Tips or advise for a new trail rider, please.

[2DogsFarm]

I was just about your age when I got my OTTB with the same issues on trails.

I had a smallish group of friends who trailrode & I’d end up riding to the trailhead with them, then when he’d start his Post Parade jigging, turn around and head back to the arena for some work.

Happily there was a large unfenced field between the trails & the barn.
So once he got the idea that acting like it was Post Time meant back to work indoors, we progressed to riding alone in the field.

There was also another rider with a bombproof horse who’d go out with just me & my TB.
That helped as when my guy spooked, the other horse was “Meh” so the spooking decreased.

It took time, and for years every Spring was a repeat: Jig, Spook & finally relax - until finally I could ride him on the buckle, alone or with others.

Good advice on here already - especially from McGurk :yes:

[ReSomething]

My experience was that my friends had to be very very patient. I actually quit riding in company because the whole get left behind at the trot thing got too intense. I really needed to be setting the pace, to be the once allowed to set the pace. (actually it was the mare that needed that).

I got a lot of help from riding with one other person who was very patient and had a nice calm horse. If we decided to trot it was a mutual thing and she was always aware and would slow to a walk if she could see that my mare was wanting to run on ahead - my mare wasn’t that interested in leaving her companion.

The problem comes when you need to move into riding with groups that aren’t so well controlled. I think I’d start in the arena with leapfrogging, passing and being passed, keeping your own gait etc and then slowly move out to trails, but having the right friends is going to be the problem.

I have ridden the pony out with a hiker before and he does see the human as being one of the group, so the obstacle he was not interested in passing on his own becomes much more doable with my DH forging on ahead, but there are some issues inherent there as well, such as if dummy the pony decides to hop over the creekbed and gets into the space of the leader - if it’s a human he could hurt them by running into them plus it’s bad mannered so needs correction, IMO I wouldn’t worry about running into an equine leader half so much, not for a while.

Best of luck!

[GotMyPony]

[QUOTE=AlexS;7739867]
Arena riding feels so much more secure to me, as he can’t go anywhere if I splat off him. But on the trails, I might never see him again.

In case you’re not already doing this, get something like a luggage tag that can be attached to a ring on your saddle and then insert a business card (or something that size) with your name, phone #, barn name/location, horse name, etc. If he does get away from you someone is bound to find him and will be able to contact you.

You know people get horses accustomed to trail riding all the time; it’s a challenge but you sound like you’re experienced enough to do it, especially with the arrangement you now have with your very patient friend. That’s exactly the kind of thing you need. Good luck!

[katarine]

he is overwhelmed by that many variables- too many other horses to keep track of. the maximum group size is 3 total for a horse like this for now…him and two totally steady eddies.

You guys should all do the same things- when they trotted- you held him and he got upset- totally predictable better and safer to just go with them…if trotting up a long hill would let him blow off some nerves, do it. Cantering now? No- but some long, jangling, on the move MOVING would be good for him.

He needs to be 100% reliable on turning before you go out on trails. He HAS to steer. If you can steer, him you can ride him. But you have to decide if you have the will and the calm to be supportive of him- if you’re on edge, what choice does he have but to sit there on the edge with you?

[AlexS]

I am hearing everything that you are all saying to me, and I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to type it all out.

Here’s the deal, I need help from my friend, the only enclosed area is our pasture, we are going to ride out there with 2-3 horses, and see how he copes. I don’t care much if I come off, I will heal, I worry about him being loose and alone. Thank you to whoever suggested I put my info on the saddle, I will do that.

As this is a big deal to me, I put this on my FB and my friends were saying go back to basics so he trusts me. He had a freak out today, broke the cross ties, caused two other horses to break theirs too. I ran out of the stall, and grabbed him and he stopped his freak out immediately. We have the ground work there, he trust’s me - just not to that level - how do I do that?

We let the horses calm down, when they were all eating hay we went out. Lucas was an ass again, cantering on the spot, but my friends energy was so much better than mine. She didn’t care, but didn’t appreciate the two big bucks he gave. I didn’t see either, but heard both. Apparently his back feet were over his head.

My friend and I always respected each other, but now more so. As the lead calm horse I was on alert at all times for him trying to pass me, and I’d move over or grab out. As she was riding Lucas, she now knows what I have been going through. I think we, as friends needed that.

We are going to work in the pasture for a bit. He can’t go anywhere if I splat.

Thank you so much for your help, this hasn’t been fun at all. And I am ruining their ride, so I feel like a piece of manure, as it all needs to be at walk, and that sucks for them.

[brody]

You can do a short warm up ride with them in the pasture then thy can go for their hack and you can lunge your silly boy and do ground work. If he’s breaking cross ties in the barn he’s on hyper alert generally. Time and patience and limits will be your friend.

[Golden_Pony]

The advice everyone has given you regarding training so far has been spot on and I echo all of it. On another note, you may want to try adding magnesium to his diet in the form of Remission or Quiessense. The magnesium has really seemed to help our TBs calm down a little.

