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Re: [RC] safety and riding alone. - heidi

How do you all condition alone?  What do you do to make it safer?

First off, many of us from rural environments simply accept the fact that
we cannot expect 911 to come to our rescue.  A lot of this is a mindset,
and a mental preparation for the idea that if we are hurt, we may have to
grit our teeth, and wait, and survive.  Having done a great deal of riding
in years before there were such things as cell phones, and continuing to
live in an area where cell phone access is still pretty much restricted to
areas of major roadways, I don't even consider carrying a cell phone with
me when I ride.  (In fact, I just got one for the first time a few months
ago, and most times it does not work in my house.  I do have marginal
coverage in my barnyard.  It gets somewhat better as I go up the hill
behind my house, and goes away completely the minute I go over the first
ridge.)

Second, smart riding.  Neither of us take green horses out alone--or at
least not when the other of us isn't right here in the barnyard. 
Accidents can still happen with well-broke seasoned horses, but they are
far less frequent.  I also don't try a lot of new things, or go in strange
places, or go at extreme speeds when alone.  Doesn't guarantee safety, but
does help with risk reduction.

Third, always let someone know where you are going and how long you
anticipate being gone.  That way, someone will miss you by 4 pm when you
said you'd be back, instead of by Monday morning, when you don't show up
for work.  Much less time to grit your teeth and wait.

Fourth, carry any needed survival gear (may be minimal in summer, may be
maximal in winter) on YOU, not on your saddle.  If you are badly hurt,
odds are you will have parted company with your horse--or even if he is
with you, odds are you won't be able to get up to the saddle to get stuff
off of it.  This was pounded into me as a kid on hunting trips in
winter--we always had something to eat, some way to start a fire, etc.,
etc. in a small pack on ourselves.  Summertime I'd worry more about a
water bottle.

I think going alone is an important part of a horse's education as well,
so definitely worth getting past one's fear of it.

Heidi



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Replies
[RC] safety and riding alone., Nina Vasiliev