A common complaint I get during introductory calls with clients who trail ride is their horses become anxious on the trail. This can range from rushing, to having to lead, throwing their head, and even bolting. So what should we do if we find ourselves in a situation where our horse is disconnected with us during a trail ride? Here are some tools to help you get your horse’s focus back and exercises built to work on prevention that you can do in the arena.
Horses act differently when out of their element. Sometimes a horse isn’t used to going out with groups, seeing large open fields, or encountering the various situations you may see on the trail. It’s important to remember that if your horse is green, young, or inexperienced, riding out with a group of understanding and patient riding partners is key. You may have to dismount and work your horse on the ground to regain his focus or take extra time building his confidence in more technical areas of the trail. Being able to do this without feeling hurried or embarrassed is crucial.
I want to start out with some words of caution here. The moment you feel that things are out of control with your horse, dismount. Nothing is worth your safety and trying to “prove” that you can stay on your horse when she’s anxious and becoming dangerous. Don’t wait for things to escalate to a space where you can’t safely dismount. You can certainly make the decision to dismount too late, but in my opinion, never too early. Dismounting doesn’t reinforce poor behavior unless you walk him back to the barn and end your session. You can put your horse to work from the ground, where you’re feeling safer and his job is to regain focus and confidence.
Why Does This Happen?
The reasons behind your horse not acting herself on a trail ride could be an entire list in and of itself. If you haven’t heard my episode about trigger stacking, I would strongly recommend that you have a listen. Trigger stacking involves multiple stressors during a period of time that can cause explosive behavior and plays a big part in trail riding issues. There are a few other specific common factors we should keep in mind too. The most common factor I see is a horse that simply isn’t educated enough to go out on the trails. A horse that behaves poorly in the round pen, arena, or when being ridden around the property will often behave much worse with a group out on the trails. Assuming your horse is trained well enough for trail riding, let’s move on to the second most common factor. When your horse is around other horses, it’s exciting for him. Think of yourself going on a walk with a big group of people instead of walking alone. The entire “vibe” of your workout is different. If your horse is used to being ridden alone in the arena and is suddenly heading into the woods with 4 or 5 other horses he may not even know, this is a very different environment for him. Many horses can get “competitive” and want to be in the lead. If your horse is used to being ridden around other horses and is still difficult on the trail, it could be the surroundings. It’s possible your horse has no prior experience with crossing water or bridges. He might not be used to strange looking roots, rocks, and other things he doesn’t see regularly in the arena or his turnout area. Because of this, it’s common for a horse to be on high alert when first getting accustomed to situations like this. Another very common reason for undesirable behavior on the trail is your horse is lacking overall confidence and has gone into fight, flight, or freeze mode. A horse reacting from their sympathetic nervous system will act and move quite differently than when they’re focused and not feeling threatened.
How Can You Support Your Horse?
Sometimes, it’s impossible to narrow down the reason behind your horse’s behavior in certain situations. This is why it’s important to have a plan that can address all of the reasons with the same exercise. If you take a step back and look at the foundation of the issue, it’s quite possible your horse got pushy, afraid, or dangerous because she lacks focus on you and confidence in the situation. It’s important to head out prepared with what you’ll need to work your horse on the ground. I recommend having a rope halter under the bridle so that you are able to attach an appropriate length rope for ground work. Trying to work your horse on the ground with just your reins can quickly become dangerous and even harmful to your horse’s mouth and body, as you will want him to have the space necessary to circle and turn.
