How many of you are arena turned trail riders?

[Serigraph]

Not that I'm going to stop all arena work, but I just LOVE a trail ride. If I could find a good trail with jumps, then I'd be out of the arena!

Now that my horse is somewhat sensible on trails (OTTB ring ridden the majority of his life), I love going out. I'm so bummed that the private trails around us are closed for hunting.

Those of you that ride in the arena and trails, do you do your "work" on a trail ride...ex: transitions, leg yield, etc?

[Huntertwo]

I was an arena rider only because I didn't have the right horse. Now that I have, most of my time is spent on the trails, with the exception of Hunting (Rifle) season. Very leery going out now.

I usually don't work as I want it to be her down/fun time. But when I bought my pony she wasn't trained to neck rein and not very good off my leg. Found that the trails were a great way to get her used to both.

As we wind our way around the trails, it is a great time to use leg pressure and neck rein, because more or less, she has stay on the trail. So hopefully she *picks* up on what I want her to learn.

[Tiempo]

I grew up hacking out in Wales and England, then when I moved to the US I was amazed that (at least where I was living at the time) riding seemed to mean nothing but taking arena lessons and showing...I was stunned that people would own or lease horses, and spend ALL thier time riding just to go in circles indoors :winkgrin:

So that was all I did as it was all that was available.

Now I live in Michigan and board my horses in a barn that has ride out access to over 20 miles of designated eq trails on 22,000 acres of state land and I am in heaven!!

[Tiempo]

I was an arena rider only because I didn't have the right horse. Now that I have, most of my time is spent on the trails, with the exception of Hunting (Rifle) season. Very leery going out now.

I usually don't work as I want it to be her down/fun time. But when I bought my pony she wasn't trained to neck rein and not very good off my leg. Found that the trails were a great way to get her used to both.

As we wind our way around the trails, it is a great time to use leg pressure and neck rein, because more or less, she has stay on the trail. So hopefully she *picks* up on what I want her to learn.

That's interesting that you have found trail riding useful for getting your horse used to working off your leg.

Tiempo is SUPER sensitive, especially to leg, and in the arena it has been very difficult to train him to understand that even just a little leg doen't mean 'kick it into high gear'

Out on the trail though, he is so much more distracted by his surroundings (mostly lovely green treats to try to snag!) that I have had great success in desentisizing him to leg, he is soooo much better in the arena now :)

[Lori]

I started as a bareback trail rider as a young kid. The "arena" back then was an end of the pasture and to get to the better riding "arenas" you had to ride the roads or trails to get there. It was a good warm up! The jumps were natural or home made.

I showed in the 70's and 80's and not so much in the 90's, but I never became a total arena type rider.

I still to this day love to just hack out on the roads or trails. I do some of my training out of the arena, too, depending on the pony. On the trails, you have trees and other objects to help with things like yielding to the leg and backing. I love to trade off so that the ponies have something fresh to do versus go in circles all the time because I get so bored with just arenas.

[jazzrider]

I always go out on trail with the intention of doing some work, but then end up forgetting and just enjoying it! :yes: But I have a a ring and we ride our (gravel) roads, so that's when we work.

[RackOn]

For years my riding was working in an arena with a trainer and showing american saddlebreds. The show horses at my barn were never turned out, never got to eat grass or roll in the dirt. They were either being worked or in their stalls. Maybe a few minutes outside in a dirt paddock.

Then I moved my show horse to my farmette and started trail riding and six years later cannot believe I was ever happy going around and around and around. There is nothing like a challenging trail ride. And my wonderful mare finally was able to be a horse. Out on grass in a pasture with her horsey friends. That bitchy mare was finally happy and stayed that way until the day she died (sniff sniff).

My current arab is a trail riding machine and I can honestly say that showing was never as much fun as trail riding. Showing was fun, I'm not sorry I did it, but most of the time it was more stressful than fun and it was costly.

Now when I get on my horse and run through the trails I feel like a kid of 13 again, when my friend and I would rent horses for $3 an hour on Saturday mornings and ride like there was no tomorrow.

