Zen Horse

Training Tip of the Week:
By Clinton Anderson

Long rides…



You can’t expect your horse to get broke by riding him for twenty minutes at a time. You have to put some miles under his feet. Once or twice a week, take him on a two or three hour trail ride, do some concentrated training while you’re out there, and bring him back with wet saddle pads. The best place to ride colts is on a wide dirt road that goes for a hundred miles, because it gives him plenty of room to move his feet. Horses will go sour very quickly by only riding them in a small enclosed space like a roundpen or an arena. The smaller the area, the more it shuts down their mind. Get your horse out on some long trails, dirt roads, or pastures, even if you have to trailer him there.

Last week on the Sierra's I became a better rider by going on long rides, we were riding horses that were solid because of long rides with many obstacles, our group commented several times that our own horses would have struggled while these horses never had to blow or slow up, because of the constant use and long rides.

Happy Long Trails,

Danna