You’ve been riding for some time now through the woods. You come into a clearing. A green, grassy field before you, the shady woods behind you, and the sounds & smells of horses, leather, and sunshine surround you. As you hear the laughter of your friends and family over your shoulder, you can’t help but smile down at your noble steed and whisper in his fluffy ear: thank you. Yes, the thankfulness you feel is as real as the cool breeze swirling past you. You are thankful for your horse, who brought you to this moment, for all the work, time and money you have put into your equine. Because this one moment makes it all worth it. Your sacrifice hasn’t amounted to nothing. But most of all I am thankful for my Creator. Who made the people with me, the nature around me, and the horse on whose back I ride. This is how I feel during a trail ride, and this is why I love it. 

Trial Riding with Holly!

  No matter what discipline you do, or how many horses you own it is important to have these moments. This is not only true with horseback riding, but with any endeavor we make. At that moment we look back and realize the time and resources we put into this or that were worth it. And there’s only one place we can go from there, thankfulness to our Creator. This is what I feel as I come into the clearing, with the woods behind me, nature all around me, and my family, friends, and beloved equine before me. 

Not only do I love trail riding for this reason, but it also has tons of great benefits for you and your horse!

• Trail riding builds your horse’s stamina and balance. 

When trail riding, your horse often has to navigate rough terrain and maneuver up steep hills and valleys, all over an extended period of time. This builds your horse’s stamina and balance, things every discipline requires. Expert horseman Richard Spooner comments that, “It’s good for them getting used to watching where they are going, to going up and down hills, getting used to putting weight on their hindquarters and to traveling with their body in different balances.”  Along with building your equines strength and balance, trail riding reduces the risk of injury. “The risk of wear-and-tear injuries is reduced by varying the type of exercise, by working your horse on different surfaces and terrains..” says accomplished veterinarian Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, Dipl. ACVSMR, MRCVS. Your horse being familiar with different terrains can come in handy when showing in a new environment. 

• Fine turns a rider’s position.  

Not only is your equines posture getting improved by the rolling hills and valleys, but, you as a rider, are improving your balance and seat. Horsemen Peter Lutz affirms this,”Because the varying terrain requires you to adjust your weight constantly to stay in balance with the horse, this is an excellent strengthening exercise for riders, too.” *So as you ride the trails, sit a little taller in the saddle and work on your posture and balance.* 

• Trail riding establishes trust.  

As your horse encounters rustling leaves, barking dogs, and rushing streams, he’ll learn to be confident in his rider. Not only will your pony gain more confidence, but you as a rider will too. Your horse will learn to trust you and you to trust your horse while you trot through the winding pathways of the woods and gallop across spacious meadows. 

       It’s extremely stress relieving to have a change of environment and a blast of fresh air, for you and your horse! *Not to mention healthy!* So if you or your horse is stuck in the barn, or practicing the same old same old, GO OUTSIDE and experience a change in scene and get some fresh air & sunshine. *That goes for all you non-horse peps as well 😁* 

Yes! Nature

• Last, but not least: Trail riding is a way to socialize with family and friends. 

        Some of my favorite memories were made riding with friends, cousins, and my family. As a plus your horse also gets to socialize with his trail buddies! (this post talks about horse buddies!)

These are some great benefits of trail riding! Your horse establishes trust, gets a change of scene, and gets stamina, all the while your posture is improving and your socializing with friends, experiencing the outdoors. *Man! Was that not an awesome summary sentence?!* I love trail riding, and after reading this article I hope you give it a try! OR maybe you have; tell me about in the comment section below! 

Tails & trails, 

Reese 

Here are the resources I used! 

https://cowgirlmagazine.com/benefits-trail-riding/

https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/training/5-benefits-to-riding-outside-the-ring

Why Trails? Benefits of Trail-Riding

  Snow! I love it! It blankets the earth in glistening perfection. We have had some snow recently in the Ozarks which is great, but with snow comes cold, icy weather. And with cold, icy weather comes a cold horse. 

Holly & Charles

        I keep my horses in the pasture full time. I count on their fluffy winter coat and some provided shelter to keep them warm during those windy, low temp winter days. But for one horse, this plan wasn’t working as well as it should. 

      Here he is again: Charles, a 25+ year old Tennessee Walker gelding. Charles is a great, kind horse, yet he is really old. He is super thin and is on a special weight gain high calorie diet (it’s all donuts and ice cream!) Which seemed to be working until the cold, icy weather showed up. He wasn’t gaining weight, he was losing it trying to stay warm! In an effort to take care of Charles, I jumped into uncharted waters and bought a horse blanket.  

       I had never used one before, so I did some research and took the recommendation of my cousin. I bought a Tough 1 600 Denier waterproof nylon with a 70 Denier lining sheet off amazon. (boy do I love amazon prime!) And it turns out my cousin wasn’t wrong. This blanket has worked very well and is durable. It keeps the old timer warm and dry.

Charles in his new blanket

But I still had some important questions and I would like to share the answers I found with you! *For those of you who are already blanket users I hope you learn something new from this article or share your own advice in the comments! For those non blanket users, you’ll be one up if you decide to use a blanket in the future!*

• When does he need it or not need it??

I know that on those icy cold days a blanket is necessary for Charles, but when does he not need one? And I found this awesome chart!! How cool, plus it’s from a reputable source! 

• Hold up! Did I get the right size??

          When it comes to blanketing finding the right size is important (or so I’m told). A too fit blanket can rub your horse and if it’s too loose it could slide off, entangling the horse. You can sometimes just tell that the blanket fits right: a few inches space at the chest, it doesn’t pull tight, and it covers the entire rump. Measuring doesn’t hurt though. To measure your horse, use a measuring tape and start at your horse’s chest. Keep the tape tight and straight as you measure across its body to meet the middle of the tail. If you get an odd number just round up, that’s what I did and Charles blanket seems to fit him very well.

• How do I clean this thing??

     So I have heard that you can put the blanket in the washing machine, but I don’t think my mom will appreciate that. According to Melina Freckleton, DMV, the heat of the washing machine can destroy the waterproofing aspect of the blanket. “… your best bet might be to hang the blanket on a fence and use a hose and a scrub brush, “ she says. Making sure the blanket gets completely dry afterward is important. 

         I found this amazing post that shows step by step pics of how to fold blankets. Basically clean it, fold it, and up it in a dry, rodent proof spot. 

  Like any other tack, blankets/sheets have their uses; their pros and cons. And sometimes you just have to experience it yourself before you can really know. I love the snow and I love seeing Charles warm and dry in his new blanket surrounded by snow.

Tails & trails,

Reese

Max and Phoenix in the snow!!!

My resources:

https://www.vitaflex.com/the-arena/seasonal/blanketing

Cleaning Horse Blankets

https://www.irongateequine.com/education/should-i-blanket-my-horse-in-the-winter https://www.equisearch.com/discoverhorses/fitting-a-horse-blanket