It is very vital to always put safety first when trail riding. Trail riding will be a lot more enjoyable if you always think of safe practices and have a good common sense. Remember that your instructor is not at all times by your side to guide and help you. Also, it is a lot more fulfilling if you can ride on your own.
Here are the top 7 rules you should keep in mind when trail riding.
1. Always inform somebody where you plan to go trail riding and when you plan to return. Always keep in mind that anything can happen on a trail ride. You or your horse could become ill, lame, injured, get lost, or get stuck. If something unexpected happens, there will always be someone who will come looking for you.
It is always advisable that you ride with someone else if you are an inexperienced rider and you want go to an unfamiliar place. A child should always be accompanied by an adult rider in trail riding. If you are an experienced rider and you want to go trail riding alone, always bring with you a communication device like a fully charged cell phone. This way you can call someone in case of emergency.
2. Always bring with you a hoof pick and a pocket knife. A hoof pick is used when your horse gets a stone lodged into its frog. If you dont get the stone off its hoof and let it continue to walk, its hoof will get very sore. The pocket knife is very useful in cutting off vines or thick brush that can get wrapped around your horses leg or hoof, which usually happens if your horse has shoes on.
3. Horses cannot discern playtime from work time, so do not teach them to become lax. As much as trail riding is relaxing, you do not want your horse to relax as it may do it even during work. This will cause for you to lose control over your horse, which you do not want, especially when trail riding.
If the horse learns how to relax, it might relax even if you do not want it to. For example, whenever you trail ride, your horse grab bites of grass as you walk. It might do this even if you are on your way to a show ring gate.
4. Without creating unnecessary anxiety among the horses, always ride a respectful distance from the other riders. Horses always communicate with each other, which can sometimes lead to violence. This is why you have to keep at least one horse length between you and the next rider in front of you. But, because of their herd instincts, you should not do anything that will cause them to think that the herd is getting split up.
5. Always be careful when trail riding on an unfamiliar terrain. Do not run through an open field where you do not know if there are overgrown ditches or covered up holes. You do not want your horse to get hurt, which can happen if it stumbles on one.
6. Know how to handle your horse in case something scares it. Horses typically get scared of foreign objects. In such situation, the best thing to do is to ignore whatever it is that scares your horse. Your horse will most likely do the same. The smaller the deal you make out of it, the smaller the deal it will be to your horse.
Never go out of your way to show the foreign object to your horse. This might make the situation worse. Instead, calmly encourage your horse forward and talk in a smooth tone of voice. Let it look, walk slowly and sniff the foreign object. This will make your horse think that the thing it is scared about is not scary at all.
7. Walk along your horse comfortably on the trail, especially if you meet other riders. Your horse tends to react the same way you do. If it senses that you are nervous, it will get nervous too and might cause for it to bolt unexpectedly. Therefore, you should always be calm so that your horse will calmly walk with you.
While there are other rules to follow, these are the top 7 rules to keep you safe on the trail. And these are important so that your trail riding experience will be enjoyable. - 16887
Here are the top 7 rules you should keep in mind when trail riding.
1. Always inform somebody where you plan to go trail riding and when you plan to return. Always keep in mind that anything can happen on a trail ride. You or your horse could become ill, lame, injured, get lost, or get stuck. If something unexpected happens, there will always be someone who will come looking for you.
It is always advisable that you ride with someone else if you are an inexperienced rider and you want go to an unfamiliar place. A child should always be accompanied by an adult rider in trail riding. If you are an experienced rider and you want to go trail riding alone, always bring with you a communication device like a fully charged cell phone. This way you can call someone in case of emergency.
2. Always bring with you a hoof pick and a pocket knife. A hoof pick is used when your horse gets a stone lodged into its frog. If you dont get the stone off its hoof and let it continue to walk, its hoof will get very sore. The pocket knife is very useful in cutting off vines or thick brush that can get wrapped around your horses leg or hoof, which usually happens if your horse has shoes on.
3. Horses cannot discern playtime from work time, so do not teach them to become lax. As much as trail riding is relaxing, you do not want your horse to relax as it may do it even during work. This will cause for you to lose control over your horse, which you do not want, especially when trail riding.
If the horse learns how to relax, it might relax even if you do not want it to. For example, whenever you trail ride, your horse grab bites of grass as you walk. It might do this even if you are on your way to a show ring gate.
4. Without creating unnecessary anxiety among the horses, always ride a respectful distance from the other riders. Horses always communicate with each other, which can sometimes lead to violence. This is why you have to keep at least one horse length between you and the next rider in front of you. But, because of their herd instincts, you should not do anything that will cause them to think that the herd is getting split up.
5. Always be careful when trail riding on an unfamiliar terrain. Do not run through an open field where you do not know if there are overgrown ditches or covered up holes. You do not want your horse to get hurt, which can happen if it stumbles on one.
6. Know how to handle your horse in case something scares it. Horses typically get scared of foreign objects. In such situation, the best thing to do is to ignore whatever it is that scares your horse. Your horse will most likely do the same. The smaller the deal you make out of it, the smaller the deal it will be to your horse.
Never go out of your way to show the foreign object to your horse. This might make the situation worse. Instead, calmly encourage your horse forward and talk in a smooth tone of voice. Let it look, walk slowly and sniff the foreign object. This will make your horse think that the thing it is scared about is not scary at all.
7. Walk along your horse comfortably on the trail, especially if you meet other riders. Your horse tends to react the same way you do. If it senses that you are nervous, it will get nervous too and might cause for it to bolt unexpectedly. Therefore, you should always be calm so that your horse will calmly walk with you.
While there are other rules to follow, these are the top 7 rules to keep you safe on the trail. And these are important so that your trail riding experience will be enjoyable. - 16887
About the Author:
About the Author: Pat Brooks is an equestrian, an attorney and Arabian horse training and breeding business owner and operator. She hosts the Horse And Rider Radio Show in Atlanta, Georgia, where she discusses information relevant to the newcomer. For more information on horses go to Equestrian Saddles and Horse Riding Lessons.
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