You wrote:
> Could somebody explain what tailing is please?
Tailing is getting off of the horse to rest him while still making
forward progress. You hold a rope/rein and go to the rear where you hold
onto the tail. Then the horse may pull you (helps you & is less tiring
for the horse than carrying you). This can be especially beneficial
to the horse & rider up steep mountainsides. Even on the flat, it
gives you a chance to stretch your legs after many hours in the
saddle.
Many of our trails are narrow & don't allow you to walk along side
of the horse. In other areas, they are steep, so it is not safe to be in front
of the horse (especially coming downhill). Tailing in the rear is a
good option as long as you can control the horse with your voice &
with the lead or rein that you are holding. You DO have to train the
horse to tail (as in most other things), & I may have second thoughts about
trying it with a confirmed kicker.
Tailing is allowed in endurance riding, but not in competitive trail
where all forward progress must be made while mounted unless the
conditions are deemed unsafe by ride management. I hope that this
answers your question. I am sure that you will get a lot of
responses!
Linda Flemmer
ABF Challenger ("Rocket") & Eternal Point ("Major")
Blue Wolf Ranch
Chesapeake, VA
"In case of emergency - Fur side up, steel side down!"