A Most Amazing Trifecta

 

A Most Amazing Trifecta

When Ellen and I have 3 rideable trail horses, we usually ride 2 of them on the first ride, do chores and then take the third horse out for a ride.  If Ellen has to go to work, she will drive downs to the park and meet us on the other side of the river.  I will cross, go off trotting and meet her on the way back.  We then walk to her car, she goes home and I ride alone back to the barn.  It was time to take Trifecta on a normal third horse ride.  (It has been so long since we had 3 rideable trail horses.)

What a wonderful ride I had with Trifecta.  We met Ellen on the other side of the river, said hello and off we went at a trot all the way to the second river crossing.  There, not surprisingly, Trifecta decided he wasn't turning around to go home--he wanted to cross the river.  I had to circle him to get him in the right direction.  Then, I decided to add something new to our ride.  We would try trotting towards home.  We have been practicing it at the bottom of the hill on the days we don't cross.  There is a short section of trail that we just trot back and forth.  He understood the concept, and it was time to see how he would do on a real trail ride.  Some horses are totally sensible.  Dante was from the get go.  Cole took a bit.  When he was young, he had a lot of trouble regulating his speed--he only believed in fast.

I introduced it the same way I introduced trotting on the trail in general.  We trotted a short stretch, stopped, clicked and treated.  I wanted to make sure he had brakes.  He was very, very excited but was willing to stop.  We did it again, and the second time was much better.  The third time I tried, he was trotting very steady, and I was so pleased.  Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes.

The day before, a large branch had fallen alongside the edge of the trail.  We trotted by it on the way out, and he didn't care about it at all, but now the sun was lighting it up like it was shining a spot light on it; and everywhere around it was in the shade.  It was something new, and it looked very much like a trail monster.

His head went up, and he told me there was no way he was going to pass it.  This is the first time, ever, that something got him that worried.  I let him look at it, and he started to step backwards.  When he stopped, I let him look some more and asked for a step forward.  He hesitantly did--and then decided backing up was better. That is how it went, but eventually he got closer and closer until he was able to gingerly pass it--giving it the side eye the whole time.

We saw a jogger heading our way, and she told us the Ellen was not much further ahead of us.  She was right.  I thought I would show Ellen what we had been practicing, so I started to trot.  He saw her and got very excited.  When I asked him to whoa, he just blew right through it.  I ended up having to bend him to get him to stop, and then he just walked very fast to catch up with her.

We had a great walk back to the first river crossing and there we parted.  It was a proper "Third Horse Trail Ride," and I am sure it was the beginning of many to come.

That ride went so well that I needed to find something more challenging for the next day.  Ellen was on vacation, so we had more time.  We took Cole and Dante on the first ride and then decided it was time to take Trifecta the other way.

He has been to the second river the other way and crossed it twice, but then we turned around to go home.  The trails beyond that point are pretty tricky.  At first it isn't bad.  The river is on the right with a fence on that side.  To the left are trees separating us from the nearby road.  At the end of that, the trail comes out into the open.  On one side is the busy parkway and the other side is the Fishermen's Wall.  It is a stone wall at least 10 feet with the river at the bottom of it.  We will usually see people fishing there.  There are baseball diamonds across the street, small parking lots along the road and the dread garbage can.  It is a lot for a horse to handle. and it goes for about a quarter mile until you are back into the woods.

Trifecta was thrilled to go this direction and all went well until we got to the top of a short but steep hill and a fawn popped up and ran away.  Tri was quite startled, and he popped up, too.  He settled down quickly and happily hurried down the hill on the other side to the river crossing.  Ellen left us to cross on the river ford and Trifecta stepped eagerly into the water.  About halfway across, he jumped like he saw another fawn.  I looked up and a Great Blue Heron soared right over the top of our heads.  At the same time, there was a very low airplane going overhead, and Ellen wished so much that she had her camera out to take that picture.  (We are extremely close to the airport, and the planes can be very low there when they are landing.)

He walked quicker across the water, and it didn't surprise me one bit when he ran up the river bank--it was the adrenaline.  I am so glad he waited until he got out of the water, first.

