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| Road Riding | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Tue Jan 17th, 2012 11:02 pm |
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1st Post |
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Lakota Ranch Hand 
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Tina, didn't you say once that Stroker had been a Park Pleasure horse? Maybe that's why he hated the 4H show so bad. I bet he was soured by too much arena work. Probably why he likes the trail and road riding so much too. You get to go out and see the world.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11th, 2012 05:29 pm |
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2nd Post |
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sdlepal Ranch Hand 
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I used to road ride all the time, mostly on gravel. Nothing like a stroll through the country side with just your riding buddy. When we ride on the road now it is mostly to get to a trail or to hurry back home from a trail. We don't have problems sliding because we mostly walk and if we do some faster speed we are on the side of the road. I do agree that riding along with the traffic is best. In fact, I think it is the law. Most of the time I know where the "spook" zone is, so I know to keep going at that area. Like everything else, riding along a road is much more dangerous than it used to be. Nothing stays the same for long. Who would have ever thought we would have a gravel pit next to our hay field and semi's running the roads at a fast speed. Just always be on guard, you never know when some crazy person will try to run you off the road or try to scare your horse. Sometimes I like the more relaxed form of riding other than going up and down muddy trails all the time.
____________________ Pam and Cowboy Casey |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11th, 2012 03:43 pm |
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3rd Post |
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fireandice G.O.G Community Member 
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Lakota wrote: This is a great thread that seems to have never come up before. I have done a lot of road riding both gravel and now mostly paved. Cars go faster on the paved roads, but we are in Amish country so they are used to seeing horses.I could not agree more. We have been doing more road riding lately and are absolutely loving it. I do not have borium on the front because I have not found the need for it. I spend about 1/2 of the time on the side of the road on the grass, and some more time on gravel so really, we probably spend about 1/4 +/- time on asphalt. But I am loving it! I've never been able to gait so much because our trails are simply too narrow/uphill/downhill/rocky etc to really get into anything worth writing home about. I've ridden 6 times in the last two weeks - none of it on the trails that I normally frequent. We are experiencing a lot more noise and distractions of course. In order for me to get to some of the gravel roads, I have to cross over HWY 87 and then under a railroad trestle which is very, very low, dark and scary for a horse. Then of course there are all the barking dogs who bolt out of nowhere, the screaming kids, blowing trash etc. It's just been a really great experience and we're both having a great time. Keeping him in a purposeful gait when I can tell he's concerned helps a LOT. T. T.
____________________ My pony knows all my secrets. I braid my tears in his mane and whisper my dreams in his ears. |
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| Posted: Tue Dec 27th, 2011 12:45 am |
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4th Post |
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Lakota Ranch Hand
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This is a great thread that seems to have never come up before. I have done a lot of road riding both gravel and now mostly paved. Cars go faster on the paved roads, but we are in Amish country so they are used to seeing horses. If you're going to do much paved riding at all, you should either go barefoot, use boots, or if shoeing I highly suggest having borium on the front shoes only for your safety. A horse can go down really easy with plain shoes all around. Leaving the hind shoes plain allows the foot to slide into position and not grab when the heels hit which stresses the leg. (Less of an issue with the front feet.) Unless you are speed racking (a lot), you aren't gonna have an issue with road founder IMO. You will have better grip on the pavement in warm weather. When it cools down in the fall it gets a lot slicker even if your horse is barefoot. As for horses shying, sometimes if you keep them gaiting at a pretty good speed they are past the thing before they have a chance to fully spook. (Like plastic bags and mail boxes or garbage cans.) You can get your horse more fully trained when you road ride since you go past things like buggies, horse drawn farm wagons, weed wackers, cyclists, dump trucks,etc. We also have the oppurtunity to go to town and tie up at hitching rails at many of the businesses. I would advise to always ride on the right side of the road ('with' the traffic). If a fast moving truck is going to spook your horse, he always handles it better when it comes from behind than if it's coming right at him.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23rd, 2011 11:32 pm |
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5th Post |
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Karal G.O.G Community Member 
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I ride roads all the time. That is the only option I have because of the signs now posted behind our property. Most all the roads are gravel roads. Its better than not riding at all.
