Speedy or Slow?

Riding in a group is always an interesting adventure. When three or more horses are together on trail, their herd mentality sets in, and they try to jockey for the position in the pack that suits their leadership role (or lack thereof). Our jobs as riders is to level the playing field so that we remain the leaders, and they remain engaged with us instead of each other.
My horse is the gaited variety, and therefore pretty speedy on trail. Since I ride with a lot of quarter horses, it is a constant effort to slow her down to keep her in line with the group. Whereas this could be considered annoying, it is actually a great opportunity to teach my horse to walk at a speed that I assign, instead of what comes natural to her. If she is in the lead, we practice walking slow and collected. Or we move out a bit and stop to wait for the others to catch up. I will even put her in the back, which forces her to slow down and keep her distance behind the others. Either way, it is a training opportunity which makes her a better horse, and makes me a more in-tune rider. Here below is one of my favorite quarter horse riding buddies, Lori Stein and her horse, Toot!