Unless I have missed some post, I did not get the impression that
wanting to ride alone was about egos. I actually have that new, still endurance
ride green, at times very badly behaving horse, and I ride alone. I start at the
back of the pack to ride alone. My horse behaves much better.... ALONE. If
another horse comes up, she wants to race, I want to teach her about pacing. I
don't mind riding with some one with a horse that is calm, that rubs off on my
girl, and she relaxes. I rode the last loop of my first 50 last year with some
one that I met up with on the trail, she was very nice, and my mare relaxed so
we stayed together. Also, since I rode my first LD almost 8 years ago, I have
learned that when I ride by myself, I can pace myself better, I can keep my
horse at the speed I want, walk when I want without asking some one else if they
want to take a short break. Towards the end of a ride my knees are usually in
agony, so I usually spend more time slowing down.
I have met up with some really nice riders during a ride. I
have also met some that needed a lesson in courtesy. For example, a friend and I
overtook another rider who then stayed behind a while, and rode along with us.
No problem, all are welcome. This other person then asked if we could stop for a
minute so she could tighten her girth, also no problem, we were just out for
completion. She then unsaddled her horse, adjusted the pad and stirrups, we
stood there waiting for what seemed like 10 minutes, not wanting to be rude and
take off and leave a rider on the ground. When we were on our way again, I
told her that she was welcome to ride with us, but to stay behind me, or if she
wanted to go on, we would slow down and let her go on ahead. Again, I was trying
to teach this mare to relax, she was OK with my friends mare being ahead of her,
but this other gelding would come up beside us and then slow down. This
was not making my mare happy at all, so I asked her several times to drop back
or go on and we would slow down and let her get out of sight. After 5 miles of
this, I finally just put my mare in a dead gallop, knowing her horse was too
tired to take off with us. This may seem rude, but I repeatedly asked this
person to not let her horse come up beside me on narrow trails. I didn't want to
find myself on the side of the trail watching my horse go on without me.
For
those of you posting cute, clever ways to avoid fellow riders on the trail,
they are neither; you have only invented excuses for your bad behavior. The
next time you are loading up your horse to go to a ride, remember to leave
your egos and your testosterone at home where it belongs (women included).
What goes around, comes aroud. Someday, it will be you on a new, green, or
behaving badly horse, or worse yet, you or your horse with an injury; then
you'll be singing a different
tune.
