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Tim

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Registered: 08/12/08
Posts: 279

08/24/09 at 11:32 AM

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We need to get together and get up a trail ride so that those of us with trail issues can work on them.

Maybe see all who is willing to participate and find a central location... For which I have no ideas because I don't trail ride much.

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Jan

Registered: 08/12/08
Posts: 114

08/24/09 at 03:32 PM

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That sounds like fun. Jessi and I want to come! We could ride in my neighborhood but I'm not sure that would be very safe if you were trying to work on issues. There is way too much asphalt around here.

I think Becky Seguin knows some places around Floresville. Peggy also has some friends that own land out that way.

Peggy
Registered: 11/09/08
Posts: 12

08/24/09 at 08:39 PM

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You read my mind. We so need a trail ride. How about Labor Day Weekend?

Tim

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08/24/09 at 10:45 PM

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That would probably work for me but I was secretly thinking of something maybe sooner.

I was also trying to kill two birds with one stone and have a reason to be in the vicinity of stockdale pretty soon cuz I gotta pick up a horse out there and I should have already done it.

Maybe we could do it more than once... here, there, small, large... whatever.

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Peggy
Registered: 11/09/08
Posts: 12

08/25/09 at 07:07 PM

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Guess I'm not so good at mind reading. I'm not gonna be around much this weekend...that's why I suggested the following plus it's a long weekend. I hope you can make this way twice. Calli wants to show you how good our turnarounds are!

Jan

Registered: 08/12/08
Posts: 114

08/25/09 at 07:42 PM

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I say... do it more than once! I was going to suggest October-ish but I heard we are having a cold snap this weekend and the high is only 95.

Tim

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08/25/09 at 09:24 PM

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We can certainly do it a few times and Labor Day would probably work too but I have a couple horses here right now that could use a trail ride so that I can assess their progress. So.... I guess I'm looking for volunteers to at least simulate a trail ride as soon as would be convenient for everybody.

I'd also like to include Baby Girl and her buggy at some point so she can get some experience too.

I looks like I'm gonna wind up making a special trip to pick up the filly in Stockdale anyway so it's not really a factor.

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foxtail

Registered: 11/08/08
Posts: 40

08/28/09 at 06:47 PM

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Tim,
Jane and I will be there Sunday morning. She's coming down Sat. night and stay with me, so we can be there early. If you decide not to do it let me know before Jane drive's down here tomorrow night.
Barb

Tim

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08/28/09 at 08:51 PM

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I pretty sure it's a definite. Jan and Jessi said they'd come too. I don't know about anybody else yet though.

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foxtail

Registered: 11/08/08
Posts: 40

08/29/09 at 05:10 PM

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#10

Hi,
So are we on for tomorrow? Jane is on her way. Let us know where to show up and what time. This is going to be a really good learning experience for both me and Sir Eddie! Can you fix my avatar? I sent you a picture.
Thanks, Barb

kid
Registered: 08/22/08
Posts: 52

08/30/09 at 07:29 PM

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#11

Could you explain alittle more about the "Trail Riding" as opposed to just riding your horses for their exercise as well as your own enjoyment ? However Tim, I dare say you no doubt have no great urge to just "go horseback riding" ha ha ha

But ya'll go in groups and just ride around ? I do remember there are lots of very pretty places around the San Antonio area...it's been awhile, but I doubt it has changed that much....land-wise that is.

As a matter of fact, I still have a cactus from a dry river bed at Doss, Texas. It was no bigger than my thumb nail and now stands 10 inches tall, has bloomed twice and now has 5 babies about a 1/2 inch tall, and 2 years old I am quite proud of it to say the least.......it must be alittle over 20 years old. No biggy for you guys, but we just don't grow cactus in Indiana.... ha ha

kid

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foxtail

Registered: 11/08/08
Posts: 40

08/31/09 at 10:41 AM

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#12

Tim,
Thanks for the ride!!! As always, I learn something about my horse everytime I'm down there. I was amazed when you pointed out that Ed was turning his head and looking away so that he wouldn't have to face what was making him anxious. He really was dissociative. When he gets separated from the crowd, even a little on a trail ride, his anxiety gets intolerable to him and all learning went out the window in the face of suvival instinct to get back with the herd. He was tolerating my "I dare you to take a step," but he wasn't anywhere near accepting it. When he gets in that place, I don't know how to calm him other than give him what he wants - walk back to the crowd, then make him go to work like it was my idea all along. I'm looking forward to next weekend as another great learning opportunity. Barb

Tim

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08/31/09 at 07:12 PM

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#13

Kid,
There's a different dynamic to trail riding than there is to riding alone or in an arena setting.

On the trail, you generally have a pack of horses headed the same direction so there's a front and a back of the pack, or herd. Some horses tend to want to always lead, or be up front, and it causes them to constantly be anxious about getting to the front of the pack. So it can be a constant struggle with your horse if your horse hasn't learned to accept and relax at the back of the pack.

It's instinctive. Horses have strong instincts and even though they've been thousands of years in domestication, their instincts are still very strong. In the wild, the stragglers are the first ones killed by predators so, as herding animals of prey, their instincts cause them to want to lead. If you were to ask them why they seem to be in such a hurry, they'd tell you, 'you know, I don't really know... just seems like the place to be and it seems really important'.

As a result, some horses have issues trail riding. Nobody wants to constantly be fighting with their horse and there are several things we can do to correct this problem if we weren't able to avoid it in the first place but the only place it occurs is on the trail. If you don't experience the problem, you can't fix it, so we had a trailride to work on these issues. Riding in one area or in an arena, the horses can all see the other horses and they don't get anxious about being left behind because they can see that nobody's leaving.

We worked on it some but it's not a problem that can be fixed in one ride after the horse has been having the issue long enough for it to become a habit so we're gonna do it a few times and get these issues worked out.

I got a few pictures that I'm gonna put up here in a minute. We just rode from our place to a nearby arena and back. Not exactly scenic but it was short enough to be pleasant while still long enough to get some work done.

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Tim

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08/31/09 at 07:14 PM

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#14

Barb, we'll work a bit more closely with Ed on the next ride. It looked to me like you were doing a pretty good job with him though... we just need more of it.

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Tim

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08/31/09 at 07:58 PM

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#15

Here are a few pictures. I didn't take very many and most of them were crappy but we got a couple.

I didn't bother resizing them so they'll probably appear pretty large but they'll be easier to see that way... (provided they fit on the screen)

A practice lap or two
Gettin started