Tag: trail riding

The Prep Before the Trail

Last week Monica wrote about riding different horses on the trail. This week I wanted to talk a little about riding non-trail horses on the trail. In my experience, a lot of people buy horses for a particular job like dressage, eventing, barrel racing, jumping, reining, skijoring, mounted shooting, or any number of other jobs. After…



Changing horses

I have ridden quite a few different horses in my life. It’s not because I am a professional rider or even a competitive amateur. Quite the opposite. For most of my life I have depended on the kindness of friends (and even strangers) who let me ride their horses. I’ve also moved around a lot…



To Lead or to Follow – Gaining Confidence (and Not Always Staring at Horse Butts)

My horse, Prophet, used to hate to go on trail rides. Asking him to lead the group was the equivalent of asking me to lift a car over my head or sing in key. It just was. not. happening. I’m talking full-on tantrum – spook like it’s his job and he’s looking for a promotion,…



Precious Hooves – Shoeing for the Trail

Is your horse barefoot? Have two shoes? Four shoes? What is the best shoeing strategy for trail riding? I recently had the opportunity to spend a day with my farrier, Jen Poulin, and interview her about farriery (yes, that is a word) for the trail horse. She gave me a lot of great information which…



Adventures at The Bunkhouse (August, 2018)

A few weeks ago in mid-August we Horse Trail Chicks loaded up the ponies and headed to The Bunkhouse with several of our good friends. “What is The Bunkhouse?” you may ask! Well, check out our page on the Bunkhouse and their website for great information about it. Despite a few trailering hiccups that resulted in us pulling…



Outfitting a Horse Trailer

I am an organization geek so when I recently bought my first horse trailer, I spent a lot of time outfitting it so that the horses would be comfortable and our gear would be easily accessible without the tack room being a jumbled pile of stuff. I thought that I would share what I did…



From Competitor to Trail Rider

When I was younger, I competed quite a bit – whether it was 4H shows, dressage competitions, jumping, or eventing. It always seemed like that was just what you did in the horse world. Come to find out, there are other super fun things you can do with horses that don’t involve competition. While I still…



Speed

I know people who only walk their horses when trail riding. For some, it is because the rugged terrain where they live – such as in the Rocky Mountains – precludes faster gaits; for others, the rider has a medical condition that requires her to avoid being jostled around; and some just prefer to enjoy…



Freedom!

With a name like the “Horse Trail Chicks” you would think that we would be trailering our horses somewhere every weekend for a new trail adventure. Starting now, that’s just what we will be doing. You see, when we met, neither of us had a trailer and we had to depend on the kindness of…



What’s in a name?

My horse’s name is Tupelo Honey. People of a certain age and those who listen to classic folk-rock music understand the reference. Others, when I say his name, tilt their heads to one side with that “huh?” look that dogs get when they hear an unfamiliar sound. “Tupelo Honey” is a love song by Van…