I am trying to expand my horizons with my lessons/training and trail riding.  So I held my first mother/dauther trail ride recently and had a very nice time.  Four of my more experienced students and I went on a 3 hour ride including lunch.  We rode around fields, up and down roads and anywhere we could go on horseback.   Best of all, it was one of those beautiful October days with the sun shining and the leaves turning.

Watch the video and enjoy.  All trail rides with Baymount Farm leave the barn at 9 am and return around 5 pm.   Lunch is included, cost for mother/daughter is $175,  cost for individuals is $125.  Experienced riders only; riders must take a riding test at the farm to qualify the day before the ride and sign a waiver for liability form.   Most rides are held at South Mountain, Latta Plantation, Blowing Rock or New River Trails.

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This is a 2 year old spotted saddle horse I have been training the last six weeks.  When she came to me she had only learned a few ground manners and lead very well, stood for grooming, hoof cleaning and a bath.  She was a little pushy and didn’t really know her place with the handler yet.  However, she is such a quick learner and so compliant, that it took her no time at all to settle in to a regular routine.  Now look at her.  This is the 5th time I have ridden her and only the 2nd time on a trail.

Notice her little buck.  That was too cute.  She was so eager to get going after we saddled up it was all she could do to stand still for mounting.  She took to the trails like a trooper.   We walked for about an hour around fields, down roads, by barking dogs, road signs of all kinds, over bridges and the like.  She never even flinched.   That is what good training and a calm horse is all about.  She is sheer joy to ride.

I have a few more weeks to get her gait improved and will be spending a lot of time in the arena with her.  However, I know she will take to it with a great attitude.  Training is one of my all time favorite things to do.   I am constantly learning something new with each horse that comes to me.  Even with all the knowlege and experience I have behind me from clinics, lesson and what-not, I am still taught something by the horses that come here for training.  So I say, bring it on.

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I spend lots of time just walking horses through trail obstacles and exposing them to things they could come up against while working.  But this year I am going to be more creative and put out Halloween costumes and displays to get them ready for the season trails.   Things we take for granted can be a big scary ‘horse-easting’ beast to our horses.  You can do this at home.  Here are a few tips.

1.    Make a stick scare crow.  It’s easy just using a broom and duct tape a small branch across it for the arms.  Put old clothes on it and stick it in the ground.  Put an old hat on the broom part of it and don’t worry about it having a face.  Then hand walk your horse by it.  If your horse doesn’t spook, great!

2.  Get out an old sheet and hang it from a tree.  A slight breeze is all you need for this scary, ghostly object.  Be sure to hand walk your horse by it just in case.

3.  Take large black trash bags and drape them across bushes.  For more fun, turn your large trash can over and cover it with the bag, then put a pumpkin on top of it so that it looks more like a living object to the horse.   Be safe and once again hand walk  your horse by it first.

4.  I strongly suggest that you put these in an enclosed arena first before sticking them in your yard.  This keeps you and your horse safer in case he spooks and takes off running.

Your goal is to teach your horse to trust you and depend on you for guidance regardless of what he comes in contact with on the trail.  Go slowly, use lots of affirmation for your horse (pats, scratching withers and a kind voice works wonders).

For more on safe training for the perfect trail horse  go to www.baymountacres.com or contact me at sherry@baymountacres.com   704-902-7345.

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I spent a lot of time riding him and refreshing his memory in the arena on being supple.  I used all the natural riding aids as in, legs, seat, hands and voice.  I also occasionally had to tickle him on the rump with the crop.  When I say tickle, I actually mean tickle, not hit, strike, beat or anything else.  Just the thought of the whip often times gets the horse motivated.  This particular horse was already well trained.   I found he became stuck occasionally when asked to move forward on the trail or going past his buddies.    This is where arena work comes in handy for the horse.

