A blog about training trail horses.
Posted in Trail Horses on Dec 21st, 2010
Too cold to ride? Here are a few suggestions to make things a little easier. 1. Dress in layers. Lots of layers, long thermal underwear, several long sleeve T-shirts, a vest, keep your head and ears covered, and wear sock and glove liners. Also, give up those riding tights or jodpurs, if you can for [...]
Posted in Trail Horse Training on Aug 22nd, 2010
I have been teaching people to ride horses for years. But it has recently dawned on me that a perfect example of how to teach people to use the reins properly is to tell them not to shout at their horses. You know how, when you use all caps in an email it is considered shouting [...]
Posted in Trail Horse Training on Jan 11th, 2010
I have finally decided to post on this blog about my own experience with my personal horse, Harmony’s Eclipse. It is just a continuation of what my mother posted before, but detailing what I’ve learned in this experience and what I’ve done. Eclipse was born here, on our farm, on April 17, 2001. She was [...]
Posted in Trail Horse Training on Jan 11th, 2010
This post is dedicated to my daughter who has become a wonderful rider in the last year. She has been riding her entire life, whether she remembers it or not. That is, I was riding while pregnant with her, maybe that is how she developed such a love of the sport. She is now [...]
Posted in Tennessee Walking Horses, Trail Horse Training, Trail Horses, Uncategorized on Dec 25th, 2009
I remember my first horse. I was 28 years old and purchased a mix breed that was advertised as a TWH. If there was walker in him, I didn’t know it. But I had fun and learned a lot. AND I KNEW IT ALL! Afterall, I had watched all the westerns with my Dad; John [...]
Posted in Trail Horse Training, Trail Horses on Dec 22nd, 2009
If you are a trail rider, and you have been bored with the same trails year after year, you need to look into ACTHA.us . I recently started to feel I need a more challenging trail experience, so I signed onto the American Competitive Trail Horse Association website. I quickly discovered I needed to brush [...]
Posted in Trail Horse Training, Trail Horses on Dec 21st, 2009
Picked up a few pounds since Thanksgiving? Expecting and dreading picking up a few more over Christmas and New Years? Tired of sucking it in every time you zip up? Yeah, me too! Forget about walking 20 minutes a day, getting on the treadmill or killing yourself with aerobic exercises. Ride a horse! Riding lessons [...]
Posted in Trail Horse Training on Dec 15th, 2009
Know what your goals are. Don’t just round pen to wear your horse down and don’t round pen unless you have a specific goal in mind for training. For example, when I round pen a horse the first thing I want to teach that horse is to look at me for direction. Then I want [...]
Posted in Tack and Equipment, Trail Horses on Oct 20th, 2009
I have done a lot of searching on saddles and saddle fitting. I have been trying to purchase the right saddle for my new horse, mainly because I decided to take up hunt seat to improve my riding abilities. There is a lot of information to go thru and can be confusing. But I am [...]
Posted in Tack and Equipment on Oct 7th, 2009
I have been riding for around 23 years now and I have been training for nearly 18 years. I have taken lessons and continue to do so, but one thing I was never formally taught about was saddle fitting. I have ridden saddle seat on Saddlebreds and TWH, I have ridden western in western saddles [...]