Are trail horses only for doing trails only? Or can they be used in an arena too?

Question

I just don't understand when someone says that a horse is ONLY a trail horse. Does this mean that it isn't trainable for anything else?

Answer 1

Nope.  It just means they have a laid back personality, and are basically bomb-proof, perfect for trails.  They might have issues if you do things besides trail-type rides with them, like they might not switch gaits very well, or they might be very heavy on the reins.  But, all this can be fixed by training, if you give it time.

Answer 2

if it says they are ONLY a trial horse, that means that is all the horse has ever done. They broke it, it used it only for trail riding, that doesnt mean you can train it to do anything else, but the horse will more than likely be so laid back that all you want to do with it is go on a slow trail ride. I bought a TWH gelding that was ONLY a trail horse, and i had a hard time to get him to move any faster than a fast walk. He was lazy, and just wanted to follow the other horses around.

I think if the horse is young enough...(mine was 17yo when i got him) you should still be able to train for something esle...it depends on the temperment of the horse.

Answer 3

a horse that is said to be trail horse only usually means, that the owners have never used that horse for anything else but trails. i have a trail horse i trained for barrels and he is fine. a lot of people have horses but haven't trained them in a certain discipline so they put trail horse down! it's ridiculous!!! good luck & have fun riding!

Answer 4

It just means it's been doing that for years and years. You could train it to do other things as well, though. It just might take a little patience. If you're looking to buy a 'trail horse' you should test ride it in the arena and decide if you want to go to the trouble of doing a little extra work with it.

Answer 5

Hello,

This is a great question!  I think you have a great point, seems some folks only ride on the trail and some only ride in the arena.

A horse marked as "trail only" could mean

a)  They don't have an arena, or access to ride in one

b)  The horse is arena sour and doesn't like to be worked in         a arena environment.

Just because a horse was never worked in an arena doesn't mean it won't adapt to doing both.

WE have the opposite!  My family rodeos and all of our performance horses are mainly used on the trail.  We find that trail ridding them keeps them from getting burned out on arena work.  Riding in the mountains for fun, is great for them, they work on LOOSE reins, and get to go out and do something relaxing, while keeping them in shape and building up muscle.

Our horses know when its time to get down and get to business, since they aren't ridden except for competitions in the arena.

Trail riding and arena riding will help provide most horses with a well rounded life and a great attitude.

IF you are looking at horses for sale that are marked trail only, ASK lots of questions!

Answer 6

Hi!!  Saw yur question--might be able to help you!  Trail horses, are usually all around horses that can do multiple things.If your horse works in the arena, that can get might boring for you and your horse!  Going out on a trail is like a vacation for most "worked" horses.  My paint can do many thing, but he is a finished roping horse.  He loves to do the trails--because we just mosey along and have a great time.  So," only a trail horse" can fit all.I use mine only for trails, cause his hard working days are over.  Hope this helped??

Answer 7

Any horse can be a trail horse. I have 6 horses and all of them are trail horses. Also I do jumping with my TB and western pleasure with my QH. We go to shows and everything. The only reason people might say that they are ONLY trail horses is because the horse is REALLY good. Doesnt get spooked, crosses rivers and stuff.

Answer 8

This does not mean it is only a "trail horse" this simply just means that this horse has a specialty for trails. Its like a humans  and their majors. But just because this horse is used for doing trails does not mean you can't train him for the arena. I means that the horse is not used to the arena and may have some problems such as bucking, throwing their head or has just never experienced an arena because the owner might not have wanted the horse to be an arena horse. Any horse can be trained with some time and patience. The last idea could be ma be the horse has hurt themselves and is not able to work in the arena. ALWAYS get a vet check before buying a horse. Don't not look at horses for their majors a horse can become anything if you try hard!

Answer 9

No its just  means that the horses advanced spot is trail.  I

Answer 10

No. Most of the time some trail horses don't have the "best" conformation, so they have to go trail riding. Also, they are calm and good in other places so I can imagine them being fine in the arena. Some horses, too, get bored of the arena.

But, trail horses can do other things for sure =D

Answer 11

well it could mean a number of things!

this horse is onlybroke to trail ride

meaning it might not even know the cues for cantering

or that this horse is only sound for trail riding and it can never jump

and most trail broke horses don't like going out by themselves!!

it's kinda annoying i had a young 3 year old trail broke QH and i could never ride him bymyself without a fight i had to force him to go out by himself geez but now it's all good and he likes it haha

Answer 12

A trail horse can make a great arena horse as well. A trail horse is merely used to things that will be encounterd out on trails that may scare the p**s out of a horse that you ride around in a circle in an arena. Most trail horses do fantastic as arena horses. If someone says their horse is a trail horse only it merely means that is all the horse is accustomed to doing, doesn't mean it can't learn how to do other things, it just has not been trained to do so.

