Preparing for the First Trail Ride

[Samigator]

I am a big fan of trail riding and think it is great cross training/mental break for show horses. When do you usually start a horse on trails (what age/level of training) and how do you usually prepare them for it if they've been "arena trained" and never been on a trail before?

Basically I'm trying to decide if it would be a terrible idea to bring my green 3 yr old to my hubby's annual pointing dog field trial for horse camping next weekend. I brought my old gelding to a week long trial in Colorado and while he survived, it wasn't the greatest experience (but of course I have MUCH more faith in Louie's ability to handle this despite his level of training). I'm just nervous about his age and his green-ness having never done this before. Any advice?

thanks
-Leah

[silvia]

Leah, I normally start a horse on the trail right after I've got them going under saddle walk and trot in the roundyard and walked them out around the arena. At this stage they have good brakes and go. You do need to be an assertive rider to do this as they learn every time you keep them going past a new object etc. Makes a nice bold horse if you are a bold rider! Needless to say I am a lunatic and walk them on a loose rein too, haha.

[Samigator]

thanks Silvia, that's reassuring to hear that you get them out so early. Louie is WTC under saddle, and I've done all of the training myself thus far- and I have to say I am super impressed with him. He should be ready for the open show ring (hunter probably) this summer. He is super smart and calm and cool, very easy going and fun to work with. So I would expect that he would do just fine. But these are the things that worry me a little bit:

*it is a 5 day event, and with no stabling, he'll have to learn how to stake out (a stake driven into the ground with basically a rope that basically ties them with about a 10-15 foot radius to move about- no shelter and we characteristically have adverse weather at least one day/night),

* I haven't taken him anywhere before where we've had had down time and he's had to tie at the trailer even- I've always brought him to another barn where he stands cross tied and ridden, then gone home (granted he trailers and he ties just fine, but that would be the next logical step).

* The course is a 20-30 minute loop and for the most part is pretty easy riding (though there is one pretty steep hill to climb and a few pot holes in the open fields), so the horses can come back up to camp after every brace (some horses learn to run into camp this way which is something I really want to avoid), and I could ride in every brace, or I could not even bring him down from camp if I don't want to.

* There are gun shots (blanks) out on the course and while he's heard hunting season at the stable, he hasn't heard it at such close range before.

* And his age- he's growing, and while I probably won't ride him very long each day, it can be hard on a horse to be in a new and potentially uncomfortable situation for such a long period of time and I don't want this to adversely effect his future. But then again, it would probably be a great learning experience and he'd probably have fun.

Basically those are my fears. I think he can handle the riding and I think he will be fine on the stake out since he is so smart. But all of it together with no turning back for 4-5 days is what makes me nervous. I think it would be really fun for him probably, but at the same time I'm hesitant to push him too hard yet. I brought my old gelding to a week long trial in Colorado and found out he couldn't handle riding in a group of other horses- he couldn't make it more than about 3 minutes on the course without cantering sideways (no idea where he actually wanted to go. . . lol just one of those). He wasn't the smartest on the stakeout and tripped himself a few times, but he survived and we rode by ourselves down the miles of country roads. It was still pretty fun, but I really didn't get to do what I went there to do. Now Louie, on the other hand, is a lot more sensible and calmer, and doesn't have bad show horse habits or anything yet, but of course I picture the worst case scenario.

I think there might be a barn near the grounds there that does daily boarding if I remember correctly. . . I'll have to look into that, because if he could have a pen or a stall at night, I'd feel MUCH better about the whole idea.

[Lily]

The best way to break them to trails is take them w/ a seasoned trail horse, one that will not baulk at anything. That way when the seasoned horse goes with no problem he will go right along and will not hesitate. To make him go and do things he has not done before will make it miserable for you and him. It is much easier to let him learn from another horse and not have to have you force him. He will get so much confidence in himself this way. JMO

[silvia]

If you feel he will ground tie okay and if you are able to elect to go on course or not, then I would go. Saddlebreds are travelling horses, if he is as you say, he will soak it up.

