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Trail savvy

From: Ross

Dear Jessica, I attended your Equitana lectures a couple of years back and I really enjoyed the way you used a "top ten" kind of format. I have to give a talk next month for our local 4-H group, and I could sure use your help. There are a lot of kids doing horse projects this year, and we're planning to take them on some trail rides (yes, we'll all have helmets). I'd like a "fun" way to get the message across that they need to have some good basic training on those horses before they can take them out on the trails. Our trails have great scenery but they are a little on the rough and hilly side. Remembering how good your Equitana lectures were, I'm thinking that if I could give the kids a "top ten" list of trail skills, they'd be more likely to listen to me and learn them. Can you help me out here? Ross


Hi Ross! That "top ten" format is always useful - it keeps the audience's attention, and moving from point to point also keeps me on track. ;-) You're welcome to adopt the format, and I agree that it would probably be a good way to get and keep the attention of your 4-H kids.

You know your riders and your trails best, so I'm going to suggest that you take my list and tweak it according to your own needs - in other words, don't be shy about changing it! This is just my own list of the "top ten" things that I would want to see any rider do with any horse before I started down the trail with them. I'm also going to suggest that if you can arrange it, a "trail prep day" might be a good idea. Can you call a meeting of all the would-be trail riders? It would be ideal if you had access to a field with a bit of a hill in it, and some water, but in a pinch you can use the hose to make a puddle or let the water from the hose serve as a very narrow "stream". A "trail prep day" would be a grand opportunity to get all of the kids and their horses together in one place so that you can spend an afternoon testing the necessary skills, knowledge, and training BEFORE you ever get to the trailhead.

Trail Riding Skills Checklist - Top Ten Things Trail Horses Should Do When Asked:

- walk forward
- step backward
- stop and stand
- step away from the rider's leg pressure (if mounted) or from hand pressure (if leading)
- turn on the forehand (several steps or a full turn, depending on your preference)
- turn on the haunches (same)
- walk up a hill (nothing extreme, just a slight slope is enough to demonstrate balance)
- walk down a hill (again, nothing extreme, just enough to demonstrate horse and rider balance)
- walk through water
- go first, last, and in the middle of the group - stand quietly when tied (to the trailer or a picket line) or held

It's important to be able to ask a trail horse to do all of these things - from the saddle AND in hand.

If your 4-H kids enjoy the prep day, you can plan others, and make them much more elaborate. Someday, you may even want to do police-horse training with crowds, balloons, umbrellas, etc., but these "top ten" skills make an excellent "starter set" for a trail horse.

If any of your kids have trouble catching or loading or hauling their horses when "prep day" comes around, they'll know what they need to work on between that day and the actual trail ride.

By the way, just in case any dogs are coming along, you might want to check to be sure that they are confirmed in the three absolutely essential canine trail skills: "come", "heel", and "down-stay". ;-)

Jessica

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