TRAIL RIDING IS FUN--IF YOU'RE PREPARED

You and your horse riding along a wilderness trail, winding through lush forests, among meadows of thickly carpeted wild grasses or climbing an alpine trail bordered in a rainbow of wildflowers. Does it get any better? However delightful, trail riding can be a risky undertaking. An unseasoned horse can jump at the sudden crack of a tree limb or spook at an unseen rustling in a nearby bush. Far from home, a minor incident can escalate into a dangerous situation. Enter — trail training. Even a horse that is steady and surefooted in the arena needs training for the real world of the trail. Judi Daly’s book, Trail Training for the Horse and Rider, is based on sound training practices and being prepared. Safety is at the core of everything Daly recommends.

Learn how to ride through obstacles (anything from a puddle to a river bank to a branch on the path). Daly says, “it is important to keep a long-term perspective. Your goal is to help your horse become confident and savvy on the trail, not to force him past this one particular obstacle at whatever the cost. Good riders give their horses the time needed to study the obstacle from as many directions as possible, and they have no qualms about dismounting and leading their horses if necessary.”

When it comes to learning how to cross water safely, Daly advises the use of leading reins on both sides so that the horse can only go forward into the water. “Here, as elsewhere, remember that you are teaching for the future. Your horse is not learning to cross water for this one time only, but for all the times to come as well. It is wise to give him the opportunity to face his fears. You may even decide to stop him in midstream after one or two crossings, so that he learns that he need not rush through water, it will not hurt him.”

Start the young trail horse, progressing through the first trail rides to riding with complete confidence. With all the basic training techniques, there’s practical advice for retraining the runaway horse, the balky and barn sour horse, the horse that prances or rears and the horse that bucks or spooks.

Time spent on the trail is one of the most ideal and fulfilling ways to develop a close relationship between horse and rider, where good communication and a partnership is almost a necessity. Start by reading Trail Training for the Horse and Rider and you’ll be ready for those glorious days of trail riding. Spring is, after all, just around the corner!

CHOOSING THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT IS IMPORTANT.	HORSE SHOULD BE TRAINED ON VARIOUS ROAD SURFACES.