[RC] Pissed off, PMSing, middle-aged cranky woman's connon-sense rules of group riding - Sullivan
Especially geared for riding in
groups:
1. Your goal is for you and your horse to be
self-reliant so that you do not require the group to babysit
you.
2. You do not get to control what other
people do, or the speed of the ride. So you need to be able to
control
your own horse.
3. The person who gets to go in front is the
person with the fastest horse. Do not get in front and slow down.
It's nice to be able to take turns...but don't
expect to always be the one in front. People get tired of eating
dust.
4. Do not blame other people for you and your
horse's failings.
5. If you have a
green...young....new....insane horse, elect one good friend to stay with you and
babysit and have it
set up in advance. Do not expect the whole
group to cater to you, or have to adjust their ride. You get 6
months
to a year to get your horse adjusted.....you don't
get to have a 18 yr. old green horse you have been riding for 12
years....someone else is going to buy the new horse, and THEY get concessions
made.
6. Do not allow your horse to threaten, or
bite, or kick others. Discipline it firmly.
7. If someone has to make concessions to you,
becuase you have new horse, make darn sure you return the
favor when THEY are on the new horse!
8. Have your act together in terms of tack
and stuff that does not require constant stopping and adjusting. Do not
drop
things and expect the whole group to come to a
screeching halt. Your horse -should- be well behaved enough that
you
can get off to pick up your water bottle, or
pee, or adjust a stirrup and calmly allow you to mount and catch up.
After all, you can canter to catch up and that is fun.
9. If there is a 10:00 time to be ready
to ride-be there on time and saddled. Don't pull in 10 minutes
late and spend 30 minutes grooming your horse and brushing out it's tail
while everyone waits. You only need to scrape off the mud where the
saddle goes.
10. Be able to leave the group and go for
help.
11. Be able to pony a horse out.
12. Being CPR certified or a nurse or doctor
is a bonus.
13. Don';t EVER expect anyone to slow down
their horse's fast walk because YOUR horse is jigging!
14. If you bring an annoying dog along, and
it gets right under a horse's feet, don't get mad when it gets stepped on or
kicked.
If you bring
an annoying dog along constantly, people might not want to ride with you. It's
nice to ask first.
15. If your horse is too nutty or uncontrollable,
don't bring it on the group ride in the first place! Ride with one friend
until you
learn to
control it!
16. It's nice to inform the group before you
take off at a wild gallop....but if someone does this to you, you should be able
to deal with it.
17. If you are my child....learn to bring
your own snacks and water.....you don't get mine after the first time you
forget.
18. Don't use another horse's butt to stop your own
horse. An unexpected vet bill might arise.
19. If you insist on going first on a narrow trail
on a cliff, your horse BETTER not balk or spook.
20. If you are too nervous with the whole
thing, do the group a favor and have a wine cooler or beer BEFOE the
ride!