____________________ live - laugh - love |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23rd, 2011 02:27 pm |
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6th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member 
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fireandice wrote: Well, I stand corrected. My farrier was here just a couple of hours ago to do the boys and he said that shoes do not absorb concussion like I thought. BUT, he did say that as little riding as I do on the road, a nice easy gait is not going to hurt one single bit :-D Tina, it sounds like you have a spot-on farrier! That is so nice to find. I ride Rain and Chris rides Moon, both TWHs, on a variety of terrian, and one of our home stretches is a curving, paved road from the river leading back to our gravel road. The TWHs love, love, love this stretch and always put out beautiful gaits, and such a lovely sound and vibration to my deaf ears! Rain is especially strong-gaited and holds his 4beat steady and Moon puts out awesome speed racking that blows our mind. We take the paved road for about a mile or two and it is much fun. We have rode this route shod, and now either barefoot or in boots. Some of our friends with non-gaited horses love to ride with us on this stretch because their horses get into nice western jogs or steady trots to post with and their horses get motivated by the 4beat. Cars, trucks or motorcycles don't bother the horses either... once I had Rain ahead of the group because he gaits strong and steady, and a loud dirt bike came flying around a curve towards us... luckily on his side of the road!! Rain stayed near the shoulder of our side and did not miss a beat or shy from the noise. Put his head into the gait more, and I think the sound of his own 4 beat on the pavement was stronger to his mind then the motor of the dirt bike. Really proud of him, he loves to hear his own footfall 
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23rd, 2011 02:00 am |
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7th Post |
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SPOTD RIDR G.O.G Community Member 
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We will ride the roadside and some on the pavement when we have to but really don't care for it. Both Cruz and Coal are big striding horses and as soon as they step on the pavement with that deep overstride they slide, now Mira being a racker we can clippity clop right on down the asphalt with never a slip. There are some trails in the pine forests in SC we ride that are solid but sound hollow under the horses and it really amplifies the hoofbeets.
____________________ JoAngela "Jo" |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22nd, 2011 10:34 pm |
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8th Post |
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slipslider G.O.G Community Member 
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I ride the roadside from time to time. I have the Boa boots and they are great for that, as don't have to worry about slipping or the hard surface hurting them. I too, do not do it often or far. But you are right it is fun. We ride on the bank mostly beside the road on a country road that does not have much traffic. Only thing I ever worry about is horse shying from something in the field and going out in front of a car. As some do not slow down at all. I was riding my QH once and we all were going down the road. Everyone was on the left side and we were meeting a truck. The truck was going over to the right and slowing down to give us room. But my horse spied a plastic bag, caught in some weeds to the left, so he too was going to the right and as you all know the more i turned him to the left the more to the right he was going. So I quickly turned him right and went across the road to the other side. Times like that are what scare me. But I always imagine the worse scenario in any situation. I don't know why.
____________________ LaVonne Summertime Stables, LLC Life's journey is not to arrive safely in a grave in a well preserved body But rather to slide in sideways, Totally worn out, Yelling......What a Ride ! |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22nd, 2011 01:59 pm |
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9th Post |
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iceponymom G.O.G Community Member 
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I do a lot of road riding because the only real trails in my area are in a WMA with almost year round hunting. Logi really seems to enjoy looking at the sights; he loves it when people stop & he gets attention (& occasionally carrots!). We ride on the side on the paved roads unless there's a hayfield we can use (edges only, of course). It's funny when my friend Carol rides her half-Percheron with us - cars really pull over to the other side of the road. My little Icey isn't intimidating to drivers but that big black Perch butt scares them!
____________________ IPM Margaret & Logi |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2011 11:21 pm |
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10th Post |
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fireandice G.O.G Community Member
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Well, I stand corrected. My farrier was here just a couple of hours ago to do the boys and he said that shoes do not absorb concussion like I thought. BUT, he did say that as little riding as I do on the road, a nice easy gait is not going to hurt one single bit :-D And also, that shoes can cause more of a 'slippery' surface than barefoot so to watch that also - like some of y'all said. So long as the roads are dry and I don't do anything stupid, we are fine. Borium and other traction doo-dads do more damage than good by not allowing the horses' feet to move and give way when needed. When shoes are used in conjunction with a pad, that is when more shock is absorbed - whether that be leather or rubber. Since we hardly rode-ride, it is not necessary. T.
