I need to get away from the East Coast and all things English

[Bastile]

I need a big break from what i am calling the East Coast/english riding rat race. without going into detail, i need a break from ring work, thoroughbreds, “the Hamptons” type horse shows, barn personalities, vet bills, horse heartache, and my own broken bones. I need to get back in touch with horses as horses.

I want to watch the Horse Whisperer, just to imagine riding sane horses thru gorgeous country side.

If Ray Hunt were around I would spend a month working beside him with horses.

Any suggestions for me?

[Frog_Pond]

Right there with you with admiring Ray Hunt, but, “sane” and “the Horse Whisperer” don’t belong in the same sentence, just my view ;). Check out Linda Tellington-Jones. Go look at Eva Roemaat’s youtube videos of bitless, bareback dressage on a beach. Stacy Westfall’s interesting – more bitless, but Western. Chris Irwin is a cowboy I like. Every horse sport has a rat race – just keep your BS sensor on high, and keep looking around.

[wylde_sage]

Buck Brannaman. Get out of the NY life. Come out to Colorado (except I do trail ride an OTTB…western) or Wyoming or any myriad of other choices…I’ve nver looked back when I left the east coast

[NoSuchPerson]

Do you mean you literally want to get away from the east coast? As in move away? Or do you mean figuratively, as in stay where you are but take your horse activities in a different direction?

[cloudy18]

You just need to go on some trail rides, in any tack you want, and kick back and have a drink when you’re done. It’s even better if you’re camping!

[Zuri]

Agree with cloudy18. Trail rides, just you and your horse as one. Serenity and appreciation of what is around you. Peace for the agitated mind.

[Bastile]

I mean do something like this - without the celebrities and the drama: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filthy_Rich:_Cattle_Drive

without my own drama - i’ve had bad accidents, i dont trust any horse, i am sick of barn politics, worn out with spending tons on money on vet bills, etc etc. i need to get back to the basics on totally dependable horses and with salt of the earth people.

does that exist? what is it called - i’m not looking for going to a “dude ranch” as a tourist.

[Diamontaire]

You need to experience the joys of winery rides! Assemble friends (all on trail ponies), ride the trails until we arrive at the winery, tie horses up (in full view of the patio), and commence drinking!

Makes for a lovely afternoon and a very relaxed ride afterwards…

[Bastile]

where do winery rides take place?

[Luseride]

You need to find a new set of horse people. We do a little bit of everything, low level hunters, flat classes, Western, Gaited, trails, sorting, and even do timed events if the mood is right.

What I end up with is happy horses and since none are pushed limited vet bills.

[californianinkansas]

Competitive trail riding and/or limited distance endurance?

[cloudy18]

I vote for the winery rides! We don’t have trail access to wineries here, but we do ride to various bars and tie up outside. Sometimes at night. Or in the winter.

OP, I have a friend who saw something in a magazine, maybe an article or ad, called the woman up and ended up going to Iceland with her DH and staying at this woman’s farm. They rode horses and helped her with chores.

[Bastile]

sounds like heaven!

[Tanny98]

As much as I love English it is probably because I live where we are not saturated in it. There are very few horses out here in West Texas panhandle to begin with, mostly farming communities. The few people who have horses don’t have them for fun or recreation, they are working cow horses. Maybe a few that rodeo on the side but not much. Dallas / FW is a different story, but still mostly competing in western events and rodeo. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live where you do, but I can guess its probably a lot of keeping up with the Jones and that would certainly kill the passion in it for me. Come down the Texas, I’ll find someone who can put you to work on a horse lol. A dude ranch my be your better bet though.

[Pocket_Pony]

I grew up riding english and while I wasn’t as entrenched in it as it sounds you are, I did used to show in h/j land. I thought a move to eventing would help, and it did a bit and it is fun (and same with dressage, although the shows are less fun IMHO), but I look at showing and think it is the same people on the same horses with the same trainers week in and week out and it just gets old.

I now live in the country and keep the horses at home and trail ride a lot, which is great.

I got myself a mustang as a project and just wanted to see what I could do with him. That’s been fun to sort of say ‘eff it’ to conventional thought (of what I grew up with) of what makes you ‘good’ - as a rider, at least.

We had a big bucking incident where the tools I had in my toolbox from my english riding days were no longer helping me. Long story short I found the Buck Brannaman DVDs, got into a clinic and went. I worked on the exercises in those DVDs every time I rode and my horse got better. I became interested in other things and have gone to some cow clinics and some cow fun nights at the local arena.

People can laugh at my big-headed mustang and me as we try everything. I don’t care! We jump, we trail ride, we do dressage, we play with cows, we go to clinics, and we have fun!

Are you looking to really move out of the area, or just try something new and different? Ultimately I think that showing is showing no matter your discipline. It takes a lot of money, there are people who will cut all sorts of corners with regard to their horsemanship in favor of winning, there are people who have the trainers do all the work and they hop on at the last minute, there are the same people, trainers, classes, judges, preferences, etc. The essence of showing isn’t different because it is a different discipline.

See if you can find a well-respected trainer who comes to your area for clinics (Buck Brannaman being probably the “most famous” - stay away from the Parellis).

Sometimes I fantasize about running away to join one of the great horsemen or women as an old-lady working student where I could just sit and watch and learn and work with someone who really gives a damn about the horse and doesn’t give a damn about the ego.

[mountainhorse]

I agree with endurance and limited distance riding. I grew up in that ‘group’, (then moving over to other disciplines-Dressage being a primary focus), but I keep my ties with Endurance. Salt of the earth people, open to all, and fantastic groups to be a part of. It’s about the horse, you, and the trail. And the nature of the ‘job’ means you help each other out-always. Great groups, great rides,…competitive sport. Have fun!

[mvp]

[QUOTE=cloudy18;7728156]
You just need to go on some trail rides, in any tack you want, and kick back and have a drink when you’re done. It’s even better if you’re camping![/QUOTE]

Yeah, start here.

Shadowing Ray Hunt for a month (were that possible) might not be the chillax, kumbayah experience you imagine. Rather, being the student of one of these consummate horsemen is hard and humbling work.

[Diamontaire]

[QUOTE=Bastile;7728574]
where do winery rides take place?[/QUOTE]

Nothing formal or organized, just get-togethers. What area are you in?

[SportArab]

Come to South Jersey, where you’re far more likely to run into a pair of cowboy boots than dress boots and where there is the weekly Cowtown Rodeo:

http://www.cowtownrodeo.com/

[imaginique]

Check out www.redrockride.com. Buck Brannaman will be in NC in Oct. Do a search for what interests you. There are lots of options. I’ve done the red rock ride and highly recommend it.