Guilherme
Jun. 30, 2009, 03:24 PM
What makes a good trail horse?
A good trail horse begins with a knowledgeable and skilled rider. Whenever a rider picks up the lead shank they become the trainer du jour. It is incumbent upon them to have the skills and experience necessary to effectively assume this role. If they lack the skill and/or the experience they owe it to the horse (and to themselves) to broaden their skills. There are historical programs that can be reviewed (I like the program followed by the Army from roughly the turn of the 19th Century to 1948). Many people offer training in this regard (lots of gurus here, don’t you know). The rider is free to select the program that works best for them.
Put another way, there are at least “1000 roads to Rome” in this regard. There are few, if any, “school” answers.
The second root of a good trail horse begins in the breeding shed. Conformation, temperament, and way of going are all important aspects. If one is defective then the horse will likely be unsuitable. Breed best trail horse to best trail horse and you’ll likely do OK.
If the horse is to be bought, not bred, the same three considerations apply. Again, if any of these items is less then optimal then the horse will have trouble doing its job. This does not mean that the horse will be totally incapable. Nor does it mean the horse is not capable of doing other jobs. It just means that if the rider makes a poor selection then they are going to have to spend time and money on correcting a problem that need not have occurred. This also does not mean that the horse has to be “perfect.” In this instance (as in so many things) “perfection” is the enemy of “excellence.”
After the horse has been selected then the training can begin. Again, we presume the rider has the skills and experience to do the work required. If they don’t, they should get that help. If they don’t it does not mean that they will fail, only that success will be slower and more expensive.
We’ll presume a correctly started, green broke* horse of appropriate maturity (four or more years of age**). My personal preference is to start in the school and expand and refine the basic skills the horse already has. This approach will add strength and fitness to the horse. It will also allow horse and rider to begin to work effectively together and learn a measure of “trust.” This will become important as “obstacles” are introduced. We would work on transitions; lateral movement; turns (on the forehand and on the hindquarters); circles; regularity of gait; and other aspects of classical equitation. The goal is for the horse to give a “crisp” response to the rider’s cues and aids. We would place a lot of emphasis on responding to seat and leg, while not ignoring response to the hand.
We would begin “hacking out” fairly early in the process, but nothing too dramatic. Work both alone and with another horse would be part of the program. During the process the rider will introduce various “scary” things as opportunities present themselves. If the rider has done the basic work in the school then chances are “boogers” will be much less of a challenge than if that work is skipped or is part of a “corner cutting” strategy.
If a new horse gets too nervous, a major benefit can be gained by doing some work with dead broke, really quiet horses and skilled riders. Horses are herd animals and a quiet herd will be easier to work with than an excited one. The riders can help by noting things about the new horse that the rider of that horse may not see or feel.
As the horse learns (trust, movement, correct responses to cues and aids, etc.) the rider can add more complex and challenging tasks. We think gun breaking the trail horse is a Very Good Thing because in our area hunting is popular and permitted on lots of public and private land also open to riding. Exposure to everyday “boogers” (bicycles, ATVs, cattle, deer, garbage bags, hikers wearing backpacks, horse drawn equipment, etc.) is part and parcel of this program. Again, the base skills of horse and rider are laid in the arena so that the horse, when it spooks, will look to the rider for assurance and the rider will have the skills to “cowboy up” and ride the horse through the problem.
It will take a couple of years of consistent work to “make” a good trail horse. Even then training must continue (for horse and rider) to review and reinforce lessons learned as well as expand knowledge and experience.
IMO there are no “magic formulae” for any of this. There are no “magic devices” for any of this. There are no “magic words” for any of this. The only thing that works consistently is an intelligently wetted blanket (and breeches).
G.
P.S. While much of the above is in "English" terms the Western rider can substitute the things from their discipline necessary to accomplish the same ends. :)
* We consider a horse “green broke” when it will walk, trot, and canter on cue; whoa; turn left and right on a direct or open rein; take one step backward under saddle; stand quietly for grooming, tack up, and mounting; load in and out of a trailer without “drama”’; and respect the lead rope when tied.
**There is always controversy over ages for training. We feel that four is a good age for real work to begin as the horse’s body and mind have achieved a level of maturity that their attention span permits significant learning. This does not mean that younger horses can’t learn or that older horses will in any way be handicapped.
