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[RC] Not in control of horse (was: Fireworks...) - k s swigartD'Arcy said: Most, and usually they are mountain bikers, realize they would or could have put a horse and rider in jeopardy, are polite and apologetic. Especially when I ask them to consider the fact there may be many NEW riders to the industry and as such may not have full control of their horse. Personally, I would be very careful about asking non-horse people to consider that there may be many riders out on the trail that "may not have full control of their horse." As it wouldn't surprise me if these same people started asking themselves (and quite reasonably) what such inexperience people are doing out in a public and shared environment on a thousand pound animal that they cannot properly control (and keep from trampling small children???). We, as equestrians, do NOT want to be emphasizing the fact (and tell all the other users to consider) that we are riding a dangerous animal overwhich we have little or no control, as the response might be that it is not safe to let horses out on public trails. At least, I don't think that this is a productive approach. And, recognizing that I, as an equestrian, am very outnumbered (by pedestrians and mountain bikers), also do not ever go out of my way to point out that I have the right of way (and threaten to sue people if they don't properly yield it to me). In such situations, it is rarely ever productive to antagonize people who outnumber you, especially if you have also armed them with the information that the reason you are given right of way is that you may have no control over your horse. Please do not do this. The argument "Equestrians should be banned from public trails because they do not have reliable control over their mounts" is a perfectly legitimate one. _I_ go out of my way to try to demonstrate to every user I meet that I do have control over my horse, that they CAN share the trail with me without fear of accident, and that they don't have to worry about me or anybody else getting hurt. And if I am on a horse that I don't have sufficient control over to ensure this, I make damned sure that I am doing everything I can to keep said unruly horse from endangering the health and well-being of strangers and chance encounters. While I may have the right of way, I don't assert it. I try to keep my unruly horse out of everybody else's way. kat Orange County, Calif. :) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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