Fairly often, a group trail ride can appear to be rather more like a melee in a rodeo. I have gone out on more such rides than I care to recollect. Some of the horses, of the excitable type, would be dancing around even as their riders tried to mount. Other horses would jar their riders fully awake with a dosage of bucking and rearing. On so many occasions, I had to take a flying jump into the saddle to avoid getting into a tussle with my pony. I’ve seen riders get so exasperated they almost gave up on the idea of going out on a ride. Even placid horses become infected with the mood of the moment and act up a bit. Most times, the horses keep acting up for quite some time even after the ride is under way.

Doesn’t exactly lead directly to a great impression of trail rides, does it? Doesn’t sound like the best way to get started on what really should be an enjoyable ride.

Actually , you can avoid situations like this by getting some previous ground coaching done and carrying out a simple check just before the ride. This bit of care will ensure a smooth ride.

The coaching should be built to give the pony handler full physical control of the pony. The handler should be able to get the horse to move any part of its body he asks it to. It should be possible to exercise independent control of the front and the rear ends, and the smallest of pressures should get the neck and the head to bend sideways. Gentle cues should suffice to get the horse to go forward or back , as well as to either side.

Without these basics set right, the rider is not going to be able to exercise proper control over the pony, which means that the pony will go a bit wild when excited. Going wild might go to the extent of bolting or bucking and rearing.

You also need to keep a constant watch on any injuries and other reasons behind discomfort. The horse is not going to be normal when he’s feeling pain. I can recollect a pal who had the ride of his life when he mounted his gelding and it literally copied a rollercoaster before he somehow managed to get off. It turned out the pony was afflicted by pain due to a pebble some kid had ‘gifted’ to the horse by placing it between the pommel and pad!

In this article, I am really not able to cover everything the rider has to get done to make certain his horse stays calm when setting out for rides, even in the middle of a lot of other horses. Horse riders can learn these skills from authorities like Pat Parelli and Clinton Anderson. Craig Cameron, Chris Cox and Dennis Reis are other names that come to mind. All these authorities can be found on RFD-TV; you can also buy their DVDs. Apart from these sources, you can resort to any number of clinicians and experts spread all around the country.

When you have trained your pony thoroughly and he responds the right way to the tiniest cues, you know what your pre-ride check list is going to be comprised of. You just be sure your horse still remembers his lessons. Like us, horses have their days off, and it’s helpful to get prior knowledge that your horse isn’t quite at peak. You don’t need to saddle up and ride an oblivious tornado!

Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers go here