A good trail horse begins with a knowledgeable and skilled rider. Whenever a rider picks up the lead shank they become the trainer du jour. It is incumbent upon them to have the skills and experience necessary to effectively assume this role. If they lack the skill and/or the experience they owe it to the horse (and to themselves) to broaden their skills. There are historical programs that can be reviewed (I like the program followed by the Army from roughly the turn of the 19th Century to 1948). Many people offer training in this regard (lots of gurus here, don’t you know). The rider is free to select the program that works best for them.
Put another way, there are at least “1000 roads to Rome” in this regard. There are few, if any, “school” answers.
The second root of a good trail horse begins in the breeding shed. Conformation, temperament, and way of going are all important aspects. If one is defective then the horse will likely be unsuitable. Breed best trail horse to best trail horse and you’ll likely do OK.
If the horse is to be bought, not bred, the same three considerations apply. Again, if any of these items is less then optimal then the horse will have trouble doing its job. This does not mean that the horse will be totally incapable. Nor does it mean the horse is not capable of doing other jobs. It just means that if the rider makes a poor selection then they are going to have to spend time and money on correcting a problem that need not have occurred. This also does not mean that the horse has to be “perfect.” In this instance (as in so many things) “perfection” is the enemy of “excellence.”
After the horse has been selected then the training can begin. Again, we presume the rider has the skills and experience to do the work required. If they don’t, they should get that help. If they don’t it does not mean that they will fail, only that success will be slower and more expensive.
We’ll presume a correctly started, green broke* horse of appropriate maturity (four or more years of age**). My personal preference is to start in the school and expand and refine the basic skills the horse already has. This approach will add strength and fitness to the horse. It will also allow horse and rider to begin to work effectively together and learn a measure of “trust.” This will become important as “obstacles” are introduced. We would work on transitions; lateral movement; turns (on the forehand and on the hindquarters); circles; regularity of gait; and other aspects of classical equitation. The goal is for the horse to give a “crisp” response to the rider’s cues and aids. We would place a lot of emphasis on responding to seat and leg, while not ignoring response to the hand.
We would begin “hacking out” fairly early in the process, but nothing too dramatic. Work both alone and with another horse would be part of the program. During the process the rider will introduce various “scary” things as opportunities present themselves. If the rider has done the basic work in the school then chances are “boogers” will be much less of a challenge than if that work is skipped or is part of a “corner cutting” strategy.
If a new horse gets too nervous, a major benefit can be gained by doing some work with dead broke, really quiet horses and skilled riders. Horses are herd animals and a quiet herd will be easier to work with than an excited one. The riders can help by noting things about the new horse that the rider of that horse may not see or feel.
As the horse learns (trust, movement, correct responses to cues and aids, etc.) the rider can add more complex and challenging tasks. We think gun breaking the trail horse is a Very Good Thing because in our area hunting is popular and permitted on lots of public and private land also open to riding. Exposure to everyday “boogers” (bicycles, ATVs, cattle, deer, garbage bags, hikers wearing backpacks, horse drawn equipment, etc.) is part and parcel of this program. Again, the base skills of horse and rider are laid in the arena so that the horse, when it spooks, will look to the rider for assurance and the rider will have the skills to “cowboy up” and ride the horse through the problem.
It will take a couple of years of consistent work to “make” a good trail horse. Even then training must continue (for horse and rider) to review and reinforce lessons learned as well as expand knowledge and experience.
IMO there are no “magic formulae” for any of this. There are no “magic devices” for any of this. There are no “magic words” for any of this. The only thing that works consistently is an intelligently wetted blanket (and breeches).
G.
P.S. While much of the above is in "English" terms the Western rider can substitute the things from their discipline necessary to accomplish the same ends. :)
* We consider a horse “green broke” when it will walk, trot, and canter on cue; whoa; turn left and right on a direct or open rein; take one step backward under saddle; stand quietly for grooming, tack up, and mounting; load in and out of a trailer without “drama”’; and respect the lead rope when tied.
**There is always controversy over ages for training. We feel that four is a good age for real work to begin as the horse’s body and mind have achieved a level of maturity that their attention span permits significant learning. This does not mean that younger horses can’t learn or that older horses will in any way be handicapped.