Because Ellen was nervous, she decided to hook him to the lead rope for his first venture on this very difficult trail.  I would say it was totally unnecessary.  He just walked beside her as she pointed out all the interesting things to see.  He was excited and looking at everything, but he was amazingly good.  He was curious about what he saw, but he didn't over react to anything.  And there simply is nothing else to say--it was totally uneventful.

The whole ride was just amazing.

Second River and Beyond

 

Second River and Beyond

Since our first attempt on the second river crossing with Trifecta went so well, it was time to tackle the trails on the other side.  Ellen had some vacation time, so we decided to take advantage of the extra time and do it on a weekday when the park is quieter.

We walked the whole way to the second river crossing so Ellen could keep up with us and join us when we got to the other side.  This time, I decided to try crossing the deep way in hopes that it would slow Trifecta down.  Ellen suggested doing some walk/whoa transitions before we got to the river to charge up the clicker and hopefully that would encourage him to stop in the river when I asked him.  That is a great way to keep a horse from rushing on a river crossing, but Trifecta completely ignored my requests the first time we did it.

I knew that getting him to cross wouldn't be the problem--getting him to cross in a civilized manner would be.

Ellen left us to cross on the pedestrian bridge and to meet us on the other side.  I asked Trifecta to step in, and he did it immediately.  After a few steps I asked for whoa, and I got it!  I clicked and treated him.  After that, I stopped him about every 5 steps or so.  He never got momentum.  I had some really good treats, and that helped a lot.

The river bank is very steep on the other side, but he went up it like a gentleman.  Once we started down the trail, though, he lost all his composure, and excitement level went through the roof.  Ellen hooked up the lead rope to his bridle, and it worked like magic.  He settled right down, and we headed down the new trail.  There is a very short and very steep hill we had to go up--success!  On top of the hill is a small rock wall around a culvert that he looked at sideways, but once he got close enough to see it well, he was fine.  I stopped him there so Ellen could catch her breath.  Then we proceeded down the trail.

After a few minutes, he was doing so well that Ellen unhooked him and the rest of the way went smoothly.  When we got to the street, we turned around to head back home.

The way back was just as uneventful.  Going down the hill was a challenge, but he met it well.  Crossing back over the river was a piece of cake.  In fact, the rest of the ride was a piece of cake.  Ellen had driven down to the park, so we left her when we crossed the final river and went home on our own.

It all went so well, we decided to do it again the next day.

We repeated everything we did the first time.  The only problem was that Ellen was getting some tummy cramps and was having trouble keeping up with us.  The second river crossing went well.  This time, I only stopped him 3 times on the way across.  Ellen and I didn't think he needed to be hooked up to the lead rope, and Trifecta proved us right.  

When we got up the short, steep hill, I told Ellen to take her time and not bother to keep up with us-hoping her tummy cramps would feel better.  We would meet her on the way back.  That went fine.  Trifecta was looking to the left and right with such interest that he forgot Ellen wasn't there--until he remembered and spun around to go back to her.  I kept turning him until he was facing the proper direction, and we continued on our way.  Ten steps later, he tried to do it again with the same results.  I decided I would do some walk/whoa transitions (no clicks) to get his mind back on his job, and it worked beautifully.  We got to the intersection and turned back.  He walked nicely until he saw Ellen and halfheartedly tried to trot several times to catch up to her.  He was very easy to correct.  Once we got to her, he was very happy. and we went home without any troubles at all.

He was so good, that the next time we try it, Ellen will probably ride Cole with us.

Scranton Flats

 Scranton Flats

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Awesome Cole

 Awesome Cole 

Ellen and I were coming home from a trail ride the other day.  I was on Cole, she was on Dante, and we had crossed the river and were going up the hill.  I glanced back and saw some riders that were behind us starting to cross the river.  We heard someone say "walk" really loud.  It was hard to make out what was going on because we were looking down through tree branches, but we heard a noise and a splash.  A horse went down.

The bottom of the river crossing is mostly smooth, and in the summer it grows some very slippery algae.  A rushing horse can easily slip and fall.  Ellen and I were watching to see what was happening.  We saw a horse come out of the river with her rider following.  The horse was loose and heading home.

