Protecting Dressage Horses

Every so often, I hear some people imply that dressage horses should be "wrapped in wool", kept in the stable 24 hours a day except when being trained, never turned out, and protected from the "dangers" of trail riding.

For our own horses, these are simply not options. And this means that, spooky & timid as he can be at times, Piper goes trail riding.

This weekend, after a working session in a very noisy indoor arena being pummeled by strong winds, we ventured out alone onto the trails. Needless to say, the trees were whipping & crackling and things were scary from his perspective. After a fairly good spook, my husband Georg climbed into the saddle and I jumped onto our Honda ATV....

.... Piper followed me & the ATV around on the trails, happy to see his bright red four wheeled big brother leading the way. A comical sight, no doubt, but yet another opportunity for Piper to grow and be more than just a dressage horse. He was a good boy.