Re: [RC] Mountain bikes and horse don't mix - Heidi Smith
> If a horse really has a problem with them, I ride the
horse and have someone else ride the bike for me. I usually start the bike at a
distance and slowly have the rider move closer as the horse relaxes and accepts
it, until we are riding side by side.
I like that suggestion, Ken. I've also found that my
horses aren't near as afraid of the bikes once they realize that they are just
people on wheels. At the first sign of a biker, I immediately try to
strike up a conversation, and as soon as the biker answers me so that the horse
can ID them as human, the apprehension just melts away. Some folks try
this but make the mistake of just asking the biker to say something--and since
they don't understand why, they don't always respond. So instead, I just
call out something like, "Hi, nice day, isn't it?" And they will usually
reply, which is all I'm after.
>We need to accept the responsibility to train our horses to
accept bikes and hikers as much as they need to respect our horses.