____________________ My pony knows all my secrets. I braid my tears in his mane and whisper my dreams in his ears. |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2011 10:42 pm |
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11th Post |
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karenlexsc G.O.G Community Member 
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I love the clip clop sound of shoes on pavement too! We don't ride the roads mainly because of the traffic and nutty drivers. We do ride alongside for short pieces, but we love the hard packed dirt roads for gaiting! Glad you're enjoying yourself, Tina and Stroker is doing so well!!!
____________________ Karen No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. ~Winston Churchill |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2011 10:32 pm |
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12th Post |
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whattarack Pasture Boss 
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We rode the roads almost exclusively which is why I just loved it when we trailered our horses away from home. But when we ride out from home, it was the roadside. Our horses were shod and I don't recall ever having much problem with slipping and never had issues with horses becomming lame in any way. It made since to ride on the grassy shoulder when possible. I miss the clip/clop sound of the hooves on the roads. I think the noise soothed the horses, too.
____________________ Being Offended is Optional. |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2011 05:13 pm |
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13th Post |
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GypsySusan G.O.G Community Member 
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We don't go on the road much any more but I really enjoy some of our hard packed dirt trails out in the desert where we can get some good gaiting in and have some hills to work on also. I love being able to hear Shadow's hoofbeats and the rhythm of her running walk and her foxtrot. Since we are barefoot, I don't worry too much about slipping as long as there's no water on the road - that makes it trecherous because of the oil from the vehicles on the road.
____________________ Susan www.gypsytrotters.com Phil 4:11-13, 19 Missouri Fox Trotters: To Ride One... Is to Own One. |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2011 04:59 pm |
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14th Post |
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fireandice G.O.G Community Member
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Oh Lord, don't you know how obsessive I am about laminitis and foundering?! We rode a lot on the edges because her horse is barefoot and the edges were wide enough to safely gait, but we rode on the pavement when it narrowed - about 1/2 and 1/2 I'd say. I never lope on pavement, but it was really cool to see how Stroker got into his groove when he heard his footfalls; he just went right into it, so smooth. And it helped me too to actually hear the footfalls. Don't worry TN, you know I'd never ever do anything to hurt my boy  Plus he's shod which absorbs a lot of concussion. It's not something I'd do exclusively, but it was a new experience and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It's something I will do more often, but we both love our trails. We passed the train, under the RR trussel, cars, trucks, yapping dogs, kids screaming 'horsey'! - It was just a different experience. Stroker easily bores and seemed to really enjoy the new scenery. It's sort of been an eye opener for me to see how well he received all the goings-on around him. Strange though, he really dislikes arenas and that scene in general. I took him to a 4-H show with Rene just to get him out and he hated it! Get him next to a train and he's fine - weird. T.
____________________ My pony knows all my secrets. I braid my tears in his mane and whisper my dreams in his ears. |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2011 04:31 pm |
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15th Post |
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TN Trailrider G.O.G Community Member 
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I've ridden gravel roads which are fine, but I absolutely hate riding on a paved road as I worry about the horse slipping. Be very careful about doing any speed work at all on a paved surface as the intense pounding can cause "road founder" which just as bad as any other founder.
____________________ Lynne |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2011 03:43 pm |
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16th Post |
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fireandice G.O.G Community Member
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Our weather has been really mild and dry so I've been able to ride a lot more this time of year then normal. Now that my friend Rene is working again, I have only Amanda to ride with who doesn't have a trailer. She has three horses but only one loads, her stallion, so trailering him with Stroker is not safe. I trailer to her barn and we usually ride to the river. Last week, we rode on the road for 3 1/2 hours. I didn't think I'd enjoy it but actually, it was so much fun. I got to gait a LOT more than I ever get to on the trails - I was surprised at how much fun we had and Stroker got into a good groove of gaiting and seemed to really enjoy himself as well. I think I might do that a little more often. Anyone else do much road riding? T.
____________________ My pony knows all my secrets. I braid my tears in his mane and whisper my dreams in his ears. |
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