[UT]

Interestingly, I was an endurance rider. I started to take dressage lessons to ride endurance better. Got hooked on dressage. Now I ride in the arena, show, but still love to go on trails. I get my fix by going on vacation once a year to gallop for a week: australia, Scotland, New Mexico, Ireland etc

[Huntertwo]

That's interesting that you have found trail riding useful for getting your horse used to working off your leg.

Tiempo is SUPER sensitive, especially to leg, and in the arena it has been very difficult to train him to understand that even just a little leg doen't mean 'kick it into high gear'

Out on the trail though, he is so much more distracted by his surroundings (mostly lovely green treats to try to snag!) that I have had great success in desentisizing him to leg, he is soooo much better in the arena now :)

My mare is the opposite. Basically ignoring my leg in the arena. I really don't think she knew what to do, as when I bought her she was the same.

I find the trails a good training tool. Again, if I want her to step away from a tree (which she would do on her own anyway) I add leg pressure. Slowly she is learning, leg pressure - move away.

Rackon: Your mare must have been in Heaven after ringwork and not much turnout. Sorry you lost her. :(


UT: All I can say is, lucky you!!!:)

[Beverley]

I guess we all start as arena riders by definition, since you do have to learn a few basic control features! But I've always done a bit of trail riding, even when 'most' of my riding was showing or preparing to show.

When I rode in France, getting out on the trails was considered part of a rider's education, not to mention a nice change of pace for both rider and horse- ring work alternated between dressage sessions and over fences sessions.

[Ponyclubrocks]

They both have their purposes. My mare definitely prefers the trail... on the trail she is up, alert and fabulously responsive, yet smart and sensible at the same time.

She usually heaves a big sigh when we go into the indoor arena (usually due to the late hour or the weather) but then she rides beautifully, she just doesn't have that same spark.

I view our arena time as an opportunity to work on our finesse, the details and precision that frankly come in handy when you're in a sticky situation on the trail. I have enjoyed using Jane Savoies Cross training dressage series as a source for exercises to focus on in the arena.

I think that is one key to maximizing arena time. Don't just go in and ride in circles, have a plan, have some preselected exercises and if possible have some fun music on!

That said, in the summer we ride outdoors 90+% of the time but in the winter, I usually only get outside on the weekends, during the week we are indoors.

[Auventera Two]

Me. I still do arena work during the winter, but truthfully, I pretty much hate it. My heart is out on the trail. :)

[jnel]

I was an arena rider because I was hostage to whatever the instructor wanted to do. The lovely cross county course and large pastures were only used for turn out! After I started riding/working at a National Park I discovered my calling. I would go as far out on the trails as time allowed looking for lost hikers, talking to the public, checking trail conditions and signs of illegal hunting. It was great! The horse and I were a team with a sense of purpose and a reason to explore. I don't ever want to be stuck in the areana again.

[tabula rashah]

I was an all ring rider for the first few years I rode as a kid- mostly due to the fact that I took hunter lessons. Now I am almost exclusively an outside of the ring person. I do use it sometimes but its a rare occasion and yes, I practice all my "work" on the trail.

[CosMonster]

I consider myself a bona fide arena rider--my entire background is dressage and hunters, and it wasn't until I was given (that's a nice way to put it) a "ruined" horse that hated arena work that I started thinking about some serious trail riding, but as other have said trails were still an essential part of my education. I've always ridden my show horses 6 days a week, at least two of those days being out on the trail (usually one training ride and one easy hack), and sometimes more. Now I have one show horse and one trail horse, and both of them I ride out three days and in the arena three days. The goals of each ride are different for each, though.

I think that it is a relatively new thing to see all these people who are afraid to take their horses out on trails. It seems to me that a lot of it has to do with less areas to ride--I remember when I was a kid, we could just take off for miles across the desert. You could go all day and never see anyone. Now, it can be really scary. You have to deal with drivers who don't know how to pass horses safely, unruly dogs, dirt bikes, mountain bikes, etc. Plus, more riders are picking it up older it seems, and they are naturally more afraid. The combination of the two makes for ring-bound riders in my experience, but it isn't good for horse or rider.

