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This reminds me of an incident on a 5-day ride.  Lud's horse was faster on 
that day and we parted ways at the one mid-way vet check.  When I left, I 
was riding with a rider of long experience.  I felt I was being polite in 
staying behind her and she felt I was drafting off her horse.  She spoke 
brusquely to me saying that if I was going to ride with her, I had to do my 
share of leading.  I was dumbfounded, as my only reason for staying behind 
her was courtesy.  When I realized the other side to the picture, I said, 
"Sure , I'll lead for awhile."  And off we went.  I was grateful for that 
lesson.  Should I become involved in a situation again, I will ask the other 
rider where he/she prefers to be in riding order.

Barbara

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Weary DC" <bweary@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 12:36 PM
Subject: [RC] Riding Alone


>  Regarding riding alone, I do a lot of it, especially in conditioning 
> rides. My wife and I ride together a lot as well, both in conditioning and 
> at endurance rides. At the risk of sounding anti-social, one of my pet 
> peeves is being followed at an endurance ride by an unknown rider who 
> apparently needs a guide to follow trail, or his horse needs a leader to 
> follow. This happens quite frequently, and I am often forced to pull over, 
> dismount and pretend to fuss with my tack, and offer the trail to the 
> offending rider. Some get the hint, but the more persistent ones will 
> simply wait for us to continue, and say something like "That's okay, I'm 
> in no hurry." I am often given the impression that the rider hasn't done 
> their homework either in learning to follow trail or in teaching their 
> horse to move forward on his own. They almost never ask permission to 
> follow, maybe because they think if they don't ask, they won't be told 
> "No." I understand the "pulling" effect that a lead horse can have on a 
> following horse. I think the opposite is also true, in that the lead horse 
> can feel "pulled upon" by a strange horse that is constantly following.  I 
> have heard others discuss the effects of "drafting." In addition, my mare 
> loses focus and some horses make her nervous when they follow immediately 
> behind. This is the time when my wife and I do a lot of bonding and look 
> forward to lengthy personal conversation. I am uncomfortable having that 
> conversation within the earshot of a another rider. Now, if someone is in 
> trouble or genuinely fearful, my wife and I are the first to help advise 
> and guide them until they are comfortable and feel safe. I'm sure many of 
> you out there have experienced this kind of thing, and I was wondering 
> what suggestions you have for tactfully, but clearly, communicating that I 
> prefer to ride independently.  I'm all ears.  Dr Q
>
>
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

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