Re: trail safety

[vwheeler@mail.tds.net]

Terry Woolley Howe wrote: 

>I would appreciate some feedback from the group.
> Do you riders prefer dirt roads to single tract trails that require
> horsemanship?

My trail preference depends on the terrain.  For overall, I prefer single
tract with wide places for passing.  There are still too many "pushy"
riders that will crowd, causing potentially dangerous situations.

> Do you feel uncomfortable on a trail that is 3 feet wide alongside a drop
> off?

YES!  I'm slowing getting acclimated to heights (try to ride Smoky Mts or
Big South Fork every 4-6 weeks).  On one ride in the Smokies, a
single-tract, 2' trail crumbled twice under Felix's hindquarters -- granted
it wasn't a ridge (only a mountain side), but 200' is further than I want
to fall off a horse!

Vicki Wheeler & Felix ("where do we go this weekend?")
Knoxville, TN