I hopped off Cole and turned him perpendicular to the trail to block it.  On one side of the trail there is a ditch and the other side is a cliff.  By now, we knew the horse was Candy.  She is a Thoroughbred that did very well on the track, spent some years having babies and at the age of 20 started a successful new career as a trail horse.  She lives a few doors down from where we keep our horses.

She was trotting up the hill, and when she saw Cole, she got slower and slower.  I had some treats in my hand, and I was trying to lure her to me.  I guess somewhere along the way, someone told Candy not to take candy from strangers because she stopped, turned around and trotted back down the hill to be with her friends. 

At that point, I turned to look at Cole.  He was completely blocking the trail--all parked out like a proper Morgan--looking huge for a horse that is only 14.2 hands.  He had no intentions of budging.  No wonder Candy gave up.  Dante was just eating the underbrush...

In any sort of crisis, there is no other horse I would want to be with more than Cole.  He always maintains his cool and knows what to do.  The best was the day I had to leave him loose on the trail to dislodge Kevin, who was hanging upside down from his stirrup.  Cole stood like a statue that day, too.  Whatever we need from him, he gives it to us.  If there is something scary, he is always willing to take the lead and show the other horses they are safe.  Then there was the day he herded the barn goats back home... 

Cole is just an awesome horse

Henry Shows Us Who He Is

Henry Shows Us Who He Is

Henry is living the easy life, right now.  I have only been doing light ground driving and leading lessons.  He is getting daily handling, foot cleaning and time with his big brothers.  The other day, we decided to take him for a walk on the street.

It wasn't the first time we have done this, and we also have spent a lot of time at the end of the driveway watching traffic.  Henry's previous owner told us he was good with traffic, and nothing Henry has done so far has proved otherwise.

We had no intentions of going all the way to the trail.  Our barn has 2 driveways.  We crossed the street, walked him over to the other driveway, turned him around, recrossed the street and came back.  It was a hot day, so I decided that that was good enough.  

When I started leading him down our driveway, my sister cautioned me and said there was a motorcycle coming.  I thought, "Good.  I can see how he is with motorcycles."  I turned him around to face the street.  That is when my sister said it was more like 10 motorcycles.  I was maybe 15 feet from the road.  The trees alongside the driveway are pretty thick, so we couldn't see the motorcycles until they were right in front of us.  They were very loud and scary.  I glanced over at Henry, and his head was way up in the air and his eyes were really big--but he just stood there as the motorcycles went past.

I praised him and petted him, and then we turned around to walk back to the barn.  I have been in situations like this where the horse will freeze, but when it is time to move, he will get all prancey and excited.  Not Henry.  He put his head back down and walked down the driveway like nothing ever happened.

And now I really know who Henry is.  He is a sensible horse who is more likely to think before he acts.  Maybe he picked up on the fact that Ellen and I weren't afraid of the motorcycles--if so, all the much better.  He has been a very unspooky horse, all along, but this was a great test.

I took a business management class 100 years ago before I ever had horses, and the professor was teaching us how to motivate people.  It was the first time I ever heard of behavior modification, and little did I know that I would come to use it all the time; though with horses and not people.

There was one thing he said that always stuck in my head.  "You can change a person's behavior, but you can't change that person's character."  Well, Henry showed me his character, and I really liked what I saw.

Tri on His Solo Rides

 Tri on His Solo Rides

A good trail horse needs to safely be ridden with other horses as well as by himself.  With Trifecta, and all the horses I've ever trained, the easiest rides are with Ellen walking with us.  Some people prefer to start trail riding a new trail horse with other horses, but that is because they have never ridden with Ellen on foot.  She intuitively knows the right thing to do at the right time--plus she is good company.

Of course, Trifecta needs to be able to go with other horses, too, so we started up our Trifecta Tuesday rides with Dante.  That is when I realized we were actually going to work on solo rides.  Tri is a naturally fast horse, and Dante is a naturally slow horse.  We can start out at the mounting block together, but by the time I reach the river, they are no longer in sight.  Last year, I used to wait.  This year, I have been just leaving them behind.  I can mostly walk the trail to the next river crossing, turn around and meet them on the way back.  Ellen can do a lot of trotting and not catch up with us.  If I trot Tri, though he is not a super fast trotter, he still gets down the trail in good time--leaving Dante way back there.  When we turn around and walk home with Dante, Tri walks so fast that we leave Dante in the dust.  Ellen gets to do a lot of trotting towards home, too.  She is always careful to stop well behind Trifecta so we can continue our solo ride.  We wait for them at the river and go home together from there.  On the way up the hill, Trifecta practices his stop and wait for Dante routine.  

