# A couple (probably somewhat basic) questions



## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

Part 1.....

A short ride is when you don't get tired or sore......a long ride is when you start feeling it.....pretty easy right? Get on and ride.....you're body will let you know when you need to quit....
Last year, I rode 34 weekends and the average ride was 11 miles......

Part 2.......wet saddle blankets......or rather.....experience.....you can do some desensitizing but this is the place where age and experience trumps youth and enthusiasm. A horse doesn't learn much in a pasture.....and maybe only a bit more in a ring......


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Part 1 a short ride is less than one hour, IMO. a long ride is 3+ 
average is in between.

part 2 take him on a leadline, walking, to your friends house a couple of times before riding on the road.


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## Corazon Lock (Dec 26, 2011)

Okay, so here's what I got:

I think the length of a trail ride is up to the trail rider's discretion. You are not going to get one concrete answer on what is a short, average, or long trail ride. My personal opinion is that a short trail ride is maybe an hour or two, an average one is maybe half a day, and a long one is a full day of riding. But, ask someone who is an endurance rider, and you might get a totally different answer! 

As far as getting a horse traffic safe, I would say yes and yes. Yes, have your husband first expose your horse to a vehicle in the pasture, where your horse is comfortable. Better yet, beforehand, have the vehicle parked and lead your horse up to it and allow him to sniff it and look it over. Then have your husband drive it around while you're leading him. When he's good with that, have your hubby drive it around while you're riding him. When you're doing the groundwork sessions, make sure your horse at some point gets comfortable with hearing the car horn and seeing the car drive by fast.

After that, I would take him out on the road with a friend and a very calm horse that is traffic safe. Do this until your horse is no longer bothered. Then, you can try going out by yourself.

Honestly, my horse is not afraid of tractors, semis, buses, combines, or cars going past him at a high speed. He's a wussy about bicycles.  Sometimes, it's the little things.


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

I agree with taking him on a lead before you attempt to ride him along the road. From my experience (which isn't huge) with OTTB's they seem to be pretty darn desensitized to vehicles from the track.


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## Maryland Rider (Jul 2, 2013)

gunslinger said:


> Part 1.....
> 
> A short ride is when you don't get tired or sore......a long ride is when you start feeling it.....pretty easy right? Get on and ride.....you're body will let you know when you need to quit....
> Last year, I rode 34 weekends and the average ride was 11 miles......
> ...


Definitely what Gunslinger said!


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

One thing I might mention about what Gunslinger said about a long ride is when you start to feel it, if you ride out until you are getting tired and sore, just remember that this may just be the first half of your ride. You will still have to ride the same distance to get back home (unless you rode in a big circle).
I have often gone out riding with a new trail rider and they are having such a good time they don't want to start back but they sure do feel it when we end up riding just as far on the way back.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

You can borrow Aurora, my Pyrenees!! We call her our traffic cop. When we ride on the road, she walks out in front of every vehicle to make she they don't go by too fast! I just pray some yahoo does have the guts to run down a 110 lb dog in front of me.

With a green horse on the road, i always turn to face the vehicle when I hear them, off the road as far as possible, and try to relax and breathe. Have light contact, but not a death grip. I don't care for riding on the road, and some of my horses know this. Some don't care.

Where are you KY? I may have asked you this before, if so, sorry....


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## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

Thanks for the info everyone.

My parent's have a long gravel driveway, and the only people are them and my grandparents, so we could probably use that for practice. We could start on the far side of the field and then move closer to the driveway until we're at the distance we would be if it was a real road.
I doubt we would ride on the road often, but it seems like it would be a good skill for us to have, in case of emergency.

I'm between Louisville and Owensboro.


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## AQHA13 (Apr 19, 2017)

Agreed with Gunslinger for part one. 

Part 2
For me it has worked best to desensitize on a not-so-busy rural road. Handwalking them the first few times, I just walk from driveway to driveway. We stop in the driveways and I make the horse halt and face the vehicle that's coming. This way if the horse panics we are out of harms way. And if something really BIG or sCaRy is coming you can move 15 feet back so the horse doesn't have a crises because of it. When I'm comfortable with how its progressing I will begin to ride. I follow the same basic steps, go from driveway to driveway to driveway, stop in each one, make the horse stand and face to watch each car come. When the horse no longer has a reaction to that then I would venture more on the road. 
I still pull into driveways if I see big farm equiptment or a semi coming because I know that, that is still abit beyond my mares comfort level. Just stay calm and confident and you'll learn your horses' limits.  Happy riding!


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## nikelodeon79 (Mar 3, 2008)

greentree said:


> You can borrow Aurora, my Pyrenees!! We call her our traffic cop. When we ride on the road, she walks out in front of every vehicle to make she they don't go by too fast! I just pray some yahoo does have the guts to run down a 110 lb dog in front of me....


Around here people would hit her on purpose. Please be careful!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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