[vanheimrhorses]

i do both arena and trail work, i work mostly in the arena and then hack out once or twice a week and or cool out by hacking out on the trail for ten minutes. I used to have a bonding session day with my showjumper mare twice a month where i would take her out in a short shank hackamore and let her graze all the lush grass on the trail edges and meadow edges not fenced. She really looked forward to those days and knew it when the hackamore bridle came out. When i was getting my showjumpers fit I would hack them out on trails and gallop them for several miles about 2-3 on the power lines and this was incredible because the horse I conditioned this way won at a PA jumper show in the jump off by 6 seconds over her competition, not just a few seconds or fractions but an entire 6 seconds!!!

[questisthebest]

I live in Spokane, WA where its wet and icy for a while, so unfortunately I couldnt do a lot of trail training for my appendix before our LD ride in March, we did almost all arena work, flat work, jumping, and when it was dry I would lunge him for a while on the hills. he finished the ride and pulsed down immediately. If I had my choice I would have done more on the trails, i took what i could get, but I definetely think some arena work is important!

[Adamantane]

I'm going to ask a naive question because, well, about some things I am naive.

When I first started taking lessons as an adult, my universe was limited to the arena by necessity since there were questions about steering and control. After a few months enforced by winter, in the spring I ventured out although people seemed clutched up about it. I did it with others and eventually most of the time by myself because it was pleasant and sometimes I prefer to be by myself. The horse never ran away or did anything worse that tossing me off when spooked by some deer.

From time to time now, a few years and lessons later, when I go out across the fields or on the trails nearby some fairly experienced people at the barn seem to think that going off by onesself is something they would never do. I got into trouble once -- hung up in some vines -- and got myself out of it, but in general it seems no more dangerous than anything else, just less controlled an environment. Am I missing something? What is a rational reason for that apprehension? (No, to avoid cheap shots, it is not thay have an utter lack of confidence in my riding ability, but rather some poorly defined sense of danger that I just don't get.)

Am I just too ignorant to appreciate some real dangers to which I am exposing my self by riding alone this way? Or are the other folks simply very risk averse and cautious?

[Serigraph]

I cannot really comment on why they'd look at you strange when you ride alone. Maybe they themselves are afraid of leaving a controlled environment and perceive something is going to happen if they do venture out, so think the same about you. Maybe they've had some bad accidents out on the trails?

When I first started riding I leased a very ring sour horse. All I did was go out on trails with him b/c he hated the ring. I never got hurt or even fell off and I could barely ride. I also did some pretty stupid things looking back, and I was always alone b/c I had no one to ride with. I stayed close to home though. I am smarter now and think ahead of things that may happen and how I can be safer.

I almost always go out alone. I really like going alone and bonding with my horse that way, but I also have no one to ride with.

FWIW - I had my worst accident ever in an arena on a schooled QH. And any other falls have been in an arena or controlled environment.

[Adamantane]

Maybe they themselves are afraid of leaving a controlled environment and perceive something is going to happen if they do venture out, so think the same about you. Maybe they've had some bad accidents out on the trails?

So you're saying they may be 'projecting' (to use the psych buzzword, probably improperly] their personal fear of riding alone on a trail onto me?

I am smarter now and think ahead of things that may happen and how I can be safer.

Experience is great! Wish I had more. Think I've learned a lesson from every stupid care/grooming/tacking up/riding/dismounting/leading thing I ever have done, or at least realized or somebody later explained. (Kindly; I've been lucky with other barn riders. :))

Of course, I've been riding basically nice horses -- a couple long ago were turkeys and tried to brush my knees against trees, or deked me out after seemingly lying in wait to a take big advantage of my first momentary lapse.

I almost always go out alone.

If I'm trying to pay attention to something I'm doing, company is way too distracting. If I prefer to 'commune with the outdoor universe,' company is also too distracting.

