More Trails and Yacht Rein Review

Got back on the trail again this Friday to go a bit farther than we had previously. He was "awake" that day-- distracted, sensitive, and very alert. Not naughty by any means, but just... kind of on edge. We rode next to the edge of the dam and there were some fishermen there. But they might as well have been monsters from the deep because Calvin stood there refusing to move forward just snorting at them. Or I'd ask him for a trot by *lightly* squeezing and he'd launch into a canter. Not to mention the great blue heron which flew out of the water which caused an identical spook to the one that got me off last time. Luckily this time I was in a saddle and I was able to get him back under control. Yeah, definitely on edge.

Finally we moved past the dam onto some quieter trails. I decided to take him off the path and into the brush. He doesn't even think twice about the plants being up to his belly, good mustang!

 Summer coat means showing off his awesome brand again

Off-roading. The good thing about him being distractible is it makes for good ears-forward pictures ;)

My full trail bridle set up includes a $20 western bridle (which I can't stand because the throatlatch keeps riding up into his throat kind of defeating the purpose of the throatlatch, but you get what you pay for), my nathe snaffle bit (which I absolutely love so much I'll probably do a separate post on it!), and yacht reins. Definitely not your average trail get up, but then again we're not your average trail horse and rider! My next "upgrade" will be to a better fitting bridle, perhaps a biothane one for the easy upkeep, but in the meantime I need to find a way to fix it.

I used my new yacht trail reins on this ride and was really pleased. If you've been keeping up with the blog, you'll remember that the last time I ate it Calvin decided to step on my reins and they broke. Because I didn't want to spend $$ on decent (read: expensive) English reins, I bought some yacht reins. They're softer than leather and lower-maintenance, something I'm all about for trail riding! I bought the 12' length which is *perfect* for trails and letting him stretch down to sniff or eat, I love long reins. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the clips to the bit, whether they'd be too loud with metal on metal, but I found that it wasn't too distracting and Calvin didn't seem to mind, which is really what matters most. 

I miss my old trails which were more challenging for both of us in terms of elevation and technical difficulty. Also, I miss riding with other people and their horses! Looks like I'll have to plan an adventure soon when I have more free time, maybe this summer :)