[♥Gabrielle♥]

I would say that if you are confident with him, there is no way you should pass it up. If it were me, I might pony him along side another horse with a halter & leadrope for a while when you get there. It should help his confidence level and you should be able to cut the umbilical cord, so to speak after awhile. I always, always leave a halter on when I trail ride and carry a lead rope just in case. I have had a bridle break on me once while on the trail.
It sounds like you think he's ready, and you know your horse better than anyone. :flowers:

[Samigator]

thanks guys. :D I'm feeling better about this whole thing. Talking to hubby earlier helped too, he reassured me that Louie has got a great head on his shoulders and that if my old horse could survive, Louie will be just fine. We are bringing hubby's very experienced, lazy TWH too, who is one of the best behaved trail horses out there (though I don't find him particularly comfortable to ride- too long strided), and there are lots of rock solid-been-there-done-that horses out there that my friends will be riding. I can also hand walk him or I could even pony him if I feel nervous about it. For the over-nights I should be able to take out the dividers and keep him in the horse trailer at night if he can't handle the tying (though he'll be staked close to our TWH- his stablemate). So, I'm thinking this might actually work out just fine. :) And I've got about a week to practice all of this stuff at home- tying, staking, and I can do a little "trail riding" in the swamp across the street.

[Tazsprout]

Any chance you can "pre-expose" him to some of these challenges? That would make me feel a lot better if I were to take this on.

[Samigator]

yes I think I can. I can practice staking him out in the pasture- he'll be more separated from the rest of the herd than he would be in real life, but I know he'll have grass, so he probably won't care. We do have a blank gun that I could have my husband shoot while I ride him in the arena, then out in the pasture. We could possibly even simulate the real situation if I had him ride his horse with me into the pasture and then he can get off and go over and fire the gun. Tying to the trailer I can practice at home, that shouldn't be a problem. And I can practice walking him through the swamp/forest across the street for a little more practice without a rail- Granted I rode this horse out in the pasture with just an electric wire fence as a guide (But pretty much in the open) after just 3 or 4 times on his back. So yeah I should be able to practice, but I'll have to get hubby to help me with the riding/shooting scenario.

[D_BaldStockings]

Please do have your horse's first experiences with staking and tying be at home where you can control and keep him safe, I'm sure the Field trialers would not be happy to see a horse with rope and stake attached careering around their course in a panic, nor would you want your horse or trailer to get damaged if Louie didn't know how to deal with that.
It really isn't fair to Louie to set him up to possibly have a bad experience.

You definitely want him calm about ropes, etc. trapping his feet and lower legs.

All should go well with a bit of pre-training. You are gambling without it.

[sunridge]

I've done a ton of camping over the years and I'm not a huge worry art. Staking out as you describe it is an accident waiting to happen. I use portable electric fencing, or high line. And if it those are impossible they are tied to the trailer for the night. Tied high enough so they can't get a leg over as well as their hay bag. Staking out maybe fine for some seasoned horses but I think you are taking a big chance with a greenie.

[CHCrystal]

From your descriptions, Louie will handle this :). I'm with sunridge on my personal preferences as far as ground/stake tying, it worries me, but there are plenty of horses that have NO problems. So, to each his own.

Everything else, he sounds ready for and as you said, you can always put him in or tie him to the trailer. Sounds like a close to ideal first "outdoor trip" for him, because everything is optional, no pressure, you can take it at his speed and yours.

[Samigator]

Unfortunately I don't have a corral, and they're far too expensive for me to buy. And high lining is just not done at this park (it is set up across the road, but that's not where the camp that we're at is). I know that high lining is what most horse campers prefer, but I have never used a high line before, though I've used stake outs many times, and the people we trial with are VERY experienced horse people (put it this way- they are on the road with their horses and dogs all across the country for about 350 days of the year) and if they prefer stake outs, it must be for a good reason. I think I would probably be laughed at if I wanted to high line my horse here, and honestly I don't know that there is any decent place to do it. I might be able to find one tree that is big enough to tie to, but then people wouldn't want me to tie my horse near there because it would either be where dogs are supposed to be staked, or it would be far away from camp, or on the course. Even if I could find a suitable place, my hubby would probably have a spaz if I high lined him, and I don't even know how to or have the equipment for it. . . so . . . I'd put him on a stake out before I'd tie him to the trailer for the night.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/Samigator/Dogs%20and%20Field%20Trial/P3040114-1.jpg
This is a picture of my old gelding on his stake during our Colorado trial, just so you get a feel for what I'm describing. There is pretty much no way a horse could pull the stakes out of the ground because we use 5' long car axels pounded in with a sledge hammer- I usually can't get them out of the ground either, lol. We cover the rope with a garden hose so it can't flex as easily, and therefore the horse can't get caught in it very easily. They can lay down, roll, graze, even trot around if they want to as long as they can maneuver around the line. I am going to practice hobbling Louie first today in the arena so he learns the stand still and don't fight lesson, then I'm going to practice staking him at home a few times this week before we go. If that goes horribly awfully, I'll figure out something different to do like keeping him in the trailer or possibly trying to rig up a high line.

