# trail ride to trail ride



## redrose1 (Jan 17, 2014)

Anyone else have good trail rides and not so great trail rides??
i get trail rides that are wonderful and horse is listening to me even if we have to do some zig zagging but then he's respectful and trusts me as his leader.
Today, same trail and he was a PILL!!!! Balked at the mud, water holes that we have to go thru. He went but took about 3 minutes to get him to go thru it. And his face was like, "ho-hum.... make me." I allow him to study it and sniff it but he's like.... oh, grass, yum!! OK ENOUGH with the tricks!
I rode with someone and we alternated leading and following. When he was leading today, he had the sticky brake on most of the time. I got him to trot out and just go and he would test me to see if I meant it or not then he would do the old stink eye routine at every bush like a monster was in there. I was relaxed in the saddle - not nervous so I kept telling my friend, "I really don't think it's ME." She said, "you look really calm and relaxed."
Do horses have ick days?? When I went to load him up for the ride, he was slow and lazy but he's usually like that and can turn into a completely different animal once on the trail - loves to go!


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Horses most certainly do have ick days. Often dependent on the weather and lighting. I don't tolerate it. I am more prepared to expect pee-and-vinegar on windy days, for example.

I just don't alter my expectations of behavior. If he went there yesterday, then I expect him to go there today. However, if I know from experience that on, say overcloud days, he's less inclined to go through water, then I will be a bit more firm in my initial request to cross. Just to remind him quickly that I'm still the boss, regardless of the weather, colour of the moon, or position of the stars.


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## redrose1 (Jan 17, 2014)

yup, I agree with you. But I worked SO MUCH harder today!! He didn't want to lead and trot but I said, "too bad - you are going to - you're not sick or injured!" But geeze I had to work! I wanted HIM to go thru that mud puddle and NOT my friend's horse first since I was already committed. I knew if the other horse went first, he'd just follow. She patiently just sat back and waited til I got him to go thru and she laughed and said, "wow - so much drama." No drama going thru but letting him know he's not getting his way! We had the will of the ways today. He's been so cooperative the past few rides except the one before this where we had YELLOW BUMBLE BEE men all over the side of the hill!! Firemen is bright yellow suits decided to be out one day doing who knows what and they were scattered all over this one hill. And my horse thought they were going to kill him. He couldn't tell they were people from where we were. And then when we finally got there, the men disappeared. And he was convinced they were hiding in the trees and bushes. We made it through but he was a spooky boy. That could be spill over. I know - no excuses......


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## Herosbud (Dec 14, 2013)

My horse is pretty well broke and a good trail horse but I think that he would be giving "bumble bee men" the fish eye.


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## redrose1 (Jan 17, 2014)

LOL!!! They were pretty scary alright. Especially to a prey animal.


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## Oreos Girl (May 24, 2011)

I have the bi-polar horse. I am not sure if I am going to get the nice relaxed paint or the high energy arabian when I ride. And he is neither breed, he is a spotted saddle horse. And those may be unfair descriptors, but it is what I tend to use.


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## PhoenixBlaise (Jan 16, 2014)

My entire herd has spring fever! All this sun and green grass is like giving a class of preschoolers a truck load of candy. I'm trying to limit their intake, but it doesn't seem to take much to make them high.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ShadowRider (Feb 28, 2014)

Every trail ride on my boy is an adventure since I never know what will happen. Windy days are always exciting, even if we ride on a familiar trail. Generally, the more difficult the terrain the better my horse - I guess it's because we both pay more attention, our communication is better, and we have to trust each other more. Horses can have ick days for sure - just like riders!


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## Foxtail Ranch (Mar 10, 2012)

PhoenixBlaise said:


> My entire herd has spring fever! All this sun and green grass is like giving a class of preschoolers a truck load of candy. I'm trying to limit their intake, but it doesn't seem to take much to make them high.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I agree with PhoenixBlaise! My herd is high on grass sugar, the girls are having their first heat, the moon is full...This time of year is always a little high on the drama.

I like how you said you made him do it, no matter how much time it took, or how it would have been easier to follow the other horse. That is good horsemanship, IMO. 

Sometimes, when we ride, we are spending most of our time training the horse. Sometimes, we can relax more if we choose. Thats what is fun about horses, for me. It is always different!

