So apparently both of my guys were ridden in lines where they went nose-to-tail on the trail.
I don’t see how that is particularly safe to do, so would really like to get them OK w/ staying 10 or 20 feet apart.
The trails we have are single tracks, tho - so it’s not like we can play leapfrog or anything.
They don’t show this behavior in the arena…
Suggestions?
How about asking the horse in back to stand while the lead horse walks on a short way. Keep it in the other horse’s comfort zone. Then the lead horse stops and the following horse is allowed to walk up to him, only when he is comfortable standing still. It’s sort of a modified version of leap frog. You can gradually increase the distance and speed the lead horse travels before allowing the following horse to catch up.
Give whatever cues you use to slow down and your horse should slow down and drop back a few feet. If he doesn’t respond properly, there’s your problem.
One of my horses had never been out of the ring when I bought him. He has always ridden on trails with his nose to the tail of the horse in front of him since I started riding on trails with others. I have always made sure that people know that before I ride with them. Apparently people are so desperate to have someone ride with them that they and their horses will tolerate this. It’'s only at the walk fortunately so when others trot there is spacing while my horse has his tiny canter behind them.
I learned when fording streams that the horse in front needs to be ahead of us since my horse jumps streams, even from a standstill. And learned that if another horse walks up over a pile of dirt or some sort of barrier, I need to wait since mine jumps it. He has ended up with his nose on the rump of his riding buddy when I tried to walk through a stream or walk/climb over a mound of dirt or debris.
Can you control the speed at which your horse walks? If you can then this is an easy fix: do it. If you can’t then learn how to rate the speed of your horse. You can start by doing ground work, either on the longe or in a round pen or even by “taking the horse for a walk” and teaching them to “heel” while you walk at different speeds and they STAY in proper position.
Once you’ve gotten the horse used to the idea of varying speed on the ground then work on it from the saddle. Here the way you ride can make a big difference. If you can’t use your balance and seat to affect rate then learn how. Just using the hand will do nothing but create a hard mouth.
When you and the horse master the skills necessary then the problem is solved.
The Cavalry, on the march, dictated a distance of 4’ nose to tail. With most horses who are moving quietly forward with a head in the correct position (neither high nor low) you’re right if you can just see the hocks of the horse in front of you between the ears.
If you are behind a known kicker (whose rider cannot or will not correctly discipline their horse" then I’d double the distance or make them ride at the end of the formation.
G.
My mare is also learning this. She likes to go in front and has a big walk so if she’s behind a slow horse she will put up with it for so long and then bite them on the ass to get them to go faster. This is lots of fun for the riders!!
So I make her walk far enough behind slow horses and switch positions so she can be a good trail horse.
doing this type of stuff at home is not an issue…but they get really excited when we go out (couple of little iceys w/ BIG motors).
i’ll try the ‘go a little way and stop’ next time we’re out…
Ahh, are you riding with non-gaited horses? This can be a problem. I don’t think it’s fair to expect a fast-walking horse to have to poke along, at least not for very long.
If you’re talking about this happening with just your two, or with other gaited horses, then the other advice works well.
You can reward them by leaving them alone when there’s some distance, and making them work when they are too close.
just my 2…
mine used to be ridden w/ a big SLOW quarter horse…that’s where his version of the nose-to-butt thing came from. QH was apparently the main braking system.
DH’s was used as a trek horse w/ other iceys, but they were ridden nose-to-tail, too.
[QUOTE=cloudy18;8684793]
Ahh, are you riding with non-gaited horses? This can be a problem. I don’t think it’s fair to expect a fast-walking horse to have to poke along, at least not for very long.
If you’re talking about this happening with just your two, or with other gaited horses, then the other advice works well.
You can reward them by leaving them alone when there’s some distance, and making them work when they are too close.[/QUOTE]
Strongly disagree.
My fast stepping Marchador moves at my speed, not his. At the front he can “open it up” a bit. Anywhere else it’s my speed, not his. 
I made this mistake with the dam of my current horse and did not require her in the early days I had her to teach this lesson. She is a “charger” in certain circumstances and requires a lot of rider input to keep her where she needs to be.
The human is in charge; of if they are not then they ought to be.
G.
I agree that the human is in charge. But it really isn’t fun for a forward, gaited horse to be back behind a pokey QH for very long. Some horses tolerate it just fine, but others don’t. Some do it with a lot of input, but this isn’t always enjoyable for certain riders. I’m not saying people shouldn’t be willing to do some training, but it is going to be more challenging in that type of situation (really mismatched speeds of horses).
That’s not the OP’s issue though, so that simplifies things, to a point.
[QUOTE=cloudy18;8684926]
I agree that the human is in charge. But it really isn’t fun for a forward, gaited horse to be back behind a pokey QH for very long. Some horses tolerate it just fine, but others don’t. Some do it with a lot of input, but this isn’t always enjoyable for certain riders. I’m not saying people shouldn’t be willing to do some training, but it is going to be more challenging in that type of situation (really mismatched speeds of horses).
That’s not the OP’s issue though, so that simplifies things, to a point.[/QUOTE]
Again, I’m going to agree that having to put quick stepper behind a slower horse makes for less fun for the rider that doesn’t mean we “go for fun” and don’t train the horse to stay where the rider puts it.
Being in TN I’m painfully aware of how frustrating this can be (the two most popular breeds in the state are the Walker and QH, with numbers almost dead even; this was about 5-6 years ago when I saw those numbers).
The rider in in charge and sets the rate for the horse. There really can never be any other answer without a gross sacrifice of rider safety.
G.
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