I really do appreciate the feedback though, as I think I am most nervous about the overnight "accomadations" lol. Once I figure that out he'll be fine, and CHCrystal you are right, it is a great first opportunity for him with no pressure to perform. If you have any good advice regarding rigging up a corral or a high line, I'd love to hear your suggestions, but it needs to be something that is easy enough to haul and isn't super costly. Thank you!

[sunridge]

I certainly understand the getting laughed, they still laugh at me for my SS ways and my breed. The garden hose idea is very cool. Portable electric is a cinch 4-6 step in fence posts, wire of your choice, gate handle if you prefer (I went without for a few years). Small fence battery or solar fencer piece of rebar for a ground. All fits in a 5 gallon bucket. I'm an electric fence guru so it does seem so easy for me and it's what most trail riders use.

[tommygrl]

I've ridden field trials, even with a 5-gaited horse (not much of a winning show horse), & she loved it, made special friends, too. Kept her tied to the trailer, as I did not use the stake out until I learned the garden hose trick (with a chain or rope inside), and often used a neck collar. Even my friend's Arab quickly got used to the starter pistol because there were so many horse buddies close by taking a nap.
I wish I could go to the field trials again soon- have fun & tell us all about it.

[Samigator]

tommygrl that is awesome that you are a "field trialer!" What breed of dogs do/did you own/watch? I don't know many people who are familiar with trials, but I think they're super cool.

Well we practiced tying to the trailer, hobbling, and staking out today and Louie did awesome. I wrote all about it with lots of picture on his blog if you want to read more about it (Saddlebred in the Making (http://saddlebredinthemaking.blogspot.com)). He did get a couple of feet hung up on the stake out line (one at a time), but didn't panic and quickly figured out how to get himself out of his predicament. He was more concerned about eating than anything, and probably was staked out for a good 30-40 minutes. Of course I am a worried horse mom and I had a hard time restraining myself from going and un-tangling him whenever he got hung up, but I managed to talk him through it instead, and he really did well. I left the stake out in the pasture, so I can practice every day until we leave.

I asked my husband again about possibly high lining him and that got a big fat NO. He said he won't bring him if I have to high line him. Well I understand that. . .

[scrtwh]

Good for you!!! You and your horse will have a blast. My ASB, who had NEVER done anything except arena work, the poor thing, took to it like a duck to water. He LOVES trails, always something new and very relaxing, good for mind and body. Anywho, I agree with D Baldstockings in making sure he stakes well at home. We had some issues with my big guy his first time with picketing, and in retrospect, I should have given him a trial run at home, he's fine now, but... if he is not happy about staking, tie him to the trailer.

Have fun, we do our first camp is next weekend with three of our little, equine muffins.

[Samigator]

well I've had Louie out on the stake out for about 30-40 minutes each of the past 3 days and overall he's doing really well with it. I even left him unsupervised for at least a few minutes each of the past 2 days, just occasionally checking from afar to see if he's still standing and eating- no problems. But he got into his first fight with it yesterday (and thank goodness lost nicely). It could have been a lot worse- he was out on the end of the line and got both a front and a hind foot stuck around the line at the same time. He tried to wiggle free and gave a good attempt at it at first, then got a little nervous and started pulling back, ended up sort of half- rearing, half sitting down, finally got his back leg free, then pulled just once more and figured out how to get the front leg out. All the while i was standing right near him and hubby is saying "go help him!" I'm standing there panicing and saying, "I can't, I'm not going near that" (legs flailing- horses don't always think things through in those kinds of situations and I was not about to get in the middle of it until he settled down). Anyhow, he just had one little incident, it could have been a lot worse, he didn't get hurt, and immediately went back to grazing afterward (after he came up to me for a hug and some reassurance that he was alright- that was so cute). So, I'm glad that it happened at home, and supervised, at least. And I'm glad he didn't win, but figured out that he has to get himself untangled calmly. Hopefully he won't get into too many more of those, they make a person nervous. He still hasn't pulled a Social yet (getting all 4 legs wrapped up at once and tripping himself, lol).

