One of the best things about going into the summer is that the days are longer. These days, sunset is occuring about 8 - 8:30 and it's never been a better time to go riding (well, except for the hordes of insects maybe).
Last night I got together with a couple of friends to go out around Gabriellano Park and beyond. We decided to work our horses a bit in the public arena, especially since one of them seems to be having issues with cantering.
After an uneventuful ride over to the arena, we worked our horses and things seemed to go fine. One of the things we all worked on was cantering and trotting past each other while seeking to keep the horses' attention on the riders rather than what their compadres are doing.
While this may seem to be remedial, it's all part of countering herd-bound behavior and especially out on the trail where riders may have to separate or change position in the riding order. Each of these horses, including Max, are used to being around the other and sometimes they get a bit TOO attached to one another. One of the drills we'd do is for one horse to stand still while the other two either trot or canter past. This is always a good thing to train on, especially if you encounter some idiot with no trail manners like the Vaquero wannabe we encountered at Caspers Wilderness Park a couple of weeks ago.
We also used the arena as an opportunity work out some excess energy out of the horses. While this is not a major issue with Max since he's worked almost everyday, it is an issue with the other two horses (they're both mares) and sometimes they'll get so excited that they start spinning- it doesn't happen often but it's still underdesireable out on the trail.
After about 15-20 minutes, we decided to ride down the Haul Road towards Big Tujunga creek and then make a loop towards the stables. By this time it was getting dark and there was no moon out, so it got increasingly more difficult to see the trail. Not that this was an issue since we all know the area and the horses have an unerring sense of direction (equine GPS?).
Overall, it was about a good two-hour ride and it was good exercise for the horses. More importantly, each of the horses functioned on the trail with no issues and there was no drama (except for when Max encountered a pile of rubbish but that was easily handled- what a brave boy! :-)).
Not a bad evening ride. :-)
Last night I got together with a couple of friends to go out around Gabriellano Park and beyond. We decided to work our horses a bit in the public arena, especially since one of them seems to be having issues with cantering.
After an uneventuful ride over to the arena, we worked our horses and things seemed to go fine. One of the things we all worked on was cantering and trotting past each other while seeking to keep the horses' attention on the riders rather than what their compadres are doing.
While this may seem to be remedial, it's all part of countering herd-bound behavior and especially out on the trail where riders may have to separate or change position in the riding order. Each of these horses, including Max, are used to being around the other and sometimes they get a bit TOO attached to one another. One of the drills we'd do is for one horse to stand still while the other two either trot or canter past. This is always a good thing to train on, especially if you encounter some idiot with no trail manners like the Vaquero wannabe we encountered at Caspers Wilderness Park a couple of weeks ago.
We also used the arena as an opportunity work out some excess energy out of the horses. While this is not a major issue with Max since he's worked almost everyday, it is an issue with the other two horses (they're both mares) and sometimes they'll get so excited that they start spinning- it doesn't happen often but it's still underdesireable out on the trail.
After about 15-20 minutes, we decided to ride down the Haul Road towards Big Tujunga creek and then make a loop towards the stables. By this time it was getting dark and there was no moon out, so it got increasingly more difficult to see the trail. Not that this was an issue since we all know the area and the horses have an unerring sense of direction (equine GPS?).
Overall, it was about a good two-hour ride and it was good exercise for the horses. More importantly, each of the horses functioned on the trail with no issues and there was no drama (except for when Max encountered a pile of rubbish but that was easily handled- what a brave boy! :-)).
Not a bad evening ride. :-)
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