Overcoming Trail Obstacles By Steve Rother

NW Rider Magazine May 2008

You are out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon trail ride with your trusty horse. The soft rays of the sun are drifting down through the trees. There is a slight breeze in the air that lifts up the soft scents of the forest. As the trail winds down a small hill and around the bend, things begin to change. Your horse’s energy begins to rise and your grip on the rein begins to increase, in anticipation for what is to come. Then all of the sudden, for no reason at all, your trusty stead is not so trusty anymore. The slight breeze is now a sudden burst of wind as your horse jumps off the side of the trail. Grabbing for a pile of reins and mane, you soon recover, and get back on your way. However, this is short lived. As you approach your next trail obstacle, you are once again faced with a sudden burst of wind - this time from your horse doing a quick 180 degree turn in an attempt to avoid the water. From here, things go from bad to worse. Your horse won’t stop jigging and any attempt to calm him down is useless. Fortunately, the ride is almost over. After a quick 30 minute trailer loading session, you are on your way home, from yet another calm pleasant trail riding experience.

For many of us, all or part of this scenario is all too familiar. We are able to get the horse out onto the trail, but it does not always go as planned. This can make us frustrated, confused, and sometimes scared. So let’s talk about some options…

KEEP YOUR HORSE FOCUSED:

Focus! I don’t mean focusing on the deer or on the water, but focusing on controlling your horse’s feet and mind. This is a simple thing to say, but not always a simple thing to do .If you are lacking control of your horse at obstacles or scary objects, you are probably lacking control in the first place. Most people are fairly content with a horse that walks, trots, backs a little, and maybe even side passes. However, in order to have control at an object you need more than good control – you need great control. Can you side pass your horse at a trot and a canter? Can you back your horse in a figure eight pattern? Can you lope them for five minutes without slowing down, speeding up, changing direction, or changing the size of your circle? When you are faced with something that your horse may not have confidence in, they will look to you for guidance. If you can’t provide much more than just trying to slow them down, petting them, and even circling a little - then you may not have the partnership necessary to face many trail obstacles.

KEEP YOUR HORSEMANSHIP FOCUSED.

While riding your horse down the trail are you practicing your horsemanship that you have practice at home? All too often we get in the habit of letting things come to us, instead of us going to them. What I mean by this is: sometimes we may be riding along, then all of the sudden our horse might spook. We then gather the reins and try to get control. It should be the other way around - you need to be sure that you have control of your horse, before they spook. Doing it this way means they often won’t even bother with spooking. Rather than meandering down the trail on a loose rein for very long periods of time, try picking up on the reins from time to time. Ask your horse to side pass from side to side, do a couple of circles, and speed up to a fast trot, then down to a slow walk. Then up to a slow trot, turn your horse around and back down the trail for 50ft. Once you have done this, continue on a loose rein at walk for a while. This way you will be ready for things that may come your way. Why? Because you have control of your horse’s mind and feet.

CROSSING OBSTACLES:

There is nothing quite as frustrating as a horse that won’t cross over a bridge, creek, or even a small log on a trail. Many times this simply boils down to your horse not trusting your request at that moment. What can be very helpful is taking the time at home to improve your horse’s obstacle ability. It is amazing what you can create at home with a little creativity. Tarps, barrels, ground poles, water, streamers, and a shovel can go a long ways in making a very creative home-made course. The key is to get out there and have fun with some challenging - but not impossible - obstacles that will allow you and your horse to work outside of your comfort zone in a safe environment. I wish I had a nickel for every person that said: “what if you are out there on those trails that are straight up on one side and straight down on another. What do you do then?” I simply tell them: “If you horse is truly that bad, then you shouldn’t be out there in the first place. If you have truly done your homework, then just trust your horse and go for the ride.” The key is being ready before you get there. However, if it truly gets that bad, just get off and deal with it on the ground.

PREPARE YOUR HORSE

Often, before we go out on a trail ride, we have a tendency not to warm our horses up properly. The purpose of your warm up is not just for the physical aspects, but the mental, as well. Sometimes this may mean getting your undependable trail horse out on Thursday and Friday, in preparation for your Saturday trail ride. During these warm ups, take the time to not just ride your horse, but to test them out as well. Put them into situations that you might find out on the trail. Test their emergency stops out, spook them and see how they handle it. Ride them straight through puddles at a walk, trot, and canter. Try backing through and over ground poles. Expose them to dogs, llamas, goats, etc… Get creative! I always advise trying these warm-ups from the ground first, before attempting them under saddle.

USE TRAILER LOADING AS A WARM-UP

We can learn a lot about our horses when we put them into awkward situations around a familiar object. Before you go out on your ride, do a quick mental check with your horse at the trailer. Try standing 20ft from the trailer and sending them into the trailer at a trot. If you can do something like this, you will be riding a much better partner than a horse that NEEDS you to lead them in every time. Sending them in from this far away may take a couple of sessions, but it will be time well spent. It is not just about skills that your horse will learn, but also ones that you will learn (while you are teaching them).

BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN

At the end of the day it is about being prepared ahead of time for situations that may arrive. Many trail riding hazards are very avoidable if you can simply make a plan before you go for your ride. Learn from your past experiences, test out your horse, and make a plan that will fit you both. The most important thing is that you and your horse are safe and having fun. My newly released Ultimate Water Crossing DVD breaks down the steps needed to cross many common trail obstacles. So get out there, get creative, and enjoy a great year of trail riding with your equine partner!

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