Thanks for the welcome PJKam (& all).  If it's any consolation it's hovering here around the teens temp-wise. Makes me feel bad for taking Duke's blanket off to ride.  I'm lucky as well, the barn I board at has an indoor arena although it's not heated!  I love your idea for a trail riding club for the age group. There is some comfort in sharing the aches & triumphs we are experiencing!  Oh and the wisdom...don't forget about the wisdom!

Hi all,

 It's so nice to be among like-minded people of a certain age! <grin>

 I'm buying my Very First Horse !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , a 12 y.o. mare who is out of shape.  My trainer is going to do a 30-day tune-up, and I expect to be doing primarily arena work 'til the weather gets better (or at least it isn't raining), but want to be out on the trail every weekend thereafter.  What do y'all think is the best way to get her into trail shape?  Can I do anything other than start out on easy, short rides and build up?  I'm not talking about 18 hrs in the saddle on a craggy mountain trail with thousands of feet of elevation gain, but it'd be nice to be out for 6-8 hours on rolling terrain.  Naturally she'll have shoes on all four feet, too.

Any suggestions appreciated!

Thanks,

Mary 

I hear ya Mary- I love to trailride on nice easy trails too. That's how I rode early,early in my life. Now, its hard finding people who like to do that and of course I have this trailering issue anyway with my horse. I bought the wrong kind over a year ago and I have a hard time getting her on. If I can't master this by the Summer, then I will have to sell it or trade it for something else. We'll see. PJ

Hi Everyone,

Since we're not as strong as we used to be, we need to work smarter. This is going to sound like a commercial but it has helped me sooo much. If you ever get a chance to see Clinton Anderson, do it. I saw him last summer and decided his methods could really make my horses safer to be around. His trailer loading demonstration was amazing. The demo horse was a local (loco also) horse who the owner said it took four hours to load. After about 1/2 hour, he could point to the trailer and the horse would trot right on. No force. I bought a step up trailer bcs of cost. I had a horse who wouldn't load and I used his technique. It took a little longer but not over an hour and that horse was stepping up into that trailer by herself. He has a DVD about it. His website is downunderhorsemanship.com (sale this week)

He also has two books. One is called Training on the Trail, the other is Establishing Respect and Control for English and Western Riders. I hope this helps someone.

 OwnedbyDuke responding to:

Mary said: I'm buying my Very First Horse !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , a 12 y.o. mare who is out of shape.  My trainer is going to do a 30-day tune-up, and I expect to be doing primarily arena work 'til the weather gets better (or at least it isn't raining), but want to be out on the trail every weekend thereafter.  What do y'all think is the best way to get her into trail shape?  Can I do anything other than start out on easy, short rides and build up?  I'm not talking about 18 hrs in the saddle on a craggy mountain trail with thousands of feet of elevation gain, but it'd be nice to be out for 6-8 hours on rolling terrain.  Naturally she'll have shoes on all four feet,

Hi Mary,  Congrats on your first horse!  I'm not an expert by any means, I've had my first horse for a year & 1/2.  I have a now 12 y.o. Morgan gelding that was waaaayyyy out of shape and 200+ lbs overweight to add to the problem!  I started by lunging him, working in a round pen and just light work to get him moving again.  I did have the woman who owns the barn where I board train him for a month AND I started working on learning the Parelli techniques so that I could build a trusting relationship.  I don't know if I would do rides orf 6-8 hours at first.  I think I would start with some groundwork, add in some 2-3 hour easy trail rides (Duke was so sweaty after our first 3 hour ride that I thought I could wring him out like a dishrag!!) and just some walk/trot/canter work to build her endurance.  Again, I'm no expert but my guy is down to a svelt 700+ and runs around with the other geldings in the herd.  Before he would wait for them to run past him so he could run with the group a few feet before huffing and puffing to a stop!!!  I think it's better to take it a bit slow and let her work up to things rather than pushing too hard too fast.

I also decided to join when i saw this post.  I am 56.  Been riding all of my life and hopefully will be riding the day I die.  I have had to make some adjustments though.  Went from a quarter horse to a paso fino.  I am short and could not get on a quarter horse any more.  Also have bad knees so needed a gaited horse.  I love my pasos.  My girlfriends are a bit younger then me.  In there 40+.  They also went to a gaited horse.  But now are going to a smaller gaited horse.  LOL

Also I always wear a helmet.  But to be quite truthful I will do anything I can to keep from falling off.  I cant imagine how much my body would hurt now that i have gotten older.  LOL  Happy Trails to all. 