But especially to begin with, I sometimes found it nice just to plop along the trail and focus on conversation. Heck, its still saddle time, and something weird always happens with one of the horses at some point, so it's often educational.

FWIW - I had my worst accident ever in an arena on a schooled QH. And any other falls have been in an arena or controlled environment.

Yikes. Now that I think about it my two closest calls with potential for seriously getting hurt were both when I was alone, once on a trail and once at the very edge of the woods.:eek: Maybe I should at least carry a cellphone? :lol: To be sure getting bitten on the arm while tacking up (couple days after my fourth lesson) was the only incident to leave a lasting mark, and that was ten feet from the stall.:D

[saddleup]

I was soley an arena rider for many years, and gradually became a trail rider instead. I got tired of showing, and found out I loved the great outdoors much more.

I showed dressage, low level eventing (lost my nerve after a bad fall), did a little western at breed shows and discovered my horse loved to work the trail class obstacles. One thing led to another, and we started using his skills crossing real bridges, opening real gates, etc.

I've never looked back. In the winter I have to ride in an arena and it about does me and my horse in. I set up trail courses and try to come up with exercises to fight the boredom, but while everyone else is praying for snow, I'm praying for a short winter so I can get back outside and ride.

[Huntertwo]

I'm going to ask a naive question because, well, about some things I am naive.

When I first started taking lessons as an adult, my universe was limited to the arena by necessity since there were questions about steering and control. After a few months enforced by winter, in the spring I ventured out although people seemed clutched up about it. I did it with others and eventually most of the time by myself because it was pleasant and sometimes I prefer to be by myself. The horse never ran away or did anything worse that tossing me off when spooked by some deer.

From time to time now, a few years and lessons later, when I go out across the fields or on the trails nearby some fairly experienced people at the barn seem to think that going off by onesself is something they would never do. I got into trouble once -- hung up in some vines -- and got myself out of it, but in general it seems no more dangerous than anything else, just less controlled an environment. Am I missing something? What is a rational reason for that apprehension? (No, to avoid cheap shots, it is not thay have an utter lack of confidence in my riding ability, but rather some poorly defined sense of danger that I just don't get.)

Am I just too ignorant to appreciate some real dangers to which I am exposing my self by riding alone this way? Or are the other folks simply very risk averse and cautious?

I moved my mare once to a barn that had miles of trails. We moved in 5:30 that night and first thing in the morning we headed for the trails.
The BO looked at me like I was nuts.:eek: Gasp!

IMO the die hard arena riders (not saying all) but the ones I've known are truely afraid of the outdoors and the unknown that does along with it.

The horse goes from the stall to the indoor, back to the stall. Nice and safe bubble.
A true rounded horse should be able to do both. But, I can't say the thing about most riders. ;)

P.S. This is an interesting post. It does seem that most of the arena riders who switched over to trails, have no regrets and love trail riding.

[Huntertwo]

:cry: That poor deer... I wonder how long she suffered for.

Does your State allow hunting on Sundays? It is banned in CT thankfully. Giving us one day to ride semi-safe out in the woods.

Your Dad sounds like a pretty darn good rider. :yes:

[Dressage Art]

I love trail riding as well. I would love to do that more often. It’s just when weather is not good for it, then what do you do? I’m heavy in to dressage, I even licenced to judge schooling dressage shows. I take regular dressage lessons and my horse is schooling 3rd level now. Unfortunately, some dressage people look down that I love trail ride so much … but I do. It’s fun and adventurous. I get so bored riding in the sand box!

[Adamantane]

So it's more an anxiety thing about being outside a controlled environment with people around at all times to potentially pick up the pieces, rather than a snob thing about avoiding something that some may deem inelegant and unsophisticated?

Be interesting to post a poll on the dressage forum about attitudes of dressage people in general toward riding a trail now and again.

I know some dedicated dressage afficianados who really enjoy riding out by themselves, but my narrow sampling may not be at all representative. (No doubt about how eventers and foxhunters feel on this, of course.:D)