I sure understand the desire to take your dog along to
alert bikers ahead and to exercise the dog, however, it is against the
regulations and encourages others to do the same, and their dogs may not be
as well behaved as your is. Many owners are not good judges of their dogs’
behavior. Just last week I had another incident of the dog flying out of the
brushy hillside and it was far ahead of its owners on the cliffy trail. The
other incident was on a sheer cliff above the AmericanRiver and a “nice
dog” was running back and forth from the cliff edge to the group of
riders that it was with. They were stopped, taking up the safe side of the
trail (maybe adjusting equipment) and I was expected to pass them on the
cliff side with maybe a 100-200’ sheer drop off with the dog running
under my horse!! Instead, I stopped and asked them to hold the dog while I
passed and they did, however, I shouldn’t have had to ask that and two
of my riding partners had already passed in the dangerous situation because
they didn’t want to “make an issue” of the loose dog.
I’m old enough to not care what people think of me when I speak up, I do
my best to be very polite and explain the reason for my request, but
many people are “too nice” and think they’ll be harshly
though of if they express their concerns.
Kathy
Kathy: I also do the Drivers Flat
loop quite frequently and have only had one bad incident with
bikers. The fellow was blasting down the hill and saw us at the last
moment. He put his brakes on and ended up skidding toward us.
Then he literally flew over his handlebars landing in the brush. His
bike, however, kept coming at us and ended up sliding to Hermano’s
feet. Hermano went up and I went off. Thankfully, I wear an eventing
vest as well as a water camel and though I came down flat on my back, nothing
was broken. While I may look like the Michilin Tire Man, the vest and
water pack has saved my back a number of times. I must say, I find the bikers
in our area almost universally polite and willing to give us the
right-of-way. About dogs: My dog Rio goes on most of my
rides and paces us – usually out front. He wears a bell which not
only scares wildlife off the trail – no deer spooking my horse –
but warns the bikers that someone is coming. More than one biker has
commented that first the sound of the bell then the dog let them know
someone’s just around the bend. Rio is a very sensible dog
and never rushes unfamiliar horses. He stops and stands off the trail
when we encounter other horses. I know that other dogs can be a problem
when unleashed, but mine is not one of them. Running with us is great
for him and his health and mine too since his presence has helped us avoid
some close encounters of the worst kind. -- Dave
