Of course we do but not in the stereotypical fashion of using your horse as a walking barcalounger. This is when trail riding is detrimental to a horse’s development – not beneficial. Riders think that they are giving their horses a “day off” full of relaxation and reward by letting them hollow their backs and plug along. We take them out on a trail ride as a training exercise, improving their way of moving and keeping their backs up. It can be very beneficial, we work on the same principles as if we were in a ring. We do piaffe, passage, extensions, tempi changes, extended canter anything that we feel is appropriate at the time.

Of course the trails we use have very good footing and we are careful not to put the horses in unsafe situations. Yes, the horses can become excitable but this too can be turned into a training opportunity, especially for the “spooky” ones. When horses have been developed correctly their rides aren’t “work” that they dread, and ANY time a horse is being ridden, on a trail or in a ring, the same principles should apply, meaning we don’t ride them to the point that they are not able to keep their backs engaged and working correctly. You are developing either the correct or the incorrect muscles when you ride your horse.

barclounger excercise Trail riding