mental conditioning

[terre <tobytrot@bigfoot.com>]

Sitting here going "mental" 'cause I can't get any news from Dubai, so
thought I would contribute an idea to this that I haven't heard mentioned:
	My favorite "tool" for mental conditioning is marking trail, especially
with a young horse.  The work involved would classify as LSD, as far as
training goes. I'm talking here about work parties, trail marking "bees".
1) Unless the trail is right in your backyard, you can reproducde the
trailering and some of the camping atmosphere of a ride--a number of rigs
with unfamiliar horses.  You are minus, however, the adrenalin rush of the
start of a ride (and the nervousness of the rider), so taking off out of
camp can be slow.
2) Generally, you tie a ribbon, trot or canter to the next tree, tie
another ribbon.  This consistutes Transitions, (many, many of them) the
best means of teaching balance and collection if done right--so do it
right!  The frequent stopping may help put "brakes" on a horse who has
problems in that department.
3) You often ride (on purpose!) in and out of ditches, up little rooty
hillocks, etc.  This ought to give your horse something to think about, and
allows you to practice your sidepass, backup, and one--only ONE--more step
tchniques.
4) The usual way we do trail marking in my part of the country is in
pairs--the old buddy system (or
Thou-shalt-not-ride-a-green-horse-alone-into-the- wilderness rule of
survival).  We leapfrog down the trail--rider one ties while rider two
keeps going, rider two ties while rider one passes and heads for the next
tree, etc.  Green horses hate this!  They neither want to leave their buddy
behind, nor (emphatically!) do they want to be left!  But if you persevere
and make them accept it, they will (eventually!) learn the most valuable
lesson of all--that the world won't end if they are separated from another
horse by more than six feet; that they WILL catch up, that life will go on!
 The smart ones will learn to snatch a bite of grass in the few seconds
you're tying.  These are all very valuable skills to have on hand on ride
day, and this is the best method I have found to teach it.
	This all constitutes the kind of slow day on the trail that Karen Chaton
was speaking of--a day on the trail that is not purely A to B as fast as
possible.  In addition, your local ride manager(s) will love you, and you
will have the satisfaction of know you helped put the ride on.  Best of
all, you (presumably) won't get lost on the trail you marked on ride day!
	One caveat--pretty much every horse I've done this with has had a sore
back for a day or two after the first session or so--then they're OK.
Probably from the rider having to lean all other the place with the reins
in their teeth while trying to tie.  Nothing a little massage and TLC won't
cure, but I don't recommend trying this the week before a ride you want to
enter, just in case.
	Terre