Kudos to you for taking the time and energy to do it right!


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## Herosbud (Dec 14, 2013)

This time of year is always a problem for me because of the new grass. My boys are still eating their regular fill of hay but they have the choice of going out to pasture too. If I restrict them from the pasture for most of the day (and night) and then let them out to pasture for a limited time then they seem to gorge. I also wonder if I should cut down on their grain as well. However the amount of grain that I feed (in my opinion) is not that much. I have not fertilized yet and then when I do I have to take them off of pasture because of the danger of nitrogen poisoning. Aaaaargh! I have only had one horse get tender footed on me in the spring and he is now gone. I don't envy my friends out there with horses that don't have total control of their horses feeding and pasture schedule. I would be interested in hearing what you folks do at this time of year. Forgive the ramble please.


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## Foxtail Ranch (Mar 10, 2012)

Herosbud said:


> This time of year is always a problem for me because of the new grass. My boys are still eating their regular fill of hay but they have the choice of going out to pasture too. If I restrict them from the pasture for most of the day (and night) and then let them out to pasture for a limited time then they seem to gorge. I also wonder if I should cut down on their grain as well. However the amount of grain that I feed (in my opinion) is not that much. I have not fertilized yet and then when I do I have to take them off of pasture because of the danger of nitrogen poisoning. Aaaaargh! I have only had one horse get tender footed on me in the spring and he is now gone. I don't envy my friends out there with horses that don't have total control of their horses feeding and pasture schedule. I would be interested in hearing what you folks do at this time of year. Forgive the ramble please.


Herosbud, I have to go through all kinds of changes and procedures this time of year, because our grass is so darn sweet!

I use a smaller pasture (1/2 acre) to put them up during the day, from 9 am to 7 pm. They can graze in there, but there is not as much grass. They have access to hay in a slow feeder during that time, and they take advantage of it. At night, they have turnout on the big (15 acres) pasture. They still put on weight, about 5 lbs a week this time of year, but one of my girls really needs it (a TB cross, we think.) I cut back on their time in the big pasture as their weight gets to where I want it, and increase as the grass loses its sweetness.

I have one horse that is low grade laminitic, so she is in a stall when the other horses are in the 1/2 acres pasture. She has plenty of hay in slow feed net and water while in the stall. She also wears a grazing muzzle during nighttime turnout.

Its a pain for a while, until the grass gets a little less sugary.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Like Foxtail and I live in the same state (different areas) we do a similar thing. I like to keep the horses in an area without much feed then turn them out for a period of time. How long depends on the time of year and what the grass is doing. I start out at half an hour just to get them used to green grass after the winter. Week of that and I up it to an hour and watch them, if all goes well I up it to two hours. I'll keep it there until the grass starts to mature and lose it's sugar. When it reaches that point the length of time they are left out depends on how much the grass is getting stressed. I don't want them to over graze the pasture.

Foundering a horse in the spring in Oregon is so easy it's not funny.


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## Herosbud (Dec 14, 2013)

I bought some more grain today and I switched from a 14% to 11%. My hay fields are pretty nice but my pastures - not so much. I have reclaimed fields that were completely covered with large cedar trees and planted Brome in them. But Fescue has taken over so that is what I have. Those Cedars keep wanting to come back along with all the other junk that was there. So, I guess what I am getting at is that maybe that is a little helpful in a way. It is not plush green grass.


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## womack29 (Oct 30, 2011)

Horses are like people they have good and bad days. My mare is perfect about 95% of the time but that other 5% can be interesting.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Herosbud said:


> I bought some more grain today and I switched from a 14% to 11%. My hay fields are pretty nice but my pastures - not so much. I have reclaimed fields that were completely covered with large cedar trees and planted Brome in them. But Fescue has taken over so that is what I have. Those Cedars keep wanting to come back along with all the other junk that was there. So, I guess what I am getting at is that maybe that is a little helpful in a way. It is not plush green grass.


If you use a tree killer (think spike works but talk to your local supply store for the best thing) on the stump after cutting down the tree you'll kill it for those pesky trees that keep trying to regrow. The poison gets sucked down into the roots and finishes it off.


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