Zen Horse

Training Tip of the Week
Staying Focused
By Clinton Anderson

When you take your horse on a trail ride, don’t put him on auto-pilot. Horses are just like kids, if you don’t give them something to do, they’ll find something to do! It’s perfectly fine to let your horse trot and canter on a loose rein, but don’t expect him to stay focused on you throughout the trail ride if you don’t check up on his responsiveness occasionally. Though trail riding offers the perfect opportunity to work with your horse outside the arena, it’s important to remember that being outside in open areas offers your horse lots of distractions. Don’t let these distractions become a problem; instead, use them to your advantage.

Keep your horse focused on you by yielding the hindquarters, yielding the forequarters, and other exercises. Get creative! Do post-to-post exercises with a couple trees or try the serpentine exercise using different obstacles. Doing exercises like these in an open area or on trail rides will help increase your horse’s respect because he learns that no matter where you are, you require the same amount of responsiveness. The great thing about riding outdoors is it adds variety to your routine and can present you with new challenges. If you use these challenges to improve your horsemanship, you’ll have a respectful and willing partner whenever you hit the trails.

Happy Trails,

Danna