Today I'm hoping to get out there to practice with the blank gun.

[Thunderstruck]

I took Dylan on his first real trail ride this weekend (just a short 2 miles, but we were at a show so I didn't want to wear him out) and we had a blast. He's been out around the barn down to the pond, etc before, but never in a strange place.

We showed in the Amateur Gaited class Thursday night and then Friday morning we were out on the trails show shoes and all so if we can do it anyone can assuming the horse is sensible. We didn't try tying up or anything like that, but I hope to teach him that before next year so we can go on some different trails. He really seemed to enjoy it and was walking briskly with his head up and looking around. We met a guy and his dog and another guy on a horse along the way and he just walked on by like he had been doing it forever...I was really proud of him.

The only thing he spooked at was the rather large "trail riders welcome" sign at the trail head coming back...silly horse! He jigged past it and marched up the road by the barns like the show hore he is and then we went to the arena and made a pass or two just for good measure.

[Samigator]

oh that's awesome! You are pretty brave to do that at a show! But let me tell you, when you decide to teach him anything about tying, make sure he doesn't have his show shoes on- preferably barefoot if possible. Social used to get the line caught on his heels and bend his shoes. It just seemed like it was easier to get hung up on the line with shoes on (even kegs), though most trialers have shoes on their horses. . .

as for the every horse can do it- I have to disagree there. Some horses can handle individual trail rides where they just go by themselves, but cannot handle riding in a group. Social was like that- he was awesome anywhere we went alone, but in a group- hold on! I don't know if it is a competitive thing or what, but I know a lot of horses can't handle group rides. I'm sure hoping Louie handles it well! We'll be riding in the back of the pack pretty much, so that should help get him used to that experience, as I think if a horse is used to riding in the front, they don't like riding in the back of the group.

We did the blank gun thing yesterday and that went awesome. At first we started in the arena, and he got a little excited the first time he heard it (I just had hubby fire it while I was working at the trot- seems like a horse in motion is less easily startled by something)- so he sped up a little and picked up his head afterward, but didn't jump or anything. Then we gradually progressed to standing out in an open field all by ourselves about 20-30 feet away, standing, watching the "find" with hubby simulating flushing a bird (kicking in the grass and trees) and firing the gun. Louie did absolutely fabulous. Not even phased by it- once in a while he would just flick an ear forward at the sound, but no big spooking or anything. I was very pleased with him.

[Thunderstruck]

oh that's awesome! You are pretty brave to do that at a show! But let me tell you, when you decide to teach him anything about tying, make sure he doesn't have his show shoes on- preferably barefoot if possible. Social used to get the line caught on his heels and bend his shoes. It just seemed like it was easier to get hung up on the line with shoes on (even kegs), though most trialers have shoes on their horses. . .

as for the every horse can do it- I have to disagree there. Some horses can handle individual trail rides where they just go by themselves, but cannot handle riding in a group. Social was like that- he was awesome anywhere we went alone, but in a group- hold on! I don't know if it is a competitive thing or what, but I know a lot of horses can't handle group rides. I'm sure hoping Louie handles it well! We'll be riding in the back of the pack pretty much, so that should help get him used to that experience, as I think if a horse is used to riding in the front, they don't like riding in the back of the group.

We did the blank gun thing yesterday and that went awesome. At first we started in the arena, and he got a little excited the first time he heard it (I just had hubby fire it while I was working at the trot- seems like a horse in motion is less easily startled by something)- so he sped up a little and picked up his head afterward, but didn't jump or anything. Then we gradually progressed to standing out in an open field all by ourselves about 20-30 feet away, standing, watching the "find" with hubby simulating flushing a bird (kicking in the grass and trees) and firing the gun. Louie did absolutely fabulous. Not even phased by it- once in a while he would just flick an ear forward at the sound, but no big spooking or anything. I was very pleased with him.

