Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

So much depends on who you are riding. I spent years exploring the  
desert near here on my mare Dory. She and I would be out for hours  
alone in the middle of nowhere without cell phone or anything. And  
later on she was my partner in exploring the farm trails that hadn't  
seen an equestrian for about 40 years. People would ask me with  
significantly raised eyebrows "You rode alone?" and I would reply  
"No, I was with Dory."

The one time I actually had a problem, she saved my bacon. We were  
riding at night on a narrow trail along the bank of a canal and the  
trail simply stopped at a point where someone had planted corn right  
to the canal. Smart me thought that since the trail was so narrow  
Dory might  have problems making a 180 degree turn in 10 cm, so maybe  
I should hop off to help her if she slipped a bit into the canal.  
Only problem was that while I was thinking and in the process of  
hopping off on the land side (the left), she was turning already and  
I found myself hopping off right into the canal where I stood neck  
deep in highly organic water. Dory stood and looked at me for a while  
as I shouted ineffectively at some people standing about 50 metres  
away. They couldn't  hear me. So she sighed and walked down and stood  
by their cars.  A fully tacked horse in a Sharon Saare saddle isn't  
an every evening occurence here, so they definitely noticed her and  
she walked them back down the canal to me. I got hauled out and  
fussed over, hopped back on Dory swearing never to get off of her  
again and to trust her more, and I went home to take anti-bug pills  
and throw away the jogging pants I'd been wearing.

Friends here jumped up and down at me and made me swear not to ride  
alone at night any more, but I still love riding Dory without other   
people along. Am I riding alone? No. I ride with Dory.

Maryanne
Cairo

On Apr 27, 2006, at 4:27 AM, Zephyr Arabians wrote:

> --- Mike Sherrell <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > I think maybe men
> > can submerge, compartimentalize or ignore risk
> > easier than women, though.
>
> FWIW, I think you summed up my feelings about riding
> alone quite well in your post.  So, it's not a guy
> thing vs girl thing. :)
>
> I really never give much thought to the dangers of
> riding alone.  Occationally I get into situations
> where after they're over I think "hmmmm... maybe that
> wasn't so safe" but, for the most part I very very
> rarely feel at risk while riding.
>
> ~Nicole
>
> Zephyr Arabians http://www.zephyrarabians.com
> KattWmn Web Design http://www.kattwmn.com

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