When you feel as if things are getting out of control, dismount and begin working with your horse on the ground. Ideally, you will have the space to do some circling exercises with frequent changes of direction. Circling on it’s own really doesn’t do much for focus, but frequent changes of direction helps your horse gain more focus on you and what you’re asking. I would recommend doing the circling exercises at walk or trot, and refrain from cantering. Often, the footing can be tricky and you may not have much room. This isn’t about chasing your horse anyway. The mental focus required to respond to your cues combined with coordinating his feet in order to change directions helps bring your horse’s focus back to himself instead of his environment. When your horse begins to show some signs of focus (keeping an ear on you, moving with more intention, unpinning her tail against her buttocks, relaxing through her body, and responding lightly), you can stop this exercise and ask her to disengage her hindquarters to both directions and to back up. Simply circling a few times and hopping back on is very unlikely to help your horse to relax and focus, so meeting your horse where she’s at and ensuring her focus is back on you is vital for safety’s sake. After you feel as if your horse has regained focus, remount. Start by asking for lateral flexion to both directions. This flexion without movement of the feet is an indication your horse has softened through the topline enough to be able to do this without bracing. You can then walk on, asking for turns left and right to be sure you have the level of focus and communication from your horse that feels safe for you. You can try halting and backing up. Be sure you have steering and brakes before continuing on.
Dos and Don’ts:
Refrain from riding your horse with tight reins in anticipation of poor behavior. Riding with reins that are too tight not only encourages flight behavior because your horse will feel boxed in, but you also want to encourage relaxation and reward your horse for performing correctly. Good training is addressing an issue when it happens, not anticipating a problem and waiting for it to happen. Let your horse mess up if he’s going to. Once he does, this is where you can correct the behavior in a constructive way.
Don’t stop an anxious horse with two reins. I know this can be tough for us English riders, but it’s important to understand that a correct stop in schooling is different than a one-rein stop during an emergency. I am a strong advocate of teaching every horse a one-rein stop, and I would never encourage anyone to head out onto the trail without their horse understanding it. In a situation where your horse is reacting from fight or flight, two reins will likely cause your horse to evade the bit and continue to fight their way forward. In extreme cases, a horse can panic and rear when feeling trapped by tight reins. Instead, a one rein stop allows your horse more space by eliminating the “packaged up” feeling that both reins can give while effectively taking the energy away from the hind legs, stopping the horse. This one rein stop also works in a situation where your horse has already bolted off, but expect to have to spiral down to a stop. Focus on keeping your balance as you slowly make your circle smaller, eventually coming to a halt.
Don’t just ride your horse down the trail. Some of the worst spooks I have ever experienced have been after a long period of walking without a purpose. It’s easy for both you and your horse to get disconnected from the present, and this is a recipe for a spooking disaster. Instead, keep your horse focused on you by asking for a few steps of leg yield, a transition, or a turn every few strides.
Prevention
I fully understand that horses are unpredictable and we cannot always prevent issues from occurring. However, if your horse has given you a hard time during a trail ride, it’s your job as her partner to prepare her more appropriately for next time. These tips also apply to a horse that you haven’t taken out on the trails yet.
#1) Understand that most horses need consistent work in order to behave appropriately on the trail. I know there are exceptions, but those horses are few and far between. If you’re only interacting with your horse once or twice a week, it’s likely you will struggle with connection during your trail riding adventures. Just a few minutes of ground work a few days during the week can make a world of difference for a weekend trail rider.
#2) Be an engaged partner. Have you ever heard the saying about every time you interact with your horse, you’re training them? It’s true! If you’re noticing little things, address them in the moment. Use your walk to the turnout field in the morning as an opportunity for a little ground work. Ask for him for space when feeding. Little things like this help to reinforce your expectations with your horse, and reinforces the boundaries you’ve set with your horse.
#3) Work up to the next group ride by starting small and paying attention to your horse’s behavior. Start by hand walking, then hacking out around the property after riding in the arena. See how your horse does with a small group on a short ride with good footing and space to do the ground work if necessary. See how your horse goes after taking him for a short ride in the trailer. How is he around loose dogs? How is he with unexpected noises? Rustling branches? Puddles? These are all things that you could encounter during your next trail ride.
#4) Don’t expect too much too soon. From teaching flying changes to reinforcing appropriate behavior on the trail, things take time. Building confidence on the trail isn’t something you (or anyone for that matter) can solve in one ride. Stay patient and observant, keeping safety your top priority.
Do you have more questions about this topic? Feel free to contact me! Thanks for visiting my blog, and I hope your next ride is a confident, safe, and adventurous one.
Take care,
Kimberly