Answer 13

You already have good answers...I have one thing to add.  If you see a horse that is shown in trail classes, which are usually set up in an arena, that horse may be a poor choice to take on actual trail rides.

On real trails, you want the horse to use it's instincts and alert to dangers like changes in terrain that you may not notice, or smells and sounds you may not detect.  Most trail Class horses are taught to ignore their own instincts and only respond to direction from the rider, which could make them less safe to ride on trails.

Answer 14

My horses go either way...There are a lot of people who show horses and use them on trail to.

Answer 15

Trail horses are trained differently than arena horses.  You can train one for both but it is a LOT of extra work.

For example I will not touch a trail horse that keeps its head up high like many arena horses (depending on the breed).  Why?  It is not watching where it is going.  A trail horse must often pick its feet through very rocky and rough terrain.  The horse had BETTER be watching what it is doing.

I also do not want one of those frisky highly spirited animals on a trail.  Especially not for a new person.  A trail horse must be calm NO MATTER WHAT.  Any that isn't is likely to bolt sooner or later and get somebody hurt.  I once had a wild turkey fly up from under my horses foot.  It was hiding in the weeds and my horse literally was about to bring its foot down on it.  If you have ever heard the commotion a wild turkey sets off when flying away then you know what I am talking about.  My horse did not bolt or even do anything other then jump about half a step sideways.  How many other horses would have done as well?

They are taught NEVER to jump anything.  In other words they step over logs they do not jump them.  In fact when training one if it does jump something like a log or ditch, you go back and have the horse cross it again and again until it does so without jumping.

And lastly...On the trail a curbless bit is something only a fool would even consider using.  This is because in situations like the above spooking situations the rider MUST be able to stop the horse.  This is as much a safety issue for the horse as for the rider since a spooked horse is as likely to kill themselves running into danger as they are to save themselves by running away from it.  Actually they are even more likely to get themselves or their riders killed as they are to save them.  So on the trail you use a curb bit and you learn how to use it lightly so that when the horse is under control the bit is merely sitting in their mouth and is no more harsh than the most wonderful snaffle you could imagine.  Everyone of my riding horses can be controlled with one finger in the reins.

I once had someone come and visit my farm looking to buy a horse.  After showing them what type of bits I use they said rather arrogantly that they used snaffles.  I looked at them and point blank told them that that was why they were looking for a new horse.  Their mare had learned she could not be controlled with a snaffle and would run up to a metal gate and make a sudden turn.  Her riders would fly off into the gate and the husband had gotten hurt.  The two then started with some nonsense there trainer told them.  I immediately started acting like the horse I had to sell was not good enough for them because I did not want to be tempted to sell them a horse if they offered me enough money.

Seat sensitivity is considered a bad thing in a trail horse (as is over sensitivity in the legs if the rider is young and inexperienced).  This is because you don't want the horse confused.  You may have to lean far one side or do a lot of wiggling to get under and around limbs.  You do not want the horse to mistake those as signals to change direction or speed.  Also the first instinct of a rider when spooked is to clinch with the legs.  If the horse is too sensitive to leg pressure and spooks a little (say it jumps sideways half a step) the rider could clinch down telling the horse to run when that is really the last thing the rider wants.

That is what it means to be a trail horse.  We do not worry about correct leads or anything like that.  We just ride our horses and bond with them so that they will do what we ask--when we ask it--period.

Answer 16

no, they can be trained for other things. it just means that they have been doing trail riding for a long time. They can be used in the arena also! But if you have a trail horse i would be doing other things that include western riding. No english on a trail horse i am thinking. You can but i dont think it would work out good.

Answer 17

It's not so much that the trail horse cannot be shown or trained for other events, it's just that the owner only trail rides.

We have trail horses that we also show.  We are not involved in the big time horse shows, because we prefer to trail ride.  We do mostly county fairs and such.   A friend of mine has a trail horse that he has shown and has trained to pull a cart/buggy.

Some people I know trail ride their hunter jumpers.  Although the horse is mainly used for eventing, he is also taken out on trails from time to time.

I hope this helps.

Answer 18

It means they are steady minded on the trail and won't be scared out of their whits pretty much lol =] but a trail horse can work on the flat aswell atleast the horses at my barn do =/ so no it doesn't mean they're untrainable no horse can be only a trail horse real if they can walk trot and canter on the trail they can walk trot and canter in the ring but they probably perfer it more out on the trails.