What is the Ranch Riding Trail Class?

Ranch riding patterns include obstacles such as poles to sidepass, logs to drag, poles to trot or lope, and segments of extended trotting. The class requires horses to move at slow and fast speeds—and always to listen to their rider’s directions.

“In the ranch riding trail class, there are obstacles where you need your horse to focus and go slow, and times when you want to show that your horse can move out,” Crow says. “It’s important to plan your warmup time so that you can bring the fast horses down to the speed you want and make sure they are patient for the poles or gates. With slower horses, you’ll need to know you can pick up their speed when you want an extended trot.”

Warmup for the Energetic and Speedy Horse

Crow says that many horses labeled “too fast,” “too much,” or “high strung” may need some longeing as part of their warmup, but they will definitely need a warmup that helps activate their brain.

“It’s old school mentality that you go lope them for an hour to wear them out,” says Crow. “Instead, what you need is to get the horse’s brain working with downward transitions, turns, stops, and backs. Otherwise, their bodies are tired, but their minds are busy, and they won’t pay attention to you.”

Focus on trotting and walking transitions, Crow advises.

“Loping can escalate some horses, and makes it harder to get their brain focused on you,” he says.

If competing, Crow advises that once you have warmed up an energetic horse, make sure to go straight to the show pen for your ride. Don’t warm up and then stand around watching others. If busy and energetic horses get a long break, they may need a whole new warmup.

You may also consider starting the night before. If your horse will be stalled overnight, you may choose to longe him when you arrive. Allowing him to move out will help wear off the adrenaline from travel.

Turning for Attention

At a show, begin your warmup about an hour before your scheduled ranch riding trail class so that you have time to work your horse’s body and mind. Crow likes to work his fast horses in a box formation. He trots straight ahead, then if he feels the horse being strong or going faster than he asks, he makes a sharp turn while continuing the trot.

“Pick up your reins and redirect the horse in a square maneuver,” says Crow. “This takes away the forward motion and asks him to focus on your direction.”

Work your horse in the middle of the arena and avoid going around the entire outside. Trot ahead four to five steps, then pick your reins up and to the side to direct your horse on a new straight line, creating a box or square. Move ahead again and turn when you feel your horse wanting to go faster.

Be careful not to pull on the reins to keep your horse slow. Instead, the box formation will teach your horse that he needs to pay attention, and he will be redirected when he speeds up. When your horse is going at the speed of trot you want, place your hand down in front of the saddle’s horn and allow him to move without interference.

“As soon as I make that square turn, I’ll set my hands down and let my horse go straight again,” says Crow. “If he stays focused and I have his attention, he’s earned the right to just keep going forward and I will leave him alone. If I lose his attention, I pick up and redirect, turning on a new line of the square.”

Crow says if a horse looks around and doesn’t settle in, he’ll pick up his inside rein to tip the horse’s nose in as he also applies leg pressure to encourage a bend. He will walk small circles with his horse’s nose tipped in to one side, then the other. Then he’ll repeat the box pattern again.

When it’s time to warm up at the lope, a “go” horse may pick up speed again. Crow says if you have spent time warming up at the walk and trot, the lope should be manageable, too.

“I do the same thing at the lope that I did at the trot,” says Crow. “Do your square turns and keep your body balanced.”

At the lope, Crow says many riders turn too sharply, using inside direct pressure to pull the horse’s head inside. This can cause your weight to shift to the outside, making your horse scramble to regain his balance. To avoid this, keep him straight through his body and open your reining hand up and out to guide the horse through the turn.

Mix it Up

Instead of just riding around the arena at a walk, trot, and lope and then being done, mix up your warmup.

“Bringing your horse up in speed and then back down is really important,” says Crow. “Some horses are just wired to keep that adrenaline going once they move fast. [Going up and down in speed] keeps them going strong and doesn’t wear them out. If you allow them to move from the trot or lope back to the walk, they realize how tired they are. When you ask for speed again, you aren’t fighting the adrenaline and you seem to get their minds engaged much more quickly than just running full out.”

Warmup for the Slow Horse

If your horse is known to be slow or needs to be pushed to move out, your plan needs to help boost his energy.

“With a slow or lazy horse, our goal is to get his focus and make sure he moves out when asked,” Crow says. “I’ll walk in a straight line and use a direct rein to turn the horse and drive him around in a small circle with my outside leg pressure. I want to get his feet moving.”

Crow says asking for sharp turns can help the horse know that you’re requesting a quick response. He says to be careful and not allow the slower horse to pause after you’ve asked him to move his feet.

“I want these horses crisp and sharp,” he says. “You don’t want a lag between the moment you give the horse something to do and when he does it. You don’t want to have to nag to follow up. If you have a horse that’s too dull and lazy, you can see that the rider is having to beg this horse to step forward or to move his feet. That’s not a good picture in the show. We need to sharpen up those cues.”

