Outdoors classrooms come in all shapes and sizes. For those of us who spend time in the mountains on horses and mules, we can choose to ride the trails in the parks and arenas or we can spend our time helping our animals learn to use their heads, watch their feet and develop calm attitudes when they run into tough stuff in the woods or mountains. I have to admit, I have never ridden in a man made arena but I am fortunate to have plenty of natural "arena's" to work my animals in. The ride today was one where we focused not only on climbing hills to harden muscles and increase the animals wind but I purposely picked a ride that included working our way up through a couple of recent logging sites. Rides up through sites like this really teach an animal how to stay clam, watch their feet and how to think when they come to rough or nasty spots. The first couple of pictures are the trail back into our riding area and the last pictures are of the one logging site we worked our way up this morning. Many folks I know think we are slightly touched in the head for riding where we do but it is a sure fire waay to determine if the animal you are riding has "what it takes" to head to the big canyons.

Thank you for posting. It is beautiful country. Keep doing what your doing. May be you should think into opening an outfitting business.

Most of the horses I have ridden are ranch raised and learned from a baby how to handle their feet and get around in the rocks and timber, their mamas tought them..When not in use they were in a big 12,000 acre desert with rimrocks horse trap. On a rough rimrock desert ranch with only a couple of trails.

As to a "man made arena", at some point in their life I find it a finishing school, they learn their leads, how to stop and turn around,how to handle a rope, and a host of other things..These are things that you cannot teach in the mountains as well as in a arena. By the same token, the best training sessions can be following a herd of cows in a big pasture, settles their mind and give them maturity...

I agree Mr.Atkinson that there are things they can learn in an arena. They are just not things that I find are important to the country and use I put my animals to. They neck rein, have a good stop and are used to ropes around their legs and they know how to drag things but since I don't work cows, rope or show I don't have a need for some of the finishing touches many folks want. For me it is more important that they are calm, intelligent saddle animals that are just as good at wearing a pack saddle as a riding saddle, can lead a string, be in the middle or bring up the rear and ignore the dogs running with us on the rides. I have seen folks take their reining horses out in the hills and get in trouble when they get in tight spots, accidentally apply some knee pressure or tense up and their horses are reacting instead of thinking.

I certainly agree with you, and respect your approach to your discipline, what you say definitely works..Im involved in both in that my hobby is team roping and the girls run barrels and team rope and calf rope, but Im a hunter and most of my hunting is done horseback, so most but not all of my horses have been excellent in both places was my point and only offered as conversation, nothing more. I am quickly reaching a point where most of my riding may be in the mountains, and Im good with that as its a good place..My reflexes in my roping are slowly coming to a hault I fear, but Im hanging in there as long as the good Lord allows it...

Mr. Atkinson, there is nothing I would like more than to be able to load up one of the mules and head over to Idaho and ride with you up on the mountains. The older man I ride with is 84 and his mule is 29 and both are starting to slow down but the wealth of knowledge I glean from riding with his and his mule is priceless.