows to stay between the reins and your legs, you can prevent that horse from trying to cross some water hole, by attempting to walk along that crumbling bank, running you into trees, in the process.
I ride alone all the time, but not in the mountains, for the simple reason it is not a good idea, to ride where there is no cell phone service, and if you don't carry a gun
Not only are there predators, but in the foothills, feral horses , often with some bachelor studs, very intent on getting a mare. All of my three current horses are mares, and there have been times, hubby has had to shoot over the head of a determined 'Romeo'
MY dog is well trained not to chase horses, apparently ! Deer, ect, no problem !
On one trip, there were a group of three bachelor studs, that just would not take \get lost', to heart Told my dog to' get them'
It was like,' duh, this is a trick command, right, as I know I am not allowed to chase horses !'
In fact, feral horses can be more of a problem then elk and other game, as elk running around, deer jumping out, is soon accepted by most horses, but a bunch of feral horses racing around, gets alot of horses wound up, wanting to join in.
 
#18 ·
Obsticals are not his thing, if he sees an easy way out he'll take it. My first trail ride was down a dirt road with bobbed wire fence on each side, we came to a tree that was obvious you had to go over. The second tree looked like you could go around (wire was on the ground) and he refused to go over until my dad went across and acted like he was gonna leave us. Then he hopped over, wanting back in the lead.
 
#21 ·
OP, sounds like he's a little stubborn and herdy. Try working on the basics in the arena (figure 8s, transitions, etc..) and then if your Dad doesn't mind doing those things on trail provided you are in a safe area(something you ride a lot with familiar terrain). You can also go off to the side on the trail and weave around shrubs and things. Anything to get him listening to you and not just following the other horse. It doesn't have to be all work. You can make it a game. We play leap frog and weave in and out of each other when I ride with my sister and my friends.
 
#22 ·
Unfortunatly I don't have an arena or anywhere flat to do those. I have been making him step over a large pvc pipe although he wants to go around. I'll see when my dad rides again to play leap frog (sounds really fun). Otherwise all I can do is ride up and down the road. :/
 
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