Getting out of the arena and onto the trail is a great way to continue the training on your horse. Many of the things that you teach your horse inside the arena can also be taught on the trail such as softening and suppleness to contact with the bit, yielding and forward motion exercises. But some things can ONLY be taught on the trail and many flaws or holes in your training program are discovered there which will inform you of what you need to work on in future training sessions. You really don’t know what you have until you unleash it on the trail.
At Next Level HorsemanshipTM, we do much of our training on the trail. Many of our training sessions combine ring work with trail work which adds value to the training because the horse is getting a real life education in addition to his academic training. And by training on the trail, the lessons that the horse learns are not soon forgotten.  Most of all, getting your horse out on the trail for training gives him a reason to do what he has been taught to do inside. This makes him a more willing partner in the long run because what he’s been taught elsewhere starts to make sense to him when he gets to practice it on the trail. Give it a try – grow wings and take your training sessions on the trail!