I did have one TB that after the track had been a ring horse until age 15. He was a saint in the ring, when we went on trail he was a hot mess. I think he was agoraphobic! I worked with a professsional for 3 solid months on the trail with him. We eventually got to the point where he was safe for me and those around us us but I knew he wasn’t happy - he would literally shake all over in his skin. Don’t be to dissapointed if he doesn’t become a “trail pony” - some horses just don’t like it.

[katarine]

I have a complete pet of a twh who is a saint on the ground and a hot mess in a crowd on the trail.

If he’s coming that undone that he is bucking that hard…tell me again why riding him out is a good idea?

[saddleup]

Maybe he’s just not cut out for life in the great outdoors. Not every horse can handle it. That’s why it bugs me when people refer to a horse being “just” a trail horse. It takes a certain mind, and a definite skill set, to do it safely.

It’s supposed to be fun. Don’t lose sight of that.

[McGurk]

As this is a big deal to me, I put this on my FB and my friends were saying go back to basics so he trusts me. He had a freak out today, broke the cross ties, caused two other horses to break theirs too. I ran out of the stall, and grabbed him and he stopped his freak out immediately. We have the ground work there, he trust’s me - just not to that level - how do I do that?

I think you have this backwards. Trust is built first from a solid foundation of obedience and basic skills, and then raising difficulty or adding experiences in small increments that challenge the horse without scaring and/or intimidating them. There is no way to build enough trust on the ground and in the ring alone to then suddenly jump into a three hour large group trail ride. You have to do the small incremental steps to add skills and build confidence. Just like my earlier analogy about jumping a 3’ course with no prior prep of ground poles, cavaletti, gymastics, single fences, then related distaces at lower heights; there is no way to build enough trust on the ground or in the ring to make that a calm, safe experience without the small incremental steps.

You are not alone in this, it’s a common misconception. People think that horses should just know how to trail ride, that it’s somehow natural for them, and no preparation is really necessary. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially for a horse off the track. If you wouldn’t take a horse that’s never jumped and point it down a 3’ line with a related distance, you shouldn’t take a horse that’s only been in the ring solo and throw it in a big group trail ride.

Your horse is trying to tell you that he’s frightened, overwhelmed and overstimulated. Pay attention. Go back and fill in all the foundation, and all the incremental steps you skipped. THAT will build trust. You may end up with a really lovely horse that enjoys hacking out and is a pleasure to ride.

I think you can guess how the horse that’s suddenly expected to jump the 3’ course with no foundation ends up feeling about jumping; do you really want your horse’s association with trail riding to be fear and exhaustion?

[rockymouse]

You’ve gotten lots of wise words here.
I appreciate that you want to do something new and fun with your horse and your barn friends, but I think you’re asking too much too soon from this particular gelding. It likewise sounds like it’s too much too soon for your own comfort.
If he were mine, I’d work him well in the ring/pasture/his comfortable place getting him a little tired. I’d have a steady eddy also in the ring, doing whatever they want to do. After you have a nice successful ride, head toward the trail with buddy horse. Go a couple hundred yards and head back to the barn. A few more minutes of work, then put up.
Rinse and repeat over the course of many days. I think it’s important to turn back before he gets jiggy. If you can only go fifty yards away before he gets jiggy, so be it. Patience is at work here. Each day have a goal of going a wee bit farther than the day before. This may not always be possible and the successes you have may be measured in feet, as in, we got three feet farther today than yesterday. That’s okay.
Remember to laugh, breathe, talk about pleasant topics or sing while you’re doing this exercise.
I don’t know if I quite agree with this, but I did have a friend with a superjiggy horse and she tried this method, though when she got to the turnaround point, there was a horse treat or cookies there at the point where they turned back. Or she’d let him graze for a minute. It worked for her and I’m throwing that out there as an idea.
You might jazz this up by doing the same thing but with him being ponied.
Good luck. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Go slow! If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean that you’re a failure, a bad trainer or a bad rider. It just means that this horse REALLY doesn’t like trailriding. I’ve got a mare that hates cattle. She’ll help hold the herd, but she does NOT want to split the herd or get close to them. I’m not going to make her do it; we’ve tried to ease her into it and she just doesn’t like it. That’s okay.
Take care and good luck!

[Cindyg]

[QUOTE=AlexS;7741122]
I worry about him being loose and alone…We have the ground work there, he trust’s me - just not to that level - how do I do that? … And I am ruining their ride, so I feel like a piece of manure, as it all needs to be at walk, and that sucks for them.[/QUOTE]

You need to stop riding with people who make you feel like a piece of manure.

You need many, many hours with your horse. Even if you’re “not doing anything.” You need to know you can control him in any circumstance, including the cross tie.

You need to think hard about whether this is the right horse for you to go trail riding on.

I know what I’m speaking of. I am three trail rides into a 15+ year phobia of getting separated from my horse away from home.

It was a huge epiphany to me about six weeks ago when I verbalized to myself, “This horse is not going to leap out from under me.” (That’s not to say nothing can go wrong.)

