I have a ride coming up next week with a woman who takes lessons from my same trainer and is a seasoned and accomplished horsewoman. Her horse, from everything I’ve seen, is a pretty solid guy.
The issue is that in her later life she has developed a bit of a phobia of riding the trails. It’s partially due to silly things other people have done on rides and / or the difficulty in finding someone to ride with that is willing to do whatever it takes to make it successful. It is also, like in my case, a new trail horse for her, thus a new adventure.
Whether or not it materializes is yet to be seen, but I assured her I would help it be successful. It can be short and sweet or whatever she wants it to be. I even told her I have no issue getting off and walking them, if she feels the need. In fact, I often dismount in unpredictable places so that Tumbleweed never associates the trailer with the end of a ride.
We’re going to meet with our trainer beforehand and do some work together in a more contained environment, then head out.
I share her concerns, so fully get where she is coming from. I’ve been on rides with people who did dangerous things and it’s not fun.
I am the boring stickler: don’t run them up hills or back to the trailer and, honestly, don’t do anything that the whole group isn’t comfortable with first. I don’t like to see people “let big things go,” as it is often a precursor to their horse getting naughtier. At the same time, I don’t like to tell people how to handle their own horses. It’s a conundrum that comes with riding out in groups.
What are your own experiences and thoughts about this topic?
Riding with a big group of people is challenging! The photo on my blog header was one such trip; I had a lady cuss me out for taking Beamer ahead of the group to put some distance between the group and us so that he would pay attention to me and not the other horses. Her mare happened to be in heat, unknown to me (and Beamer) and had a meltdown, apparently that was all my fault... (insert eyeroll) Beamer paid absolutely no studly attention to her mare. I did pause and let them all catch up and then rode at the back of the group. Still with the group but said lady still couldn't control her horse. That was no fun for everyone in the group.
ReplyDeleteI once heard it said that the pace of a trail ride should be the pace of the slowest horse. I would add, the pace of the rider who needs to school or train on the trail. Common courtesy should prevail.
I hope you have a good ride with your friend, she sounds like she needs someone like you to ride with!
Yikes. That’s quite a story. Yes, group rides are never dull !! I have been put in some dangerous situations and I’m sure I have done some things that others didn’t exactly like.
DeleteI like that saying. It is absolutely true. I have done a lot of riding with grandkids and children which has made me a much more cautious member of any group ride. I think about the other riders a lot, especially when they’re young. It’s not easy finding people you’re compatible with, but I do have a special group where we all click.
Oh, I just thought of a few crazy stories, but I’ll share them on another post. 😆
Now that I'm not paid to lead rides, I avoid taking my own horse on group rides at all costs. The beauty of being the wrangler on group rides, is that I got to enforce the rules and if they didn't like them, they could walk. I only had to make the threat a couple of times, but guests know when you're bluffing or when you're serious.
ReplyDeleteWhen Jay and I travel, I don't mind riding at liveries, and expect that the wrangler has a handle on things. I do, however, try to book smaller rides, so that it's just Jay and me, and maybe one other couple.
For personal trail riding, I'm pretty particular about who I ride with. We always go at the pace of the slowest rider/least experienced horse. I don't have much tolerance for shenanigans while out on the trail, and find it best if I just ride with a couple of people I know and trust.
Being a wrangler would make you a pro at trail safety. I don’t like big groups either. Something is more likely to go wrong when there are lots of horses.
DeleteI’m very careful who I ride out with. I need to trust that everyone is looking after each other.
ReplyDeleteMe too.
DeleteSafety and common courtesy are hard with larger numbers. Everyone has a different opinion on trail etiquette. We usually rode trails by ourselves, but still encountered others doing less than desirable things.
ReplyDeleteYou will no doubt be a great mentor to the woman working through trail fear. Fear is real. I still experience it, especially after my last big accident.
I totally understand that Aurora. It’s a survival mechanism, and a good one.
DeleteWe all have fear to some degree. I have been working through my own for two years, wanting to feel solid with Tweed before venturing out. When I shared my own fear and concern with her, she said that hers is more debilitating. It’s like a panic attack. And she feels that is not a reasonable fear for herself because she feels solid in her riding skills and her horse. She really wants to overcome it.
On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with being an arena rider or even having a non-riding relationship with our horses. I have given myself permission to do whatever I feel comfortable with. In fact, I did it with Beautiful Girl. It was kind of sad to give that up, but I felt it was right.