EHAL Magazine May 2019

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine ®

easy for them to cross objects and overcome scary things when they have a herd to follow. Can they do it when alone? Here’s my challenge to all of us. Pick up on our horse’s reins and ask them to do something specific. For example, maybe we could flex each direction as we walk forward. We can add a leg and half pass here and there, maybe work on

MATTHEW JOBE C BAR J RANCH WINDSOR, MO 660-537-9542 WWW.CBARJ.COM LIKE US ON FACEBOOK asked to do something sixty- four times in a whole year!!! We are training and making a much safer horse while still having tons of time for fun, fellowship and gossiping about poor Nancy

stops and back ups in the larger areas of the trail. These are just some of the many exercises we could do. Do this for one minute out of every fifteen minutes . This equates to four times per hour. Look back at our average ride of four hours per week. This would mean we picked up and told our horse to do something sixteen times a week that’s sixty-four times a month!! I promise you there are many horses that haven’t been

This really bothers me. This can be a major safety issue. Trail riding can be challenging and grueling. One does not know some of the terrain they may have to cross, from creeks, hills, hollers, mud, swamps, etc. Not to mention the unpredictable wild life that may jump up at any giving time. I believe the trail horse should be the most trained horse! I understand folks trail ride to relax and enjoy. Often riders are drinking beverages, enjoying the view and gossiping about “Nancy” (poor Nancy). All fine and dandy, but are we helping our equine partner? Did we make them better today than they were yesterday? It’s often

13 Everything Horses and Livestock® | May 2019 | EHALmagazine.com