I doubt Dylan will ever be calm enough to be taught to tie out with a stake, but I'd like to get him so he will tie up to a rail at least....we'll see! His show shoes are basically just plates with a pad (as Sit says less is more), so he's probably a little easier to deal with with show shoes on than some would be though. It also helps that my trainer is also my farrier so I don't have to worry about not getting a show put back on correctly if something happens at a show. I made sure to ask him if he thought the shoes would be OK before we tried it. Couldn't have done it last year because it was too close to a reset.

[tommygrl]

[QUOTE=Samigator;51671]tommygrl that is awesome that you are a "field trialer!" What breed of dogs do/did you own/watch? I don't know many people who are familiar with trials, but I think they're super cool.

I'm sure you all will do just fine while at the field trial- I did not really practice at home, had only walked the roads around the barn, with husband on his TWH, who could fidgit more than my ASB. I kept both of them tied to the trailer. I tend to worry but not camp, so husband stayed in camp, I went to a motel. By day 2, they paced themselves, & were tired from the slower but long day following our Brittanys (now with an Eng. Pointer, too). We've had multi- F.Ch. and been to the nationals for a reserve All Age.
I always rode my cutback saddle, with a pad for me if riding for a long time. I used the work bridle, but used the double bridle for something different. They wore pads and a little weight in the front, plain shod in back. We always wash their backs, no matter the weather, took liniment, etc.- you know the best horse care, & we did it everywhere we rode. We did not stand in creeks or water with pads, but did so if there were no pads. Most good bird hunting country is not rough or over-grown, but open, flat with some cover for the quail.
Most important consideration is that they do NOT kick at a dog running through the gallery, worse than fussing with other horses. Must be well behaved around others or go home. Occassionally someone had a stallion, but if we had a hard time knowing, it was ok.
Don't fret, have fun, be sensible & take care of whatever happens. Keep telling us your story on the trail !

[Samigator]

thanks tommygrl! That is awesome, we have a few local brittany trials around here, they are really cool dogs. And I want an EP so bad, but I'm glad we don't have one yet because I'd never be able to track it down on such a green horse, lol.

Louie has taken everything in stride and I think he's about as prepared as I can get him. Of course I have butterflies in my stomach and am sleeping like crap, but that's what Jack Daniels is for. ;) lol

The weather is supposed to be decent with some rain, and storms today when we get there. We are bringing the 4 horse trailer though, so if I need to keep Louie in the trailer, that will be pretty easy.

We're just about all packed and scheduled to depart this morning. Wish us luck and I hope we get back in 1 piece just as good or better than we left! :) I will post all about it when we return. Cheers!

[Samigator]

We survived! I will write more detail on Louie's blog about it tomorrow, but Louie did great. He had a couple of encounters with the stake out, but overall did really well. He learned how to stand quietly alone at the trailer this weekend too- something he has never done- and usually when our TWH leaves, Louie gets upset that he's alone, and I have to babysit with him in hand. so I was very happy he eventually learned to live with being tied alone, and I was able to go in the trailer and take a nap!

The riding was really really good. On Thursday I took him out for just a couple of braces (about 40 minutes) and he jigged a tiny bit at first because he was excited, but by the end settled right down to a very nice flat walk. He flat walked with hubby's TWH about 100 feet back from the rest of the herd super quietly, so I was very happy. Friday and Saturday I took him out and rode a whole stake each day (a walking stake- probably 2-3 hours total each day) and he did awesome- flat walked the whole time, no questions asked, alone, in the middle of the herd, or trailing behind at the end. I've decided field trials are a LOT for a horse to handle, as there are so many elements that are different than standard trail riding. Louie did just awesome. Gun shots, dogs running by, horses within the pack taking off at a full gallop, nothing phased him, he did just great. I couldn't be more pleased with how he handled everything- like he had been doing this all his life, and at only 3 yrs old! Wow! hehe

The only thing that was a challenge for him in riding the field trials is that most people have gaited horses who have sort-of an in-between speed that is about equal to a medium-slow jog trot. I didn't want to trot the whole time as I thought that may negatively impact his future training, so I didn't ride most of the stakes because they move at a pace that we'd have to trot to keep up. Luckily these trials each have a walking stake, so we can keep up with a handler on foot at a nice flat walk.

