Mountain Bikers

[Deanna German <dgerman@earthlink.net>]

>I appreciate the fact that they use our trails because the pleasure
>riders never make it into the more remote areas that the handful of
>endurance riders around here use, and it's nice to know that if Kaboot
>tries to kill me, one of them just *might* come along and find what's
>left.

>Angie

Over the weekend I hiked into a remote area that pleasure riders rarely
make it to (looking to see if footing that ISN'T the consistency of SNOT
actually exists anywhere near where I board now) and was surprized to
encounter bikers on the horse trails. I struck up a conversation with
them and asked what trails they were using. Probably thinking I was a
kindred spirit, they pointed out the horse trails and I said "oh, you're
using the bridle trails." They got all flustered and comented that they
didn't know. The trails are NOT marked well (if at all! I've seen one
marker and that's near my barn!) so I can see that they truly didn't
know.

I asked them that if they ever saw a brown horse (didn't bother to say
chestnut) wearing lots of purple to please be nice to us and talk to us
because the horse is young and prone to doing silly things. ;-)  I also
asked them to talk to any horse and rider as they come upon them to help
calm the horse.

They were curious and asked why that would calm the horse and I got to
explain about the horse being a prey animal and suspicious of anything
unfamiliar, like a bike in the woods, whereas people ARE familiar. We
had a great conversation and ended it agreeing that we can all share the
trails as long as we make up our minds to get along.

I too was comforted by the fact that at least someone uses those trails
so that if Salina ditches me that someone might find me.

OTOH, I've had the wicked, squeeling brakes, coming up behind me at
speed, angry that the horse was in his way type of biker to deal with
too. Not much conversation to be had with that type. Who's negligent in
that situation if a normally bomb-proof horse suddenly becomes a kicker?
;-)  Fortunately, they seem to be in the vast minority here and at least
they don't alter the trails here.

Deanna (Ohio)


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