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Re: [RC] Thinkin' about trail training - Kristen A FisherI have always had a difficult time rating my horse; he has way more go than whoa, I like to ride fairly conservatively, especially because he is not that experienced. The terrain he wants to through/up/down/over at 10-12 mph is not necessarily what he can or should do (nor what I can ride). And I often have to rate him back into a trot from a canter. One of our best breakthroughs came a few weeks ago when he cantered on a portion of trail to steady himself, then dropped back to a trot of his own accord. I think he is learning to read the trail and understand how to best navigate the terrain at speed. His trot over uneven terrain can also be very bumpy and difficult to ride, and I also learned recently that if I can collect him up just a tad differently, he evens out and is much smoother. He has always been a so-so eater away from home, and on our last time out the light bulb came on and he went, "damn this makes me hungry and thirsty!" So I guess it's the ability to learn what's needed. I know some horses are what I call "vu-ja-de" (as in the opposite of de'javu - I have never seen any of this ever before) so it's nice to see some that have learned "been there, done that". Kristen and Counterpart Maybe for the new riders and for those of us who need gentle reminders from time to time, what are qualities you value in a good trail horse. How do you train that horse. What's important to you? ============================================================ REAL endurance is your water freezing IN the cantle bags! ~ Heidi Sowards ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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