You aren’t to that point yet. You need lots more time with your horse. Do what you can be successful at and build from there.

[gypsymare]

Send him to a pro for a month, someone with a reputation for being great with green horses and an ability to “sit chilly.” It sounds like you are feeding his anxiety at this point and need a reset.

[AlexS]

You are all right, and thank you. I posted on COTH rather than the other more fluffy boards because I wanted to hear what I needed to hear. I don’t want head patting, I want real advise, and that’s what you have all done.

Cindyg, just to clear one thing up, my friends are great, and so willing to help. It’s my feelings that I am ruining their ride, not theirs.

I posted this thread as I am doing a lot of thinking, and you have all pushed me to think more.
I am just expecting my horse to hack out. I had an incredible show jumping mare many years ago, hacking out/trail riding was her down time. I think I still have that in my head.

You are all right, it’s not just to be expected that any horse can do this. And that’s my error in judgement, that’s it easy, and should be relaxing time for the horse.

I am taking it back to basics. There’s no arena where I am at now, so when the horses are in the barn, I am going to ride in the pasture. When that’s easy, and normal, I will introduce my friends on their horses, and we can work on riding together. Then I will start the trail, reward for a good experience and come home, and slowly increase. I’ve expected too much too quickly, and I need to step it back.

Also he’s only been off senior feed (from the old barn) for a full week. Not sure how long that takes to come out of the system, but should hopefully be seeing that soon.

[saratoga]

Did you ever try aking him out alone? My tb can get wound up in company, especially on big rides, he generally needds to be in front, especially on the way home. But by himself he is very calm.

[cnvh]

It sounds like you have a near-phobia about your horse being loose on a trail… I HAVE had that happen on a couple of occasions, and I just wanted to share that, while admittedly scary, it wasn’t the end of the world. In fact, in some ways I’m glad it HAS happened, because I found out that my horse is a homing pigeon, lol…

Twice I came off on trails near my barn, and both times Horse made a beeline for his stall. I came off once on the XC course at a starter trial, and damn if that horse didn’t go galloping off RIGHT BACK TO OUR TRAILER, with a nice reining worthy skidding stop at his own haynet.

Point being, what’s the worst that can happen? You could torment yourself by playing the “what if” game but in all likelihood, he’s going to head straight for home. Horses are creatures of habit; most of them will instinctively go back to where they feel safe, which is their barn.

[AlexS]

Saratoga, no I never have, that’s a good idea and then I can isolate the problem and work on it more specifically.

cnvh, that’s helpful thanks. That is my fear. I don’t much care if I splat and am hurt, I will likely heal - but I put him there, and then he’s loose and free and that scares the stuffing out of me. I’ve only come off three times in my life, so I don’t fear it on my end, I’ve never been really hurt. I fear it for him.

[Flash44]

AlexS, I’m not comfortable with your comment about feeling safer on his back than on the ground. If he’s not paying attention on the ground, he won’t pay attention while mounted. I’d be doing hours and hours and hours of ground work with this horse in a safe, contained area to get him listening, moving his shoulders and hindquarters at my direction, staying out of my space, paying attention to me and learning that nothing awful will happen. Then I’d get on and transition those lessons to riding exercises, in the same safe, confined space. I’d also work in copious amounts of desensitizing and bombproofing with as much crazy stuff I can find like making a vine simulator, plastic bags, tarps, inflatable pool toys, etc until he learns to control his reactions to strange things. As you work through a logical systematic program, he will gain confidence in himself and most importantly, in you. Once he feels relaxed while you are riding, have some friends join you. At the end of your ride, see if you can go a few steps down the trail, then come home before he gets upset. Gradually build your time down the trail, and continue your ground work and riding.

As others have said, some horses just never make good trail horses. But continuously taking him into stressful situations without allowing him to find some relief (as you would during a training session or groundwork) usually does not result in him learning what you want him to learn.

[monique1986]

I had a mare who was a basket case on the trail at first—but with a steady eddy to ride along with (just 1 horse!) she eventually got pretty confident and was a great trail horse. She never did ride out alone well though. But don’t give up yet OP! You just have to push him a leeetle bit at a time, but not so far that he blows up (well, in my not so experienced opinion, please take with a grain of salt) Then keep at it day after day and he should be fine in the end. If not, he is just not a trail horse—some horses never are, but you won’t know that until you try to work through this.

My hat’s off to you for doing the right thing by this guy though & not just shoving him into something he’s not ready for…keep thinking it through & you will find the right answer(-:

[AlexS]

Flash 44, sorry for not being clear - that’s not what I meant, I certainly understand the point of ground work.
Imagine the most extreme thing that could happen while we are out, and about. Obviously, it’s very unlikely, but say a light plane crashed in the corn field right next to us - at that point, I’d rather be on the horse than off it. In a serious freak out, a horse will rip out of my hands faster than it will unseat me.

Thanks Monique. I am trying to keep him safe and do the right thing by him.