Roger Sipe, Special Projects Editor Lindsay Hanks, Associate Editor Matt Hennings, Art Director Jessica Jaensch, Production Coordinator Tracy Burns, Production Coordinator June Kikuchi, Andrew DePrisco, Editorial Directors
The horses in this book are referred to as he or she in alternating chapters unless their gender is apparent from the activity discussed.
Cover photo: © CLiX Photography. The additional photos in this book are by:
© CLiX Photography: pp. 5, 7, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 21, 23 (top), 28, 30, 33, 34, 44 (top), 46, 48, 55, 61, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68-69, 70, 71, 73, 77 (top), 83, 86, 87. © Moira C. Reeve: pp. 10, 25, 36, 39, 41, 76, 77 (bottom), 45, 50, 51, 56, 58, 74, 84, 89, 96. © Dusty L. Perin: pp. 11, 22, 23 (bottom), 26, 27, 31, 43, 44 (bottom), 45, 50, 51, 56, 58, 74, 84, 89, 96. © LCP: pp. 53. © Lesley Ward: pp. 95.
Copyright © 2007, 2010 by I-5 Press™. Previously published in different-sized formats in The Horse Illustrated® Guide to Trail Riding.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press™, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Myers, Micaela, 1974-
Trail Riding / by Micaela Myers.
p. cm.
Rev. ed. of: The horse illustrated guide to trail riding. c2007.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-935484-55-4 (alk. paper)
eISBN 978-1-937049-42-3
1. Trail riding. 2. Horses--Training. I. Myers, Micaela, 1974- Horse illustrated guide to trail riding. II. Horse illustrated. III. Title. IV. Title: Trail riding.
SF309.28M94 2010
798.2’3--dc22
2010021058
I-5 Press™
A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC™
3 Burroughs
Irvine, CA 92618
Printed and bound in the United States
14 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5
dedication
This book is dedicated to my mother, Anne C. Hanley, who went on countless trail rides, horse camp outs, organized rides, and even a trail trial with me in my youth.
acknowledgments
First and foremost, I would like to thank my good friend and mentor Moira C. Reeve for her guidance and assistance on this project. Second, sincere thanks to my husband Joe for his support and to my dad, who for the past twenty-five years has helped build countless horse shelters and feed and tack rooms and even replaced my horse trailer floor. Thanks to Horse Illustrated editor Liz Moyer for reading this manuscript and offering valuable advice. Special thanks to trainer Dale Rudin and veterinarian Nancy S. Loving for answering questions and lending their expertise. I’d also like to thank the excellent photographers whose images appear throughout this book: Moira C. Reeve, Shawn Hamilton (CLiX Photography), and Dusty L. Perin. Last but not least, thanks to Lali Mitchell for housing my pony at her lovely property, complete with forest and stream, ringed by mountains of trails.
Contents
Temperament • Training • Health • Breed • Purchasing a Trail Horse
Tack • Rider Attire
Equitation • Mounting from the Ground • Riding Up and Down Hills • Navigating Obstacles • Loosening Up with Stretches
Before Beginning • Trail Gear • Trail Obstacles • Scary Objects • Water Crossings • Animals, Activities, and Vehicles • Time Well Spent
Preventive Maintenance • Preventive Grooming • Conditioning • Packing for the Trail • Health and Safety Considerations • Cooling Out
Riding with Experienced Friends • Riding Etiquette with Others • Riding in a Group • Riding Alone
Why Horses Act Up • Being Proactive • Annoying Problems • Dangerous Problems
Finding Trails in Your Area • Trailering Out for Day Rides • Camping with Your Horse • Joining a Trail-Riding Group
Introduction
Nothing is more relaxing than enjoying nature from the back of a content horse. In fact, most equestrians are recreational riders, not competitors. For the horse lover who is a bit of both, there are a number of trail activities to quench any competitive thirst. Although urban sprawl is eating up much of our open space, with a little research even most city dwellers can find miles of trails practically in their backyards.
This book offers all the information you need