# Question for horses in training for trail or road



## doniakay (Oct 21, 2008)

i have a ex show horse which i have owned her whole life she is 22yrs old. shes great in the ring. i have been riding her down the road, and trail riding we have no one else to ride with, i think she would do better if another horse was with us for her confidence level. when we leave the property she snorts, grunts, ears always forward, whinnys contantly. will she EVER relax......

i try to ride down the road every day or along the woods, at least every other day.

thanks


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

i think your best bet is to try not to get nervous yourself, and just practice! 

you can do short trips, too - - that might help.


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

I think the best thing is to stay calm and practice. It will help you both with your confidence level. Try going on short trips and maybe stick to things that you are both more comfortable with until your confidence is up and then gradually try new things.


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## doniakay (Oct 21, 2008)

my confidence level is fine, i do stay calm and ride her atleast every other day down the road. we are doing other things on the ground too. we have wild turkeys around the property too this time of year that she has been getting some exposure too. just simply asking if there was anything else that i should be doing. 

thanks


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

You could try finding a "happy place" for her that you only go to when you road or trail ride -- somewhere you let her graze for a few minutes maybe. Something for her to look forward to.


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## Joshie (Aug 26, 2008)

We spend time in the arena just getting used to scary things. Tonight, for example, we played ball. Now, our Joshua had never seen a ball before. Balls are scary things. We let him smell it and see it then we rubbed it on him. Well, within a short time we were throwing the ball (volleyball) at each other while on horseback. Joshua did just fine. We play with swim noodles and all sorts of scary looking things.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

northernmama said:


> You could try finding a "happy place" for her that you only go to when you road or trail ride -- somewhere you let her graze for a few minutes maybe. Something for her to look forward to.


 
This is a very good thing to do. We stop every hour get off the horses and let them eat grass and enjoy themselves. Try making the ride fun for her too. 
You should start going a little further past her "comfort zone" every ride. Just keep at it, time and letting her see as much of the world as you can are your best teacher. Miles are what make a good trail horse


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Vidaloco said:


> Miles are what make a good trail horse


Yes, more than anything else you can do...and lots of miles means it takes lots of time.


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

Vidaloco said:


> You should start going a little further past her "comfort zone" every ride. Just keep at it, time and letting her see as much of the world as you can are your best teacher. Miles are what make a good trail horse




Ahh Well said! Thats exactly what I was trying to say earlier but couldn't word it as well.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

22 years is 3/4 of the average horse's life and all of that in the ring. It's going to take time and patience to overcome that - if it ever does. Some horses/breeds are more adaptable then others. It certainly would be a big help to have another, seasoned, trail horse, along with you. I would take him to the far edge of his comfort zone and stop there for the day. Each day I would take him a little further. I would want to stop on a good note.

Remaking a horse is certainly possible and done all the time, but not to every horse. My thoughts would be to take him as far as he can go but if you want a trail horse, then get one that is more suited.

If you start your next show horse by taking him on hacks as well as the ring, it will be easier when it's time for retirement from his show career.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

You might check to see if there is a riding club in your area. We belong to a trail group. We often have people who bring horses out just to get them used to trail riding with a group of seasoned horses. 
Its fun to belong to a club too


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## PG'sGal4ever (Sep 25, 2008)

Id never ride my horses alone the trails, If the trails went to the back of my house instead of having to ride about a mile down to get on, I would consider going by myself but it does get very lonely when im use to going out with my freinds.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Yeah, practice makes perfect!  Gradually increase her to 'new' spots, & I'm sure she'll learn that it's not so bad!


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