Susan, you are right on. I alsways used to take my horses out alone in the beginning. You can always go back and add company, but it's hard to subtract if your horse becomes dependent upon it. In some ways, Hunter is more fun out alone than he is with company. We do both because as an endurance horse, he has to keep his wits when he's in a group of horses and he has to be comfortable for those sweet times when we have the trail to ourselves.
Our mentor, Bev Hoogendyk, take her youngsters (always 5 or older) out on trail the minute they are safe to ride, sometimes as soon as a week or so under saddle. She does LOTS of ground work in advance, however. She thinks it gives them something to think about. She'll go back to the arena after they've learned to handle themselves on the trails. Of course she is much braver than I am and probably braver than most of the people on the list. It really isn't a good idea to take a horse out and away until you have some brakes and the ability to turn in both directions at the very least. Nancy
