When I was 13 years old I was given a horse off a ranch in the Eastern Oregon country. I however, was a small city kid and my "home on the range" was ¼ of a square city block and the sandy streets for several blocks around my home became my "lone prairie". My arena was a weedy vacant lot with no fences bordered by sandy streets.

My girlfriend had a good old fat Morgan horse and I had my ranch mare turned city girl and we rode the canyons of the back alleys for hours at a time. The reason I share this with you is that my mare, having not been used to the city, was forever throwing her head up, looking one way at something she perceived as frightening, then taking her feet in one great leap the opposite direction. Sometimes I went with her and sometimes I found myself checking out the dirt on yet another patch of ground. After a year I was allowed a saddle but by then I had gotten pretty adept at staying with her and she got much braver.

I have taught many folks with horses and mules. I usually ask the rider what they want to do with their horse or mule and the majority say, "I ONLY want to trail ride.

I wonder how many of you have city horses or mules that you would like to take to the country for "just a little trail ride". When horses and mules are not used to the environment they are in, it can be a real surprise for them, as well as us, when something as simple as a deer walks out of the brush. Over the years I have come across bear several times, a cougar once, and many deer and elk. One of the scariest critters, besides the bear, was a human back packer with a dog sporting his own pack.

Helping you and your horse or mule gain confidence in new situations is one of the most rewarding classes I teach. I have been teaching trail classes for years both in Oregon and Washington, and every one of them proves to me the importance of, "as my mentor Pat Parelli would say, "Prior and Proper Preparation Prevents "P" Poor Performance." Or in the case of trail riding, prior and proper preparation prevents problems on the trail!

Playing lots of friendly games with your horse to get him/her comfortable with a variety of different objects, sounds, sights, smells and movement, can help reduce the possibility of accidents on the trails. Consistency and repetition with advance and retreat will help your horse become more confident in things around him, and more trusting of you as his/her leader.

Not every horse or mule will be a good trail animal. Some have just too much go and too much anxiety to be calm and trustworthy on trails that are narrow and dangerous. The perfect horse or mule has his wits about him and knows where his feet are at all times. The old saying, "You got the horse you got" is not always true in that some horses just need to be introduced to a variety of experiences to be calmer. However, there are those that just were not bred to go from the barn, race track or jumping course to the back woods comfortably ambling down the trail while you munch on an apple, click photos, put on a rain slicker, OH, and reel in your lead rope that just fell off your saddle tie and is now dragging between your horse's hind legs.

We are not all lucky enough to have a horse or mule as calm and understanding as my friend Jake. Jake lives in Eastern Oregon and bought a mule named Bell for $100. Jake was a very new rider. After only having Bell for a week he rode her with a friend up a steep mountain trail. Going up was no problem but as they began the trip down Bell's saddle began slipping up on her withers. The cinch had loosened up so much that Jake soon found himself sitting on Bell's neck, still in the saddle. He did not know what to do. Fortunately Bell did. She stopped, slowly lowered her head, the saddle slipped off down her neck with Jake still sitting tight in it. She stepped back and took her head and front feet out, then simply stood looking at Jake lying on his side, on the ground, still in the saddle. It would be fun to know what she was thinking but I'm sure we can guess. Jake got up, re-saddled her and rode safely back home. Needless to say Bell was worth far more than $100.

Your horse or mule may not be a Bell, but come to one of our "Build a Trail Horse Clinics" this summer at the Horse Play Ranch and enjoy the adventure of building your trail horse. You will be amazed at the fun you can have in a safe environment and the Partnership that will result.

Keep it "Horse Play" - it's all about Learning & FUN!