The main point I want to come to in this post is teaching the rider.   His owner had raised him and taught him herself.  But she was a little intimidated by  his attitude when he left his buddies or got stuck on the trail not wanting to go forward for her.  I worked with her for a few hours when she came to pick him up, teaching her to sit properly and use her natural aids.  Once she kept her legs on him, learned to bend her horse (which is a form of getting your horse supple) and learned to sit properly and securely, her whole riding experience changed for the better.  So techinically I helped her improve the way she rode which fixed the horse.

The moral here is to improve the way you ride to improve the performance of your horse.  The more you learn about riding, the more you convey that to your horse when you ride and before you know what is happening, the two of you are working together for a safe and happy ride.

For more on training the perfect trail horse check out our website at www.baymountacres.com or contact me at sherry@baymountacres.com   704-902-7345.

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Training for Scary Objects

You can have a “no worries” trail ride by teaching your horse to be calm around unknown objects.  Just how do you do this?  Here are a few good tips to help you have a safe and happy horse.

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Horse in Training at Baymount

This pretty little two year old horse is in training mode here at Baymount Farm in Statesville, North Carolina.  She came to us a few weeks ago as a very green horse.   She knew how to lead, stand and allow grooming and that was just about it.  BUT the owners had been so kind and consistent with her that she is a very trusting horse.  Nothing seems to spook this horse as she is learning her new trade in life.

 I combine ‘natural horsemanship’ along with classical training.  I like to take the best of both worlds and do what makes sense to me using a lesson plan for teaching the horse.  Therefore, I don’t miss any steps, make sure I think through what they need to learn in order while building on concepts and skills.  I don’t use harsh equipment, disciplines or force training.  I tend to think of these animals as children that I need to teach a sign language.  If I have to punish them or hurt them to get a reponse then I have lost the motivation for learning and just created a resentment that may show up as a problem somewhere down the road. 

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Learning the Obstacles

This is my quarter horse, Lakota. Not much to look at, but he is a very good trail horse. Not much in the arena, but then I rarely ride him in the arena. He is just a good dependable trail buddy. Goes through anything and over anything. Although, he is always hungry and does like to snatch a leaf now and again.

I have recently started building a trail obstacle course to teach the horses and my students more about trail riding. We have a lot of fun learning to walk the horses through the obstacles and then to ride them through. This is a great way to get over fears for both and to have fun with your horse.

Fall is a great time for riding with the days cooler and a lot fewer biting bugs. It is also a great time to have your horse in training as well as through the winter months when you won’t be riding quite as much. Here at Baymount Farm we train the horses from ages two years and up. We start them out in the round pen and continue through until they have plenty of saddle time to understand what is wanted of them for the basics of riding. More on our training at Baymount Acres Training.     We take our time in making sure the horse understands the lessons from the ground up before we get in the saddle. Then we build on each task or skill being sure to repeat as often as necessary until they have a good foundation before we move forward.  After we have established a routine for the horse that is safe, we invite the owner to take as many lessons as time allows for them to learn everything we have taught the horse.    This ensures safety, knowledge and an immediate fix to any problems that may arise when we are not there.  Training both the horse and the rider is high on our list of priorities when we are in the process of training the perfect trail horse. 

Contact me at sherry@baymountacres.com or  704-902-7345.

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This is part of what we do here at Baymount Farm.  Not only do we teach people to ride hunt seat, equitation, western or just to trail ride, we also train the horses for the trails in order to have save and fun all day rides.  I am lucky enough to have a wooded area in my back property for training.   We cross creeks, mount and dismount on stumps, go over gravel areas, learn to back uphill, walk over or jump small logs, accomodate hanging vines, trot over poles, open and close gates, walk calmly by scary objects, but much, much more.  We often have running and barking dogs, turkeys flying by when spooked, large equipment next door, or horses in nearby pastures wanting to play.   All these distractions just help in our training efforts to get a horse ready for the trail, so they can be ridden anywhere.    We also have a large pond for training them to go into a lake or cross a river.  The more exposure the quicker the horse becomes accustomed to different areas and the safer they are to ride. 

