Trail riding is a lot more enjoyable if you put safety first. You should always keep in mind the safe practices and always exercise a good common sense. These are important because your instructor will not be by your side to guide and help you all the time. Also, you would want to ride on your own eventually, which is a fulfilling experience.
The following are the top 7 rules to follow when trail riding.
1. If you go trail riding, always inform someone where you plan to go and when you plan to return. On a trail ride, it is not surprising if you or your horse becomes ill, lame, injured, get lost, or get stuck. Anything can happen on a trail ride and when it does, at least, one person will notice that you still have not returned. If something unexpected happens, help will come and you will be found because you have told someone where you planned to go.
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 a hoof pick and a pocket knife. If your horse gets a stone lodged into its frog, you can use the hoof pick to get the stone off its hoof. If you dont get the stone off and let the horse continue to walk, the horses hoof will get very sore. If your horse gets caught in vines or thick brushes, you can use the pocket knife to free your horses feet.
3. Never teach your horse to become lax because they cannot recognize play from work. Trail riding can be very relaxing. But, becoming lax is something you do not want to teach your horse as it will not know when to play and when to work. When this happens, you may not be able to control your horse.
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. Be careful when trail riding on a terrain you are unfamiliar with. Do not run through an open field that is not familiar to you. You never know when you are walking on an overgrown ditch or a covered up hole that your horse could stumble or, worse, get its leg broken.
6. You should know what to do when something scares your horse. What usually scare a horse are unfamiliar objects. When something scares your horse, you must ignore it so your horse doesnt make a big deal out of it. This is because the bigger the deal you make out of it, the bigger the deal it will be to your horse.
In case you are thinking that you will teach your horse to get used to whatever scares it by going back and forth in front of the spooky object, you are mistaken. This can even make the situation worse. Instead, let it look, walk slowly and sniff the spooky object to make it think that the thing 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.
There are several other rules a rider must follow when trail riding. But, these are the top 7 rules to keep you safe so you get the most out of your horseback riding experience.
The following are the top 7 rules to follow when trail riding.
1. If you go trail riding, always inform someone where you plan to go and when you plan to return. On a trail ride, it is not surprising if you or your horse becomes ill, lame, injured, get lost, or get stuck. Anything can happen on a trail ride and when it does, at least, one person will notice that you still have not returned. If something unexpected happens, help will come and you will be found because you have told someone where you planned to go.
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 a hoof pick and a pocket knife. If your horse gets a stone lodged into its frog, you can use the hoof pick to get the stone off its hoof. If you dont get the stone off and let the horse continue to walk, the horses hoof will get very sore. If your horse gets caught in vines or thick brushes, you can use the pocket knife to free your horses feet.
3. Never teach your horse to become lax because they cannot recognize play from work. Trail riding can be very relaxing. But, becoming lax is something you do not want to teach your horse as it will not know when to play and when to work. When this happens, you may not be able to control your horse.
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. Be careful when trail riding on a terrain you are unfamiliar with. Do not run through an open field that is not familiar to you. You never know when you are walking on an overgrown ditch or a covered up hole that your horse could stumble or, worse, get its leg broken.
6. You should know what to do when something scares your horse. What usually scare a horse are unfamiliar objects. When something scares your horse, you must ignore it so your horse doesnt make a big deal out of it. This is because the bigger the deal you make out of it, the bigger the deal it will be to your horse.
In case you are thinking that you will teach your horse to get used to whatever scares it by going back and forth in front of the spooky object, you are mistaken. This can even make the situation worse. Instead, let it look, walk slowly and sniff the spooky object to make it think that the thing 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.
There are several other rules a rider must follow when trail riding. But, these are the top 7 rules to keep you safe so you get the most out of your horseback riding experience.
About the Author:
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 additional information on horses go to Horse Facts and How To Ride A Horse.
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