COWBOY DRESSAGE – “The Best of Both Worlds”
A horse’s foundation starts when you put a halter on him and take him out of his stall, paddock or pasture. From there it continues on in the round or square pen and then to a larger arena type schooling area. Unfortunately for most horses, that is where their training starts and ends. A boring and repetitious life, for sure! It is often only a matter of time before a horse becomes sour and resentful. Not surprisingly enough it can also be the case with the rider as well.
I am fortunate enough to have the world’s most beautiful and well-equipped training facility at my own personal disposal. There are no fences, rails, walls or boundaries. There is no cover or roof. The footing is natural and the lighting changes each hour, providing the different hues, shades and colors of the day. The air is fresh and rich, with fragrances familiar to each season.
Birds sing, brooks babble and the wind blows a refreshing breeze through the shade trees.
I often take my horse out on the trails, allowing him to enjoy nature as he was intended to. The beauty and serenity gives me a chance to bond with my horse. I drop the reins and allow him to move freely and comfortably. There is no pressure here, only relaxation, both for the horse and me. A good trail ride can rejuvenate a horse and rider both mentally and physically. A trail ride is a place to begin and plan your training day – or bring it to a close and reflect on the day’s training.
My love for horses did not start with a need to show them. I simply wanted to enjoy them. Being a lover of the great outdoors as well, I combined my two passions, horses and Mother Nature. As I grew older and my passion for horses became my profession, I still managed to combine the two. It is good for me and it is great for my horse.
The arena and round pen give me a place to school my horse. It is their classroom. Much of the learning takes place in these confined areas, but not all of it. I train and teach on the trail rides as well. You can ride purely for pleasure or you can ride to train, but best of all you can ride on the trail and do both.
With a little imagination and ingenuity you can create the ultimate arena and schooling area for you and your horse……..just take him out on the trails! Mother Nature will provide you with the rest.
I want to caution all you readers that you do not go out of the safety of the arena until you are a confident rider and have good control on your horse. Don’t take a horse out on the trail that you have problems controlling in a “secure enclosure.” A safety helmet on your head is always advisable when on a horse, green or not, in any environment. As natural as open fields, trees, dry brush, running water, rocks, deer etc, can often be a overwhelming experience to stabled horses. The first few times out you must be confident, wise and patient. It is often best to take a green trail horse out with a seasoned steady mature trail horse. If you have a solid trail horse you may want to “pony” your first timer a few times. Go for short rides and if you choose to ride with a partner, choose your partner carefully. It is good to ride out in the company of an experienced, confident older horse that your youngster or inexperienced horse can take his cues from. Once your horse is comfortable and manageable, you can venture out on your own more…again, as in everything to do with training horses, be patient! Just as you do at home in your arena work, take one step successfully and then take the next step, not moving on until you have accomplished the goals of the previous one. Use your head and think when planning your ride. Choose where you will ride your green horse with wisdom. You probably won’t choose to ride through a herd of cattle or ride along a road of speeding traffic your first trip. Expose him to new things gradually; build his confidence up slowly and incrementally – don’t overload and overwhelm him all at once. One more thing, for your own safety: if you do go out alone or even with a partner it is wise to let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back.
All your arena work has been preparing your horse for his trail rides. Each “inside” lesson can be taught, maintained and advanced while riding on the “outside.”
Some of my horses are a bit spooky or apprehensive at first. I try to “ignore” this as much as possible. If “I” do not make a big deal about something I find my horse often does not either.
As part of my training program, I try to take a horse out on the trail after each schooling period. It is a good opportunity to cool the horse down but still continue his lessons. I will also reverse this and use the trail as a warm up as well, again using this as a way to vary training and a new forum to teach him lessons a along the way. There is nothing that will sour a good horse quicker than drilling, particularly horses of a non-phlegmatic temperament that are intelligent and quick to learn. A bored, irritated horse soon finds ways of expressing his frustration in a myriad of ways.
I have learned from experience that a horse will learn his lessons faster and with a good attitude if he understands the requests you are making. Very often, you can find obstacles on the trail that will make these requests clearer to him, even help him to learn the aids better. For instance if you want him to move in a circle, it makes more sense for him to circle a tree or a big rock. You still will ask him to move forward, with his nose to the inside of the direction that you are going. You will still push the rib cage out with your inside leg creating the arc of the circle and if the horse’s hips start to drift you can correct them with your outsides leg. This is the same exercise you teach in the arena but now he has a reason to circle, you have given him something to go “around.” (In the arena I use barrels) If there is a group of trees I will serpentine between them asking the horse to “arc” around each tree.
Happy Safe Trails!
