CB Horse and Rider Training in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia | Sport & recreation

CB Horse and Rider Training

Locality: Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia

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23.01.2022 We see a lot of information on trailer loading but judging by how the parents were pulling in to the parking lot for a 4H clinic I was teaching, I got to wonder...ing if there shouldnt be a discussion on how to haul? The dust was flying, trailers were rattling and you could hear horses scrambling as they pulled up. Clearly, this called for drastic measures! Despite reading and being told, theres nothing like learning to do by doing and pulling a trailer is no exception. Before getting underway, I suggested they all tie their horses someplace safe before climbing in my trailer for a free ride. The arena was on a quiet country road and the locale made it possible for us to have a short, albeit illegal, journey. I asked the parents to stand in the slant haul without hanging on, just bracing themselves to take whatever came their way. Easy, right? When we pulled back into the yard, they were horrified! First, the trailer, while a good make and recent model, was dusty on the gravel when the windows were open; it was also surprisingly noisy. They could hardly talk amongst each other, let alone think. When I accelerated, they were thrown backwards. Braking had them hitting the front dividers. Then, I purposefully braked while negotiating a curve. Chaos and all the while, Id not exceeded 50 kilometres (or 30 miles) per hour! Back at the arena, I had the parents climb into one of their own stock trailers. This was worse, because it was windy, rattly and a bit rank, as it hadnt been cleaned out in eons. The fumes of the built up manure gave them watery eyes. In the roomy stock trailer, whenever they lost their balance, they staggered in a pile on top of themselves. Clearly, there was more to this hauling than theyd bargained on. We agreed the miracle is that so many horses load willingly when their owners have so little regard for what hauling entails. So, where to begin? First, make sure the tail isnt wagging the dog. Being able to accelerate with a full load doesnt mean that your truck will be able to stop! Reckoning the weight of the trailer must also include the maximum number of horses, along with all that youve got in your tack room. Do you know where to put your horses for the safest hauling? When asked, few drivers seem aware that the load goes at the front of the trailer, not balanced over the axles or behind them. By putting the weight on the towing vehicle, it greatly reduces a trailers tendency to fish-tail, even in high winds. The lighter horses will be loaded after the heavier ones to stabilize the load. With so many highways allowing speeds in excess of 110 kilometres (about 70 miles) per hour, youll need to keep a lot of room in front to stay out of trouble. Are your mirrors adequate to see around your vehicle with a minimum of blind spots? Do you even know where your blind spots are? Have you adjusted your trailer brakes to help stop your load? Do you perform a visual inspection of running lights, brake lights, turning signals and emergency flashers before you hit the highway? Have you made sure your trailer is towing level from front to back? When was your trailer last booked in for maintenance of the wiring, floorboards, tire wear and bearings? Do you clean out your trailer after every single haul? Now, practice pulling the unit with a handful of change thrown on the truck dash. You should be able to accelerate, turn and slow down to a stop without the coins sliding around. Deceleration is made smoother with the truck engine helping to brake the load, either with the transmission set to tow/haul, or by manually shifting (yes, even an automatic) down to reduce the forward momentum. This takes practice and knowing your vehicle. Slow down before and not during turns; wait until your trailer has made the turn before smoothly speeding up. If your horses are scrambling, if you feel them moving around back there, youre being too abrupt. Letting the greater pressure off the brake pedal a snick after youve stopped will absorb much of the force of stopping. Learn how to back your trailer! When I was a teenager, so keen to haul myself to shows, my father forbade me to go on my own until I could prove that I could handle it. This meant being able to back into any place that I could pull into (and yes, you can back into a lot of places you cant make a forward turn). It always surprises me, the number of people hauling to weekend shows who need help parking their trailers. Looking back, Ive never had a horse that was hard to load. Ive bought a few that came that way but with love and rules, along with good riding, they very quickly got better. I like to think that keeping my trailer clean and my driving mindful have had a lot to do with this. Heres to a long, safe summer for all of us... with only nice, smooth trips! *** For more posts, fellowship and good information, why not follow our Keystone Equine Facebook page? @livingwellridingbetter

21.01.2022 So I have added a fancy "Book Now" button to the top of the page.... lets see how this goes. Feel free to book a lesson, or even a half or full day clinic. Times are tight in winter but will open up when the days get longer.... In the words of Lord Eddard Stark (RIP) Winter is coming

21.01.2022 How good do the upcoming weekends look!! Make the best of the weather while it lasts and book a lesson. Think how ready youll be for Spring outings

19.01.2022 Riding is about so much more than sitting on your horse's back. On this page I hope to share articles and stories that may be a bit out of the norm but show how we can improve ourselves. What I try to achieve with my students is educating them on how to improve both their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Good physical health means becoming strong enough to allow your horse to easily carry you through whatever level you're both at. Mental health is about being able to understand what steps you both need to progress and what is the best way to take those steps. This is greatly influenced by the character of your horse and how well you can embrace and influence that character. Follow along for the ride, it's anything but boring

15.01.2022 Not horse related but inspirational stuff from an absolute legend

13.01.2022 all about using those glutes girls!!

12.01.2022 A very good read!!

12.01.2022 Very true! And resonating perfectly for Izzy right now Anyone else with these young (or green) horse feels?

11.01.2022 Riding is about so much more than sitting on your horses back. On this page I hope to share articles and stories that may be a bit out of the norm but show how we can improve ourselves. What I try to achieve with my students is educating them on how to improve both their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Good physical health means becoming strong enough to allow your horse to easily carry you through whatever level youre both at. Mental health is about being able to understand what steps you both need to progress and what is the best way to take those steps. This is greatly influenced by the character of your horse and how well you can embrace and influence that character. Follow along for the ride, its anything but boring

07.01.2022 Yep..... we really should take better care of ourselves

03.01.2022 So I have added a fancy "Book Now" button to the top of the page.... let's see how this goes. Feel free to book a lesson, or even a half or full day clinic. Times are tight in winter but will open up when the days get longer.... In the words of Lord Eddard Stark (RIP) Winter is coming

02.01.2022 This is just so damn important for all us riders. Take the time to do some of these a few times a week and I promise youll feel the difference.... once you get past the "oh my god it hurts" stage lol