18 June, 1962
Pick Tennessees Walker For Trail Riding
( Editor ' s Note— Tiic Voice is greatly indebted to Virginia Lamb, 2901 37th Avenue, Sacramento, Calif., for making available to us a scries of articles on " Trail Riding and the Tennessee Walking Horse." Her articles begin herewith, and you will agree— as we do— that she is eminently qualified lo discuss this subject. BAG)
BY VIRGINIA LAMB Sacramento, Calif.
Part 1. Selection Of A Trail Horse
There are many points to cover in this first phase of making a trail horse. One is the fact that this article is primarily to help the beginner; a person who can perhaps ride, bin wants to delve further into adventure by trail riding. This is entirely different from riding around a circle in the show ring, leisurely cantering through the park on a Sunday afternoon or a short jaunt down the paved highway or country lane. Trail riding is a thrill beyond imagination, and made more enjoyable on the back of a superb animal, the Tennessee Walking Horse.
Remember one thing; trail riding for fun and enjoyment and trail riding for competition are two entirely different things. The first, you set your own pace and can take time out to rest your horse and enjoy the scenery. To casually sit by a stream during the day if you wish, or stop on the crest of it hill and watch the sun set over a mountain. The competitive type of riding does not leave much time for enjoying the country you are riding through, but deals more with lime. The horse and rider that cover a long distance in the shortest length of time win. This does not mean that you cannot enjoy competition, only that it is more pleasure when you do it for fun and relaxation.
Horse More Important
The horse itself is the most important thing. Let us assume that this is your first go at a Walker and trail riding. For the beginner, start by looking for a well broke, gentle and well mannered horse. This is extremely important. It is hard to stress just how important this is, but a high strung, hard to handle animal is dangerous in trail riding and cannot be depended upon. A gelding is usually preferred as they do not come in season and cannot react as a stallion if there is a mare around.
However, mares do make fine trail animals and the sex, mare or gelding, is not important over which of the two is better suited for you. Here in California, and I know this is going to offend some friends as well as people I do not know, people are more inclined to be stallion crazy. They seem to feel that by owning a stallion they really have something.
This is not true and I do not recommend one for the trail. There are too many stallions and only a handful good enough to be a stallion and put to stud. A top notch, dependable gelding is far more valuable for riding than any stallion will ever be. Not always money-wise, but being able to trust a horse is far more important. 1 am sure any horseman will agree with this.
Horse With Age Desirable
Age is considered in the selection of a good horse, but do not be fooled into, thinking that a younger horse is always the best. Here again, the horse itself is to be considered. A horse twelve years old, if he meets all of the requirements and is sound, will be of much more value to you than a horse of three or four that only meets a few of the requirements.
A younger horse may give a few more years of service, but the experience you receive from the older horse may outweigh this, and a younger horse can be started later on. i have a gelding 13 and a mare 16 that are still going strong and probably will be for many years to come. I am not saying“ buy the older horse,” but if he or she does meet the requirements, get a good vet lo check the horse for soundness. This should be done on the younger horse as well.
Size of the animal does not always mean a large horse is better than a small one, or vice versa, but it does sometimes mean a lot to the rider. A small person would have a very difficult lime mounting a large horse, however, there are ingenious devices for overcoming this obstacle. Remember, too, there may be many limes you will have lo dismount and lead your horse through a tight spot. These are all things to be considered and should be kept in mind when looking for a trail prospect.
Never Consider Horse Color The color of a horse should never be considered. It has never had anything to do with what the horse can do and I doubt will ever have. As an example, I had two young geldings in training as Western pleasure and trail horses. When time came to sell them, many people called to come out and look them over. Neither of these young horses were good looking or flashy or well colored, but they had a gootl way of going and could DO! It was surprising, but most of the people were more interested in a flashy horse than what the horse could do. Again I say, do not be color-conscious. Try the horse anyway for you may be surprised.
The temperament of a horse falls in the category of the well broke, gentle horse. Stay away from a horse that has a tendency to bite or kick. These faults may be corrected by an experienced horseman, but for the beginner, do not take the chance of getting yourself hurt or injuring another horse or rider.
A retired show horse, and this does not necessarily mean an old horse, should not be considered by the beginner. While they are generally well broke and gentle, their way of training is entirely different and it takes time and patience to convert them over. The show horse has learned to depend on the rider and out on the trail a rider may have to depend on the horse, many, many times. Here again, it takes an experienced person to do the converting. Show horses can and do make fine trail horses, but not for the beginner. Select a horse trained and used for pleasure riding. You will not be disappointed.
If you don’ t know a great deal about Walking Horses, find a reputable horseman to help you. Any true horseman would be glad to do so. There are many fine Walking Horse trainers scattered throughout the country and there is probably one dose to you who will lend you a helping hand to see that you get the right kind of Walking Horse for the purpose you have in mind.
A Good Horse Costs Money
Many people ask this question,“ What about the cost?" That is not an easy question to answer. A well bred Walking Horse is invaluable if he has the go and staying power to make a good horse, regardless of whether it be for pleasure or show. To have a horse trained, it will average about $ 100.00 per month, including board. Do not go looking for a trained horse under $ 500.00 If you can find a good one for even that price consider yourself lucky.
( Continued on Page 19)