If your horse is on the slow side, adjust your warmup time so that you only warm up for 10 to 15 minutes before going into your class. Make sure not to use up all his energy. Instead, warm up just enough to remind your horse that he should respond quickly to your cues.

After walking for a few minutes, it’s time to get the slow horse to work. Ten minutes before the show, Crow says he will ask a slow horse to extend at the trot and the lope.

“I’ll give the horse a verbal cue and then go to my legs for a cue,” says Crow. “I will really get that horse moving and sharpen him up.”

Keep in mind, it’s all about efficiency. You may only be able to cue a horse for speed once or twice. If you warm up too much and ask for speed over and over, you may wear out your horse and not get the speed changes you want in the ring.

If you feel like you need more practice time than your horse does, run your patterns in your mind or practice the key obstacle. Don’t wear out your horse because you feel like you need more practice.

“It’s all about knowing yourself and your horse,” says Crow. “When you know how much practice you both need, you’ll go straight to the pen in good shape.”

A few notes of caution for riding the slower horse: Make sure you don’t pull back on the reins when you’re loping. Some horses will look for any excuse to slow down. Don’t train him that it’s OK to break gait because you inadvertently pulled on the reins. Also make sure you aren’t micromanaging your horse. He should go at the speed and in the direction you choose without having to hold him there. Make sure your reins aren’t tight and that you allow your horse to move out.

“If you tend to tighten up your reins too much in the extended lope because of your comfort level, remind yourself to look up, straighten your arm and put your hand down,” says Crow. “Make sure you aren’t the reason your horse is slowing down or learning that it’s OK to be a little lazy.”

Having a riding buddy or coach remind you to look up and reach forward when you ask your horse to move out can help you be in the best position and keep your horse moving.

Show Plan

Crow advises using the time that you have to walk the trail pattern to think about the body position and cues you’ll need to help your horse go the speed that you want.

“You get to walk the trail course first,” he says. Make sure you plan how you’ll ride, where you’ll look, and how and when you’ll cue your horse. Having a plan and knowing your horse’s habits—and your habits—will help you know what to do if your horse speeds up or needs a push.

“The goal isn’t just to complete the pattern, it’s to have a confidence-building pattern for your horse so he’ll come back better next time,” says Crow. “From the moment you start warming up until the moment you’re done with your trail class, your main goal is to keep building that horse up so you’re both successful and can keep going and enjoy the ride.”

This article about the ranch riding trail class warmup appeared in the August 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Ranch Riding Trail Warmup for Any Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

One of the biggest challenges you can face as a rider is trying to effectively incorporate your practice sessions while in the ring at a horse show. All disciplines are affected by the heightened energy at a show, where the nerves of horses, riders, and spectators combine with an unfamiliar atmosphere to make a very high-pressure situation.

Every show (and often different classes at the same show) can have different rules regarding whether riders may practice ahead of time in the arena where they will compete. Even if riders are allowed in the ring ahead of time, there are many variables that may affect that practice session, including other riders, a fresh horse, arena maintenance, et cetera.

However, the one thing that you have complete control over is your mental preparation.

Visualization of Success

One of the most tried-and-true methods in mentally preparing for competition is visualization. Visualization is crucial when riding because it allows you to experience the competition ahead of time in a way that is otherwise impossible.

Something that will greatly enhance your ability to visualize is to spend time around the outside of the arena and soak in the view from all angles. Time spent walking inside the arena is also valuable, but not always possible. This helps your brain build a 3-D picture by taking note of the colors of banners, jumps or other obstacles in the ring, objects just outside the arena fence like seating, landscaping, or judge’s booths, and also getting an idea of the distances and angles between the different obstacles or jumps.

Visualization is extremely effective because when done correctly, it activates and strengthens the same neural pathways as actual physical practice. Visualizing should take about the same amount of time as the actual ride; for example, a dressage test visualization should take about four minutes if that is the projected time for riding the test.

How many times you choose to visualize the ride is up to you. You may choose to visualize a certain number of times, visualize periodically up until your ride, or continue until it flows very smoothly in your mind.

In the event that you visualize something incorrectly, whether it be an incorrect sequence or an actual mistake, you may choose to “rewind” the visualization and start again just before the mistake, or you can restart completely.

It’s important to recognize, however, that thinking ahead about the small corrections your horse may need, such as extra right leg to prevent a right drift, is a crucial part of the plan rather than a mistake in your visualization.

Feel the Ride

Probably the most misunderstood thing about visualization is that people think of watching themselves ride their class, course, test, or pattern as if they were a spectator outside the arena. This does not serve the same purpose nor provide the same benefits as closing your eyes and truly feeling yourself ride the class, course, test, or pattern as you intend to ride it.

