I'm with you, Sandy..I have never done it (Ok, once when we decided to unload the horses out of the trailer to be able to 4X4 into camp on a rough road)...but my ex-BF used to do it a lot, and I quit riding with him because of it. He was always losing hold of the ponied horse. There is a local DVM/endurance rider here in Auburn, as well as another endurance rider, both women, who regularly turn their horses loose! It makes me crazy. All it takes is the loose horse to run down a hiker/mom with a stroller, etc..and we are all banned from the Tevis trail portion that runs through the state park.
I think there is a place for it, like Bruce said, in a controlled environment. It is certainly not acceptable on a heavily used public trail.
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne
I think far too many people take ponying far too lightly. It ISN"T easy nor
safe nor does it come "naturally" to a horse. It takes training, time, patience
and frankly, some aged experience on the part of that pony horse. Not just
any horse can be safe doing this. I have seen and unfortunately been in company
with people who thought that they were good enough horse men/women to pony
another hors eon down the trail. After being nearly wrapped up in a few of their
lead ropes ( don't these people KNOW to keep the horse being PONIED up close to
their knee?) I don't ride with people ponying anymore. I feel like the bull's
eye in target practice for a lot of these people. NEver mind when Bint Tagalong
gets away and plows past my horse...sigh
Sandy Adams Deep Sands
Arabians www.deepsands.com
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