From: Sheila
My question is about horse shopping. When shopping in my price range, I do not find horses that have both the physical characteristics (irrelevant to this question) and the experience background I am looking for. Since the physical part is absolutely necessary, I am left with trying to be flexible in the experience area. I want a horse that can be trail ridden alone and in company, can be trailered easily to group trail rides, all without any major fights about the trailer, position in the group, going over water or fallen trees, past "funny-looking horse-eating stuff", seeing deer, etc. I *also* want a horse that can be used for practicing basic dressage (and I mean really basic, just 3 gaits that can be adjusted in speed, some big circles, some bending, some turns) in the ring. Not for competition! Previously I have looked at horses that are experienced in ring work with not too much trail riding (an aside here--many people seem to use the term "trail horse" when they mean "horse can't do anything else, *must* be a trail horse" rather than meaning the horse really is a *good* trail horse). It occurs to me I have this the wrong way around, that it is harder to find a really quiet, experienced trail horse, and so I should concentrate on that. But the ones I have run into so far have *no ring work* because they've *just* been trail horses. Some of them also are only ridden Western. Now I know horses *can* do both English and Western, even on the same day. My questions:
-what sort of job is it to teach an adult (8-12 y.o.) horse to "go English" (I don't mean change gaits [jog to trot, lope to canter] I just mean know the rein aids, etc.)
-if a horse is great (nonspooky, relaxed, happy) on the trail but gets tense (head up, not sure what rider wants) in the ring, how likely is it the horse can learn to relax and be happy with ring work--is this completely individual, so that one couldn't tell without actually started to retrain the horse?
-any ballpark figure on how long it would take to get the desired relaxation if it were going to happen? Assuming a professional trainer with tact and patience (talk about a major assumption!)
I know these questions are too general, just looking for a general answer.
"Going English and Western" is a very variable concept. There are SOME horses that have actually been trained to work both ways, so to speak, but it's rare, because to work well in dressage, say, requires a horse that is muscled in a particular way, balanced in a particular way, and works "on the bit" -- depending on signals from the rider's legs, seat, and weight, as well as on the constant live contact between the rider's hand and the horse's mouth. A horse trained for Western riding, on the other hand, is taught to respond to weight signals and occasional leg cues, and is expected to stay BEHIND the bit at all times, responding to the feel of a rein along the side of its neck, and to the shift in the bit's balance that occurs when the rider lifts or drops his hand. These are two quite different styles of communication, and the rider's and horse's expectations of each other are entirely different as well.
In most cases, however, when "goes English and Western" appears in a classified ad, it means that the horse hasn't actually been trained in any specific discipline, but will tolerate any sort of saddle and bridle without overt protest, and understands kick for "go", pull right or left for "turn", and pull both reins for "stop."
So this is another one of my famous "it depends" answers! ;-) If you are not a demanding rider, and want to have fun on trails, any sound, cheerful, comfortable, cooperative horse should be able to do it. There's no rule that says you can't ride in a Western saddle and an English bridle -- or the other way around. If you are riding just for yourself and your own pleasure, you can do whatever works for you and the horse.
Training a trail horse for ring-work is another matter. Trails are more natural, and more interesting, for horses -- and many good trail horses are slow and sour in the ring. In fact, many good trail horses got to become trail horses BECAUSE they were slow and sour in the ring. You can retrain a horse to accept and even enjoy ringwork, but YOU have to enjoy ringwork yourself, and you have to do it very well, and make every minute of it pleasant and rewarding for the horse.
If your horse throws his head up and rolls his eyes in the ring, chances are good that he's remembering an unpleasant experience -- or many unpleasant experiences. This doesn't mean that he can't learn to enjoy ringwork, or at least accept it calmly, but it means that it may take you longer to convince him that he is safe there.
Assuming ANY kind of a trainer, or even a competent amateur rider, with tact and patience, I would plan to spend several months at it before I considered giving up. You don't know how many months or years of unpleasant experiences have taught the horse to fear or dislike the ring; you will have to take as long as it takes, and the only thing I can promise you is that it won't happen overnight. ;-(
On the plus side, I can remember taking on a nine-year-old mare that would NOT walk in the ring, just jig and sweat and roll her eyes. It took six weeks of taking her into the ring every day, keeping her as calm as possible, and praising her every time she walked even one or two steps instead of jigging, but eventually she realized that she was NOT going to get screamed at and have her bit yanked back and forth in her mouth, and that I was NOT going to hit her in the head with a whip, or beat her with a stirrup leather after the ride -- all of which she was used to, and all of which she expected. She was an extreme case, and it was probably six months before she was calm and relaxed at all three gaits in the ring, but she got there eventually. So it can certainly be done if you have the patience. The problem is that it takes just seconds to teach a horse that a rider is unpredictable and nasty, and that the ring is a bad, dangerous place -- it takes weeks or months to teach the horse that THIS rider is predictable and kind, and that THIS ring (or any ring, with THIS rider) is a safe and friendly place. And sometimes, if an experience was truly terrible, you won't be able to convince the horse that things are now, and will always be, different. That mare, for instance, learned to accept ring work, but she would still panic, six years later, if she was tied and saw a person come toward her and raise an arm suddenly.
Now, for the most general question: you're absolutely correct, a GOOD recreational trail-horse is not going to be that easy to find. I agree with you, "trail horse" is like "brood mare" -- it should mean something specific, and imply a list of desirable qualities, not just indicate an inability to do anything else. But, as you've found out, it's not a precise term.
What you want, according to my old Western trainer, is "a real good ol' trail horse -- one that's kid-broke, fat man broke, and old lady broke, and just does right, won't do nothin' wrong." I'm not sure he ever actually found one of those -- you may find that your perfect trail horse can't deal with ATVs or motorbikes or worries about crossing running water, or that he's not so perfect if he goes out alone, or that he only likes to be in front of the group, or behind, or in the middle... or that the PERFECT trailhorse for the desert and open plains is VERY afraid of trees and the strange noises they make...
My suggestion to you would be that you hook up with some of the trailriders in your area, get to know them and their horses, and let them know that you are looking for a horse of your own. Then sit back for a while and let the network percolate on your behalf. There are a lot of very nice people out there, and some of them have nice trail horses to sell -- we just need to get you together with them. If you don't know where they are, make a WANTED note, copy it on bright-coloured paper, and post it at every tack shop, stable, and feed store you can find. Ask the local farrier -- ask the local equine vet. Call the county extension agent -- and the DC of the local Pony Club, and the local 4-H leader. Ask EVERYONE -- someone will know where to find that horse, or will know someone to ask.
And wear your ASTM/SEI approved helmet EVERY time you try ANYONE's horse, and every time you ride your own -- be safe, not sorry!
Does this help? Hope so.....
- Jessica
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