Here are some photos:

Louie on his stake out (he likes to walk in small circles instead of walking at the end of the line, so he gets the line wrapped around the stake- silly horsey). He did great on the stake out as long as there were other horses around on their stakes and the atmosphere was somewhat calm. If he got excited and ran around, he got himself into trouble, a few rope burns and some stocked up legs, but no major injuries thank goodness. After the storm we got on Friday night, Louie turned this nice grassy patch into a mud-pit and he himself into pig pen- caked on mud, sticks in his hair, lol, I'm bummed I didn't get any pictures of that! But here he is on Thursday, still clean:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/Samigator/Louie/Louiestake1.jpg

Here we are after our ride on Friday (yes I wore my dorky helmet over my hat, lol). The saddle I have covered because it's my new show saddle and didn't want to get it wet or dirty, and I didn't bring a breast strap, so it slid back about 5 inches from where it started, lol:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/Samigator/Louie/LeahandLouieFridayridesmall.jpg

Then riding on Saturday- we had a brisk change of weather from Friday to Saturday, so we had to dress accordingly. You have to squint, but we are in the middle of the picture here, I'm in the light brown coat and blue jeans.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/Samigator/Louie/AWDSatgallery2.jpg

And finally, after our last ride on Saturday- very thirsty horsie by this point, and hungry too as he didn't figure out until Saturday night that it sucks to dump out your grain pan on the ground, lol. We rode pretty late that day, so this is just about at dusk, and it was pretty cool out!
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/Samigator/Louie/LeahandLouieSatridesmall.jpg

Louie was very excited to get home and run around and play with his buddies, as was I to get home to my nice warm house and my shower! It was a lot of fun, and he performed well above my expectations for a 3 year old pleasure horse with only 6 months under saddle. He deserves a few days off with a little lovin'. I don't know that he will be a full time field trial horse, but at least I know he CAN do it! (proud horsey mom).

[attafox]

Nice photos, but I'm afraid I have to put my (black) admin hat on and remind everyone of the forum's photo policy:

Due to bandwidth issues, individual photos that are posted within a topic are limited to 2-3 per topic unless prior arrangement has been made with one of the administrators or moderators. In all cases, links to an external web site are preferred. Should a photo be posted, these are the guidelines:
- no more than 2-3 PER TOPIC (not per post nor per member)
- maximum file size of 40KB
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[AlbertaSaddler]

Anybody ever hobble? We don't picket as we've all seen too many wrecks with picketed horses, even the dead broke ones. Put the horse in the hobbles before going on the trail ride though.

There are a couple different ways to hobble: hobble the two front feet is the most common. You can also hobble the two front feet and tie the halter to the hobble's with a two foot rope if you've got a rocker (those scallywags that can canter with the hobble's on) the rope stops the little sucker from going too far in the night. You can also hobble a front foot to a back foot (ie right front to left hind) helps with the traveller's. Put a cow bell on at least on of the horses. They usually travel a ways out of camp so the bell helps you locate. None of our horses have ever gone far, especially when they know the oats are with us!

As far as a good time for the first trail ride: weeeeelllll many, ok most of our horses were broke out west. I can't even being to tell you how many 2 or 3 year olds were thrown on the trailer, snubbed to a tree and turned loose. BUT Saddlebreds are smart :) By the end of the first day most were pretty cool and by the end of the week, broke to saddle. Lol, yes a little crude, but it works.

Nowadays we pack before we ride. All the 2 or 3 year olds, depending on size, get a light pack thrown on and are thrown on the pack string for the summer. By fall we can climb on and ride with few to no problems. We do this to the potential show horses too. It works wonders on gaining a horses trust. If they crossed a river as youngsters, the in-gate is no big deal.

If you have a good horse to pony with, just throw a stock saddle on the new trail horse and pony him around for awhile. They get used to all the extra stuff on the western saddle's and gain trust and confidence with the other horse to lead them around. Ride outside as much as you can too.

That's what my family has done for 50 odd years and it still works. Yeah, quite western and old school, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it :)