Chapter Two Leading and Groundwork

Horses are naturally inclined to roam the prairie in search of food. Their exceptional sight, smell, and hearing allow them to detect approaching predators and notice movements on the horizon, enabling them to flee quickly. In today’s world, however, they encounter many unnatural dangers and must learn to adapt to these, to enjoy a trail ride without feeling stressed.

Groundwork is crucial for building trust and helping your horse feel safe in challenging situations. For a horse, tight spaces or unexpected sights and sounds can be overwhelming, triggering stress or fear responses. Through consistent groundwork, you can help your horse gradually adjust to these stressors and learn to rely on you for reassurance.

​

Here are some steps to help:

1. Gradual Exposure: Begin with less intimidating objects or sounds, and slowly introduce more challenging ones. For example, start by leading your horse near a tarp on the ground, and gradually work up to one flapping in the wind.

2. Stay Calm and Confident: Your horse picks up on your energy, so maintain a steady, calm demeanor. When you approach something that may be frightening for them, stay relaxed and give them time to assess.

3. Reward Progress: Acknowledge each step forward, whether it’s with praise or treats. If your horse calmly approaches something new or responds to your direction, reward them to reinforce their sense of security.

4. Desensitization Drills: Practice scenarios your horse might encounter, such as narrow spaces or distant, sudden noises, gradually increasing the level of challenge as they grow more confident.

5. Establish Boundaries: Set clear boundaries so that your horse learns to respect your space and follow your guidance, reinforcing their trust in your leadership.

Over time, these exercises will help your horse feel more secure and confident in unfamiliar situations, knowing they can trust your lead.

​

2.1. On the Trail

If your horse spooks in every possible situation, it might have learned that spooking can lead to an early return to the stable. To address this, try this approach: if needed, dismount and guide your horse toward the object that caused the reaction. Encourage your horse to investigate it, allowing them to touch it with their nose and view it from both eyes.

This process helps them recognize that the object is safe, and, over time, reinforces the habit of trusting your guidance rather than reacting out of fear.

High-energy horses, like Arabians, often try to move past challenges by speeding up. These horses need to learn to approach obstacles slowly and thoughtfully. Training them to do this takes more time than it might with a calmer, cold-blooded breed like a Shire, but it’s essential for building their confidence and control in tricky situations.

​

2.2. Working on the mental condition of the horse:

We all know that regular exercise keeps our horses physically fit. What’s often overlooked, though, is the mental fitness of the horse. I make it a point to find opportunities to teach my horse new, challenging things. By gradually confronting it with fears in manageable steps, the horse learns it can overcome obstacles and gains confidence in its ability to handle the unexpected. It all starts with me being confident in the abilities of my horse and trusting it.

​​

2.3. Here’s a list of things I teach my trail horses:

1. Respecting my private Space.

2. Standing still when saddled, ground tied.

3. No grazing while riding or being led.
4. waiting for verbal cues

​

5. Leading at the Halter: I teach the horse to follow me at a distance of 3 to 6 feet, both behind me and leading from the back of the horse, with the horse walking in front of me. This skill is usefull for guiding the horse through obstacles, with a rope on each side.

6. Ski-Lift with Tail Guidance: Over time, this training progresses to a point where I can hold the horse’s tail, and it pulls me up a mountain. I guide its direction by gently moving the tail left or right, while the horse listens to my verbal cues.

​

7. Hobbling: All my trail horses are trained to be comfortable with hobbles. I start by loosely wrapping a cotton rope around their fetlocks, allowing them to get used to the sensation. Once they’re relaxed, I tie the rope to one foot, then both, gradually tightening it. This training helps them stay calm if they ever get tangled in something like barbed wire.

​

8. Handling Aggressive Dogs: In the European mountains, sheep herding dogs (such as Kangals) can be aggressive toward horses, especially when guarding their flock. When approaching a herd, it’s critical not to run, as this triggers the dogs to chase and bite at the horse’s tail and legs. I train my horses to lower their heads, bare their teeth, and stand their ground, even cantering toward the dogs to deter them. This way, they learn not to fearfully bolt, but to confidently face the situation.

 

Chapter Three Physical Conditioning

Working on the mental health of your horse helps to keep the weight on and allows you and your horse to enjoy the ride. Many highly active horses will lose some weight on their first long trail. We do not recommend that horses younger than 5 years be ridden extensively on trails.

 

Monitoring the PAT (Pulse, Respiration, and Temperature) values of your horse is essential for understanding their fitness, health, and stress levels.

Here’s a quick summary of how to approach it and how PAT can be used in training:

1. Baseline PAT Values: Establish a resting baseline. For most adult horses:

   • Pulse: 30-40 beats per minute (bpm)

   • Respiration: 14-18 breaths per minute

   • Temperature: 99-101°F

2. Measuring Respiration: Count breaths by watching your horse's chest or nostrils. Count the full rise and fall of the chest or each exhalation from the nose for one minute.