Visualization should be an immersive experience during which you imagine activating the muscles you’ll need to execute your plan. This means dialing into your focus ahead of time and building sensory memory.

It’s important to be as detailed as possible during each run-through so that your mind begins to relate to the class, course, test, or pattern as a familiar experience. Tune in to the feeling of your legs on your horse’s sides, stretching up tall through your upper body, looking ahead to where you are going next, or whatever else you know will need your mental attention during your ride.

Be sure to include all aspects of the arena while you are visualizing so that then the crowd, the flapping banner, or the two jumps that are confusingly placed next to each other are all familiar by the time you actually enter the ring on horseback.

Environment and Routine

It’s important that you maintain a focus-friendly environment while you are visualizing. It’s not a good time for friends and family to be bombarding you with questions or playing loud music or videos right next to you.

You may be able to establish a boundary ahead of time by giving a brief explanation of what you will be doing, or it may take a few shows for your supporters to begin to understand this new part of your routine.

Visualization may not come naturally to you at first, but I encourage you to take control of your mind in order to create a competition environment that has fewer variables and more opportunities for practice and preparation than are available solely in the physical body.

This article about visualization skills for riding appeared in the March 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Visualization Skills for Riders appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

One of the biggest challenges you can face as a rider is trying to effectively incorporate your practice sessions while in the ring at a horse show. All disciplines are affected by the heightened energy at a horse show, where the nerves of horses, riders, and spectators combine with an unfamiliar atmosphere to make a very high-pressure situation. Calming these nerves can be difficult given the energy of a horse show.

Every show (and often different classes at the same show) can have different rules regarding whether riders may practice ahead of time in the arena where they will compete. Even if riders are allowed in the ring ahead of time, there are many variables that may affect that practice session, including other riders, a fresh horse, arena maintenance, et cetera.

However, the one thing that you have complete control over is your mental preparation. Following this strategy can help you calm your nerves at your next horse show.

Visualize Success in the Show Ring

One of the most tried-and-true methods in mentally preparing for competition is visualization. Visualization is crucial because it allows you to experience the competition ahead of time in a way that is otherwise impossible.

Something that will greatly enhance your ability to visualize is to spend time around the outside of the arena and soak in the view from all angles. Time spent walking inside the arena is also valuable, but not always possible. This helps your brain build a 3-D picture by taking note of the colors of banners, jumps or other obstacles in the ring, objects just outside the arena fence like seating, landscaping, or judge’s booths, and also getting an idea of the distances and angles between the different obstacles or jumps.

Visualization is extremely effective because when done correctly, it activates and strengthens the same neural pathways as actual physical practice. Visualizing should take about the same amount of time as the actual ride; for example, a dressage test visualization should take about four minutes if that is the projected time for the test.

How many times you choose to visualize the ride is up to you. You may choose to visualize a certain number of times, visualize periodically up until your ride, or continue until it flows very smoothly in your mind.

In the event that you visualize something incorrectly, whether it be an incorrect sequence or an actual mistake, you may choose to “rewind” the visualization and start again just before the mistake, or you can restart completely.

It’s important to recognize, however, that thinking ahead about the small corrections your horse may need, such as extra right leg to prevent a right drift, is a crucial part of the plan rather than a mistake in your visualization.

Feel the Ride

Probably the most misunderstood thing about visualization is that people think of watching themselves ride their class, course, test, or pattern as if they were a spectator outside the arena. This does not serve the same purpose nor provide the same benefits as closing your eyes and truly feeling yourself ride the class, course, test, or pattern as you intend to ride it.

Visualization should be an immersive experience during which you imagine activating the muscles you’ll need to execute your plan. This means dialing into your focus ahead of time and building sensory memory.

It’s important to be as detailed as possible during each run-through so that your mind begins to relate to the class, course, test, or pattern as a familiar experience. Tune in to the feeling of your legs on your horse’s sides, stretching up tall through your upper body, looking ahead to where you are going next, or whatever else you know will need your mental attention during your ride.

Be sure to include all aspects of the arena while you are visualizing so that then the crowd, the flapping banner, or the two jumps that are confusingly placed next to each other are all familiar by the time you actually enter the ring on horseback.

Environment and Routine

It’s important that you maintain a focus-friendly environment while you are visualizing. It’s not a good time for friends and family to be bombarding you with questions or playing loud music or videos right next to you.

You may be able to establish a boundary ahead of time by giving a brief explanation of what you will be doing, or it may take a few shows for your supporters to begin to understand this new part of your routine.

Visualization may not come naturally to you at first, but I encourage you to take control of your mind in order to create a competition environment that has fewer variables and more opportunities for practice and preparation than are available solely in the physical body.

This article about how to calm your horse show nerves appeared in the March 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Calm Your Horse Show Nerves appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.