Re-Creating the Conditions

If you’re following along with my latest posts about first trail rides, on our last ride Tweed lost his attention at the equestrian camp ground and hill past it.  From now on, my lessons with Regina will be covering what bubbles up on those rides, so we met at that same campground and re-created the scenarios. 

As I parked across from the campground and saddled up, Tweed was agitated and wanted to eat grass (distraction), but after Regina arrived, we warmed up in the meadow doing those basic attention exercises—as soon as he lost focus on the circle I turned him in towards me—at walk and trot. The ground was uneven, so he had to pay attention to his balance. 

We then moved to a hill and did the same thing. Tweed was agitated at the trot because it required that he give it 💯 of his attention, which he wanted to divide between me and a big group of horses heading out. He didn’t do anything big, but I’m glad I wasn’t riding it. 

When we had him relaxed at the trot in a circle on the hill, I bridled him and we went back to the hill to do the same work in saddle. 

Key points: 

Going downhill I was to hold my hands very low, working length reins, and give him freedom to move, mostly using my legs to guide him. 

Going uphill, I posted the trot because he wanted to either walk or lope, and my hands were still working length, low, but I was to give him his head and only check his speed with my body and the demands of the hill.

When we had that going well, we went a bit further out to another hill and worked on descending in vertical lines. For that, I did need to ask for direction with the rein aid, but the goal was to use inside leg and push his hind quarters over with a steady working length rein. 

Something in the meadow had him on high alert, and then that big group of riders came by at a distance. Regina just had me stick to it—trust the process—and he mellowed out. 

We rode back to the trailer over the same hills, which he did very well, then ended it on a positive note. 

I was really happy that all the same things that happened on the trail also happened in today’s lesson and Regina gave me tools to work through them. We’re going to do the same work the next time we meet until he is rock solid. 

I am so lucky to have a trainer willing to meet us—literally—where we’re at!