The only problem I have been having on our solo rides is random spinning on the way out.  I think it is happening for several reasons.  First, he is aware of the Dante being back there, somewhere, and he wants to go back to him.  The other reason I think may be affecting him is that most of the places he picks seem to be very lush with foliage--and he tries to spin off the trail and refuses to go forward once I get him corrected; often standing in the grass and weeds.  I don't think that is coincidental.  I do not allow him to snack on his rides, but he is named Tri for a reason.  He will always try.  

He is getting better, and I seem to be able to get him back on the straight and narrow easier.  He did things like this in the arena, too.  Somewhere along the way, I came up with a strategy that is effective with him.  If I can get him pointed in the correct direction, I stop and stand him.  Then, in a deep voice, I say, "Think about it."  Most times, he does and proceeds in the direction I want.  I have found this to be exceedingly useful on the trail, too.  It seems to get him focused and keeps things from escalating.

Dante seems totally content to be alone and away from his obnoxious friend.  They are good buddies when they are turned out together, but on the trail, Dante is all business.  

Trifecta on the Second Rivers

 

Trifecta on the Second Rivers

When we go on a trail ride, the trail starts by going down a hill.  At the bottom of the hill is the river, and we call that the "first river crossing."  Then we decide to go to the left or to the right.  Either way we go, we end up at a second river crossing.  Most rides, we go to the right because it is a nicer trail and prettier.  If we go to the left, it does get nice and pretty, but we have to ride a bit to get to the good sections.

It was time to tackle both "second river crossings."  We did the one to the left once last year, and it was uneventful.  It is a very easy river to cross because it isn't all that deep and is mostly smooth going.  We went over that way to give it a try this year.  Ellen joined us on foot and was willing to walk into the water to help him across, but it wasn't necessary.  Trifecta stepped right in and walked steadily to the other side.  Ellen cut over to the street and crossed on the nearby ford.  She met us on the other side, and we rode out to the next intersection, turned around and headed back towards home.  Once again, he crossed the river with ease.  

The real challenge was riding him down the short, steep hill with the road at the bottom.  He tends to rush down slopes, but recently, he has gotten so much better.  Well, he walked down it like a champ.  I was so proud of him.

Our next challenge was the second river in the other direction.  That one is tougher because it is deeper and you have to go over a bunch of rocks and around some other rocks if you go one route or through much deeper water than he has ever been in if we go the other way.  The rocky way is trickier, but I decided to go that way because I was hoping it would slow him down.  

Ellen was with us on foot, but I had done some trotting and left her far behind.  I figured that if he didn't want to cross, we could wait until she caught up.  I didn't need to worry about that in the least.  I rode down the river bank and asked him to step in.  After the first step, he never stopped--I couldn't have stopped him if  I tried because he was so excited!  I threaded him over the small rocks and around the big rocks--ducking under the tree branches and then up the steep bank on the other side.  He did go faster than I would have liked, so that is something we will need to work on.  

I rode on a short way to the bottom of a hill and turned him around.  Immediately, he spun around to face the hill.  I tried again with the same results.  The little guy didn't want to go home!  I was able to turn him around and get him going towards the river.  As we neared it, we saw Ellen on the other side.  

Now for the part I was really worried about.  Remember when I said he tends to rush down slopes?  I had ride him down a river bank that is twice as long and much steeper than he is accustomed to.  He has bolted down the one at the first river crossing in the past and then tried to trot across the water.  I stopped him at the top, took a deep breath and gave him his command for sensible hill descents, "control."  I guided him down the slope at an angle to decrease the steepness, and he walked carefully down into the river.  What a relief!  He did just what we have been training him for.  He happily marched across the river--faster than I wanted him to but he was sure footed and sensible.  

From there, Ellen and I just walked home together.  He is turning into a great trail horses!