3. Measuring Pulse: Finding a horse’s pulse manually can be a bit tricky without a stethoscope. Here are a few common spots:

   • Facial artery: Below the jawbone

   • Digital artery: Behind the fetlock.

   • ​​

4. Fitness Assessment: After exercise, measure how long it takes for the pulse and respiration rates to reduce to a manageable level, like twice the resting pulse (~65 bpm). This “recovery rate” is a great indicator of cardiovascular and respiratory fitness.
    

Keeping track of these values over time helps ensure your horse is staying healthy and can improve your rides and training sessions by balancing physical and mental stress.

3.1. Conditioning at a walk

Mountain trails are indeed ideal for developing a horse’s fitness, endurance, and mental health, as well as offering natural, varied terrain that builds muscle and promotes balance.

1. Distance and Duration:

   • 15 miles: A comfortable distance for a healthy horse but a test of endurance for many riders.

   • Serious Work: Horses start to engage in more rigorous exercise around the 25-mile mark, equating to about 6-8 hours of continuous riding.

2. Elevation Impact:

   • Elevation Gains: For every 450 feet of elevation gain, consider it equivalent to an additional mile.

   • Example: A 20-mile ride with a 2250-foot elevation gain is approximately the effort of a 25-mile ride on flat terrain.

Cardiovascular Fitness: Long rides with changes in elevation improve your horse’s cardiovascular endurance.

• Muscle and Joint Health: Uphill climbs build hindquarter strength, while downhill stretches work the front-end muscles and tendons.

• Mental Resilience: Trail rides, particularly in the mountains, expose horses to various sights, sounds, and challenges, boosting their confidence.

Keeping these factors in mind while gradually increasing distance and elevation over time will help build a stronger, fitter horse. Plus, it’s an opportunity for both horse and rider to build endurance and trust on more challenging trails.

​​

​​​

3.2. Conditioning with Interval Training Plan

Interval Training for Conditioning: Once your horse has comfortably handled multiple 25-mile rides, interval training is a great way to build cardiovascular fitness, strength, and stamina.

1. Start Simple:

   • 5-Minute Walk, 1-Minute Trot: Begin with a 5-minute walk, then a 1-minute trot. Repeat this pattern for the entirety of your training session.

   • Duration: Do this routine daily for one week.

2. Monitoring PAT Values:

   • After each interval session, check the PAT values (Pulse and Respiration). The goal is to reach a recovery rate where your horse’s pulse comes down to about double its resting rate (approximately 65 bpm) within a few minutes.

   • If PAT values are still high, stick with this interval pattern a little longer until your horse recovers consistently within the target range.

3. Increase Trotting Phase:

   • Once your horse’s PAT values are within the desired range, gradually increase the trotting duration and reduce the walking phase.

   • Goal: Over time, build up to trotting for the entire session, effectively strengthening stamina without overexerting your horse.

Benefits of Interval Conditioning:

• Controlled Increase in Intensity: This progression safely pushes your horse's limits and allows time for adaptation.

• Improved Recovery: Regular intervals help your horse develop quicker recovery, a key marker of fitness.

• Better Muscular and Cardiovascular Development: The variation in gait strengthens different muscle groups, improves circulation, and enhances endurance.
   

This interval approach builds fitness sustainably, supporting long-term health and readiness for more challenging rides.

​​

3.3. Side Benefits

Conditioning yourself alongside your horse is crucial for those long rides! Riding 3-5 times a week for 3+ hours helps build your endurance, balance, and strength, which makes it feasible to handle 6-10 hour rides without tiring too quickly. This way, you’re a more balanced, active partner, which benefits your horse's comfort and energy conservation as well.

​

Key Points on Rider Fitness for Long Rides:
 

1. Training Together: By riding consistently, you build stamina, which is especially critical as staying balanced and engaged in the saddle helps distribute your weight evenly. This keeps you from becoming passive, which would turn you into "dead weight," adding strain to your horse.
    

2. Understanding Fatigue:

   • Rider Fatigue: After about 6 hours, even experienced riders experience fatigue, which impacts posture and balance. Regular riding and core exercises can help extend your endurance, but some fatigue is natural.

   • Horse Impact: When we’re tired, we may unintentionally slump or lose coordination, causing discomfort or even minor misalignment that can throw off the horse’s rhythm and tire them faster.
      

3. Benefits of Conditioning for Both:

   • Better Partnership: With endurance training, both you and your horse are better prepared physically and mentally for long trails.

   • Increased Enjoyment: When you’re fit, you can stay focused and present, allowing both you and your horse to fully enjoy the journey without unnecessary stress or fatigue.
      

Ultimately, both rider and horse need training to handle these long distances comfortably, and with consistent conditioning, you’ll be able to tackle even longer trails with ease!

​​

​