Summer is coming and you know what that means…  Lots more riding to be had by all!  We do the occasional trail rides for beginner riders at the farm, and over the years I’ve come up with a system for those riders who for this is a first time or one time thing.  I’m sure all of you horse owners have a friend or relative who you will be giving a ride on your horse this summer.

.

How I started doing this was people kept calling me looking for trail rides,  I decided that since it was a once in awhile thing why not do it.  It’s nice to give the lesson horses a change of scenery and take them out of the arena for a relaxing ride.  I do some trail ride lessons too with my existing students, but what I am explaining here is a lesson for a rider that does not know how to ride.

.

Here is break down what our “Trail Ride Lesson” for new riders consists of:

• Leading the horse. Walk the horse around in a few circles in the arena to get to give them some confidence.  About 5 minutes.

• Groom the horse. We have the horses mostly groomed before the one time rider gets there, but I want them to have some grooming time to bond with the horse.  This lasts approximately 10 minutes.
• Tack the horse. Another 5 minutes, I like a rider to know how to check if the cinch is secure or not.  They may one day be at some dude ranch and I want them to be safe.   This takes about 5 minutes.  I help a lot to keep the process moving, I also do the bridling myself.
• Ride in the arena. First mount and then dismount.  I have the rider mount and emergency dismount a few times.  How many times depends on the rider.  I also tell the rider that if at anytime they feel scared or something happens, emergency dismount.  The horses are all trained to stop when rider emergency dismounts.
• Walk, stop, turn and back in the arena. This whole process is about 15 minutes.
• Then we leave for a nice 20 minute trail ride through the woods and fields. I point the way for the rider to go, I keep the rider on a lead rope but I don’t do any of the work.  I’m just there as a back up for the rider.

.

I don’t have the type of horses that follow each other, my horses follow the rider and I would like to keep it that way so this is how we do our trail rides.   Anyone who has a horse and would like to take a friend for a ride, this system works really well and everyone who has done it has been really happy.

.

If you are instructor who would like to offer some trail rides feel free to use my lesson plan!

Deanna

Tags: horse, trail rides, triail riding

4 Comments to New Riders With A Horse on The Trail

Jackie
May 13, 2009

Good stuff! Trail riding was never my favorite because it’s the big wide un-known compared to the ring at home. Horses are spookier and more alert, and have to deal with things out of their element. I always thought taking a big group of beginners on a trail ride was nuts, and wondered that people didn’t get killed. I like how your approach is centered on focus and safety. Maybe if my first trail rides were like this I would have a better opinion of it!

dcastro
May 13, 2009

Thanks Jackie! I too have always wondered how more people don’t get seriously injured out on a trail ride without knowing how to ride. God bless those trail horses!

Ann Foster
May 16, 2009

Thanks for the practical article. It’s a good way to introduce your non-horsey family members to our addiction as well.

dcastro
May 16, 2009

You’re welcome Ann and Thanks!

Leave a comment