# @ankehawke on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CXLPzUQr4zg
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/9011544-ankehawke-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/b736f39186.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-12-07T08:57:16.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Anke Hawke - Dressage Coach (@ankehawke) — https://gondola.cc/ankehawke

## Caption

One of my favourite horses is a trail horse & trail riders

A lovely trail horse is usually very level headed and knows where to place its feet and not too easily fussed.

Yet it is so often underestimated. 

I hear it so often that when a horse is not sound or has some health issue it is fine for trail riding.
To some extend this is probably true if you live on soft level ground maybe with a gentle slope.

Where I grew up we had a stunning forest to ride through with amazing manicured sandy trails or just the forest floor.

Some of the trails I went on around Sydney you almost needed a mountain goat.
They are hard surfaces and steep narrow inclines.
Only a sure footed horse with a good fitness level finds these easy to navigate.

And on the other hand you really would like a horse that is confident and level headed because you never know what you find on a trail... Especially shared trails:-

Bicycle 
Motorbikes 
Prams 
Runners
The list is endless and for some reason some people mistake our beautiful trails for a council clean up side .

This is one of those you ‘never know what you will find’ kind of scenarios.

And there is also opening and closing gates.
Latches and barbed wire fences that are not always in a good position.
You count on your horse to stand still, while you wriggle around in the saddle focusing on the gate.

So in my experience a trail  horse is sound in mind and body and quite educated to handle most situations.

And the more the horse trusts it's education or it's rider the more pleasant the ride is.

So for me trail horses need to be sound in body and mind.

#trailhorse #trailhorseinthemaking

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## Tags

trailhorse, trailhorseinthemaking

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