Of all the requests from Buyers for horses, this is the #1.  I love the word "just."  To me it infers no frills, simple, no special training and not expensive.  Yet if we were to switch the topic of the "want" to jewelry instead of a horse, this is how the sentence would read "I just want a 5 karat ring."  Let's investigate what the elements are that make up a good trail horse.

An old-timer used to say, "if his mama is and his daddy is, then you can be purdy sure the baby is."  That applies to just about every creature alive.  Guess we could call that element "breeding."  Next is training.  When does training begin?  Did the horse grow up in a stall never learning true respect for "the boss?" Did he learn how to deal with horse herd rules as well as all of life's surprises?  There is no substitute for this training.  Once under saddle he must walk in water, mud, over logs, over white lines not spook at jumping deer, flushing birds, passing cars, semi trucks and trailers, kids on bikes, skateboards or Big Wheels.  He may not run up hill or down.  He must stand still and wait, open gates, load into trailers and back out, have more courage than his rider and LIKE IT.  There are more expectations than these of a trail horse but we will stop here.

For some horses to pass this test is impossible.  For many it takes YEARS to get there.  For the Mountain Horses of Kentucky, and Rocky Mountain Horses, it is in their breeding to meet life with good sense and a hunger to please. With this good attitude and easy trainability in addition to a nice smooth way of going (gait) these horses make trail riding exhilarating and oh such a pleasure.  For them the old-timer's words ring true. "Their mama is and their daddy is..." and so are the babies.

Our horses are raised with a full spectrum of exposure from birth.  When company enters the pasture the herd races to welcome the visitors.  Weanlings to stallions all crave the attention many times overwhelming the timid with their insatiable demand for human touch.  This involvement translates into a perfect partner for any ride...be it in a show ring or "just" on the trail.