Spring Time in the Mountains feat. Ryleigh & R&DR Outlaw Orbit Rider
The weather was finally nice enough that we could justify going into the mountains for a trail ride. We decided this was the best time to get some of the youngsters ready for the western/mountain trail scene more intimately. Ryleigh was on R&DR Outlaw Orbit Rider, aka Nimbus, who took to the trail really well for his first time.
We weren't even supposed to keep Nimbus in the first place, but since we ended up doing it, it has been nothing but a treat to get to know this young man. He's so willing and curious about things that it makes it easy for him to want to go out to a new place, like a mountain, and get to know the lay of the land and put his hooves into the streams.
Mountain trail lot was made by CK. All credit for the amazing lot goes to her!
We only stayed for part of the day, but it was good! It's my first year in the amateur classes and without a trainer. I placed third in showmanship, and won trail, albeit by default. Either way, I had decent patterns and it was a good show for getting some practice.
Back-throughs, can be tricky for some people, either because their horses back crookedly or over-step, causing faults in their trail patterns. I'll take you through a dog-leg, whose elements you can use in almost any back-through.
Chutes for backing are usually spaced three feet apart. Dog-leg chutes make a right angle, each parallel pole being spaced three feet apart. These are the back-throughs that most trail patterns use.
When you begin a dog-leg, you have to be able to back straight into it. Position your horse's hips just outside the opening of one end; When you're stopped, look around to make sure your horse is parallel and in the center of both sides of the chute. If he is, you can start backing up.
Use the poles on either side of your horse to keep him straight. If he gets too close to one pole, push him back toward the center of the gap. When you reach the corner of the dog-leg, look toward the inside of the angle and stop with your stirrup even with the point where the inside poles touch. Your foot should be even with the perpendicular pole, so your horse's hind end stops even with the perpendicular chute.
Turning is the part where people often mess up. Riders tend to lean the wrong way, causing their horses to turn the wrong way and over-step, usually hitting the poles. If your foot is even with the perpendicular pole, lean around toward the outside of the turn to move your horse's hip in the opposite direction. So, if you want your horse's hip to swing to the left around a corner, lean around to the right and cue for the hip to move. Just remember to keep your horse's front end still.
Now the point of the inside corner is under your horse's belly, and his back end is around the corner and inside the second half of the chute. Do a pivot on the hind end to move his shoulder over.
Your horse should now be fully turned around the right angle of the dog-leg. Then, check to make sure you're straight in the chute, and you can back right out. Have fun, and good luck!
For some strange reason, one thing I love teaching people is turning in a box. People doing trail, including me until I learned, have misconceptions about turning in a box, but it's simpler than you think.
A standard box in trail is 6x6 feet, and this is the size you'll want to make your box if you're practicing at home. Riders sometimes think that, when you turn in a box, the horse has to do what I call an "orbit."
Similarly to when a horse pivots on his front or back end, "orbiting" happens when the center of his back (you) stays relatively stationary in the center of the box while his front and hind ends "orbit" around you. This is fine if you're on the rail, but it won't work inside a box. The horse will have to stop and adjust his feet every few steps, and may end up stepping outside the box, which makes for a choppy turn and a lower score. Instead, try a smoother option.
Say your pattern calls for a 360 to the left. Before you even think about turning, you have to position your horse correctly, and this means avoiding the center of the box. Depending on which direction you're turning, enter the box on the opposite side. So, for a left turn, enter the box on the right side, and stop your horse directly next and parallel to that far right pole.
Once you're on the far side of the box, you can start your turn. Twist your body (Trail is an exception to that no-twisting rule) and look down at the spot on the ground in the middle of the box just behind your inside heel. So, turning left, you're going to look behind the heel of your left leg at the center of the box. This will set your horse up to actually turn and bend around your inside leg.
When you turn in a box like this, your horse will literally walk a tiny, tight circle. Be sure to keep your eyes on that spot in the center of the box as you're steering. Neck-rein your horse so his head turns, and press with your outside leg to push his shoulder forward. So, turning left, you'll keep your eyes on the ground below your left heel and walk your horse in a tiny circle around that point on the ground. It's that simple.
When you're finishing your turn, just remember where to stop, depending of course on what your pattern calls for. Your horse will end up off-center when you stop turning, so be sure to straighten him out as you exit the box. Have fun, and good luck!