Take your horse out and have fun, but be safe.  Spring is here, they days are warmer and longer.  It’s the best time of year for training.

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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 stretchy jeans. Jeans are generally thicker.  Buy them a size roomier so you can layer underneath.

2.  Invest in a pair of winter riding boots.  I like the kind with velcro fasteners.  It is easier to get them on and off.  Make sure they are insulated to help keep your toes toasty.

3.  Invest in a riding blanket that covers your horse and wraps around you and your saddle to block the wind and hold in heat.

Once everything is in place for you to stay warm, think about your horse.

1.  Keep him in condition for winter weather.  Bump up his grain a little in the fall and put on a few pounds or keep him blanketed.

2.  Be deligent about keeping him shod properly.  In icy, snowy and muddy footing, it doesn’t hurt to invest in shoes with studs or specialized boots for proper footing.  These can be purchased through several sites found on the internet.  It is easy enough to measure for them.  But be sure to have a new trim on him before you do measure.

3.  Wrap your horses legs to help prevent tendon damage.  Walking, trotting, gaiting or cantering on sloppy footing puts more stress on the legs.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Most importantly, plan accordingly, give yourself plenty of time and enjoy your ride.

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It took us a few hours to get there through some of the prettiest country one could hope to see.  The fact that we went late in October didn’t hurt any either.  The trees were beautiful, the mountains were clear and the rolling hills in the valley with their picturesque  farms and towns made me want to move there.  I think some of the nicest people you could ever meet live in the Shenandoah Valley.   I did get a little worried when we started up the mountain to the ranch pulling a long stock trailer with horses on a steep, winding and narrow road that had posted signs,  ”Not Recommended for Tractor Trailers”.   But we made it safely and pulled into a very convenient and well run facility.

Two days of riding were all we had time for, but to tell the truth, our horses weren’t quite up to more than two days.  We took our two most conditioned horses.  However, we weren’t prepared for the rocks on the trail.  Most of the trails were actually ‘easy’ trails, but one of our mares did not have shoes and the other only had front shoes.  I am talking about them walking over boulder size rocks that really took some accomodating.  This old gal actually got off her mare to make walking easier.  Thankfully, those sections of the trails were few and far between and only a short distance of maybe 30 feet.  But I loved every minute of it and would certainly do it again.  Next time I will be better prepared.   Shoes all the way around.

One of the best trails we rode took us up to the top of the mountain where we could see for miles and miles and overlooked the Shenandoah River.  This was a winding and steep trail, but so well layed out,  that it did not seem steep at all.  It took us about three hours of walking up and around the valleys to get there, then about two – three hours to get back.  The views were spectacular.  The only thing I regret is that I forgot to take my camera.  The most intimidating part of that particular trail was the rocky, narrow and steep area that I would have named ‘Goat Only Crossing”.  That is one area where I felt more comfortable leading my horse rather than riding.  But my mare went through it like she had been doing it her whole life. 

We were certainly tired when we got back, mostly from not being used to riding all day and partly from being up so high in the mountains.  After taking care of the horses and relaxing with our favorite beverage, I was ready to go again.  But, being fall, the daylight was decreasing and it was getting cooler and we were hungry.  Typically we would have started a fire in the pit and grilled steaks, but we opted for the cook stove in the trailer where it was warm and we had a shower and TV. 

Next morning I could not wait to get started.  We had the camp pretty much to ourselves that weekend.  It was very quiet and peaceful.  The trees were in their rich yellows and reds.  We took a shorter ride this day thinking that our horses feet would probably be a little sore.  However, with the addition of easy boots they picked right up and didn’t have any problems at all.  We did ride up on some people on dirt bikes, but they were wonderfully understanding and accomodating when they saw the horses.  Our mares didn’t seem to mind at all and just kept going like troopers. 

There is no way to describe the beauty and serenity of the Shenandoah Valley.  It is one of the most relaxing places I have ridden and would go again in a heartbeat.  I highly recommend it.

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