 I sometimes think that the reason these (now) falls hurt so much more than they used to is because we try so hard not to fall. I have taken two bad falls in the last three years and one that was easy. With the good fall I was trying a new saddle and riding out on a trail. The saddle was very uncomfortable and I was flapping my legs to relax them and never saw the dear that ran right in front of me. The horse shied and I ended up on the ground. I didn't know it was coming, so was relaxed and it didn't hurt. Strange... 

Welcome Andrea!!  It's so nice to have you on this ongoing trail ride for those of us on the senior side of things! How do you like your paso fino? They look like such an awesome ride. I saw some at the MN Horse Expo and they are so smooth and beautiful to watch. Your a smart one to wear a helmet all the time. My head always sweats and with this cold weather, I don't need to get sick. Everyone, have a great day. PJ

I bought my first paso fino about 6 years ago.  right after I got her My mother moved in with me.  She became a invalent and I never got to ride.  Mother passed away about three years ago.  I had a very hard time excepting the fact that she was gone.  I was not happy anymore.  Didnt want to ride.  I quess it just took me a while to get over her passing.  I rode the paso one time.  She was a sweet heart.  We rode with three other people for about 4 hours.  I never got sore at all.  So this is the year that i plan on doing alot of riding.  I do think about mother alot but have accepted it.

Before that I rode a 1/2 paso and 1/2 foxtrotter.  She is the best horse i have ever owned.  We rode in the allengeny mountains.  Mid west trail ride for a week.  Tar Hollow.  We were all over Ohio.  I was getting older and she seemed to keep growing.  LOL  Or I was getting shorter.  So I wanted a smaller horse.  I went to a auction and got Josy.  Full paso about 13 - 2 hands. At the auction I saw a stallion I would like to breed to.  But they wanted to much money.  So just took Josy home.  About a week later the auctioneer called me and said that the lady that bid on the stallion left and did not take him or his daughter.  Said he would give me a deal.  So i bought the stallion and his daughter.  He daughter was out of my mare.  I had the whole family now.  LOL  I had painted foal out of 1/2 paso and have 2 buckskins out of Josy.  I gelded the stallion and am planning on riding him also this summer.  He is just gorgous.  I got the two buckskin daughter trained and now need to get them on the trails.  So I have lots of horses to ride.  My husband rides also.  He has a tenn. walker. 

Is there anyone on here from Ohio?  We will be riding all over Ohio again this year.  Maybe I will meet someone on this board.  You never know.

Hey there older folks! How is everyone doing?? I can't believe how fast this month is going and that none of us have posted since January. Has anyone been riding at all? I am ashamed to say that I have not been even to see my horse much let alone ride her. Then we had a real cold snap too. I am an artist and I am doing a custom order for a friend that is taking longer then I anticipated. When that is in the mail, Hello horse of mine.

Have a great day, ALL!!!! PJ

It has been too dang gum cold out ther PJKam!

That, and I have been down and out with some kind of aggressive stomach flu all month! 

 I miss my little girl Ashen, but I have had the BO explain to her how sick I have been.  Ashen snorted on her in reply.

You guys need to come visit. 

I rode Tuesday,  and I kid you not....it was 80 degrees.   Surprising even for North Florida.

Riding again this afternoon.  Have to get my new Paint in condition for my trip.

 Those of us who are experiencing winter will have to live vicariously through you, so keep on telling us these tall tales... 80 degrees! 

I swear Dancing, if I wasn't such a mess right now....I'd post a picture!

Although not 80 today....I've worked up.....well...let's just say I'm "glistening" all over right now and it's not the morning dew! 

Cleaning up the horse rig for my next trip!

Curious question.....how many of us drive our own rigs? (Funny story to follow...) 

O.k. so here's the warm climate photos.....  These photos were taken this afternoon! 

1st one....Fishing on Trout Creek at the River Ranch. The guy is in SHORTS!   You have to look in the upper left center of the photo.    2nd one...back yard at the River Ranch. 

Backyard at the River Ranch...