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Trail Safety - Finding Your Voice

5/27/2020

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Has this ever happened to you? You're out riding with friends, it's a beautiful sunny day. You're on a horse that maybe you don't know so well, or a youngster that maybe hasn't got that many miles on.... At some point, a few of the folks in your group are itching to pick up the pace, or head down a trail that look a little sketchy. You're hesitant, but maybe your group isn't paying attention to your protest, or you don't speak up because you don't want to bring the group down. No one wants to be the party pooper, right? 
Unfortunately, these scenarios and unspoken conversations can - and often do - lead to disastrous outcomes. 
A while back, I signed up for a series of talks on the subject of hiking and mountaineering in the backcountry, specifically related to safety in avalanche terrain. I love to hike and I'm always interested in learning something new. Plus the class was free and they served snacks and beer.
One of the talks was titled "A Voice and a Veto," and took a deep dive into how the right communication within a group can mean the difference between life or death in mountaineering situations. I was surprised that it also gave me a deeper feeling of what we are lacking in our human partners when we ride (trail buddies, trainers, etc), and that this missing link can really mean a better, safer ride for everyone.
In mountaineering, the risks are so extremely high, that communication is usually at the forefront -  climbers are constantly making requests, observations, and asking questions of each other, because one assumption or misstep can have catastrophic consequences in the blink of an eye; horseback riding definitely has a more dialed-down risk, but as horse people, we all know that navigating a prey animal pretty much anywhere still carries a level of unpredictability and danger; because of that, we're used to staying fairly observant of our horse and our surroundings, and how to manage our own horse safely. But add into that a few chatty friends - and maybe a different vision of how we see the ride going - and not only does the excitement level rise, but also our inattention - to our mount, and our friends who are along with us. This is where we need to communicate more and clearly, but all too often we don't. 

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So how do we make the trail safer for us and those we're riding with? Here's some ideas for better communication in your group:
  1. Get clear ahead of time.  What 'type' of rider are you? Do you like to go fast, slow, or maybe something in between? Long rides or short? What is your horse physically fit for, or what type of exposure does he need? What kind of terrain or trail obstacles can he handle? You can't always control the latter, but it is possible to stack the deck in your favor.  Knowing what you're up for - mentally, physically, experientially - allows you to better articulate your boundaries with your riding buddies. 
  2. Choose wisely.  When I'm clear on what I'm looking for in a ride, I'm going to go with friends who match my intentions -- I'm not going to ride with my friends who love to go fast and furious if I'm just down for a leisure ride; and if I'm working with a youngster, my priority is to help him get confident, so I'll ride with folks who have Steady Eddies and are willing to take a little time. 
  3. Dial the Ride.  This is most important when it comes to safety: first, we should tailor the ride (sometimes in spite of early intentions) to the lowest common denominator. In other words - the greenest horse or rider - or the least brave - should be the one to dictate the ride. Everyone wants to lope except for one rider who's horse is acting squirrelly? Sorry y'all, we're walking. Sounds really lame and unfair, but if it was a sudden lameness or thrown shoe, I bet you'd happily accommodate. But if you're really that upset about it, go back and read #2. 
  4. Observe AND Communicate.  Our horses are always changing - I've been on rides where the horse that goes through anything suddenly doesn't want to step on *that* bridge first. Or maybe Mr. Speedy at the front of the group is moving out, creating some distance and your horse is getting upset about it. Maybe someone's horse had to make a pit stop or keeps stopping to eat and their newbie rider is having trouble getting him to keep up -- whatever the reason - and especially with green riders - we need to be aware of everyone in our group, AND we need to speak up early and clearly when we need something from the group. sounds really elementary, but you'd be surprised how often it doesn't happen. 

These guidelines should be used for every ride we head out on, to better ensure we (and our buddies) come back to the barn safe and sound. Use this as permission to speak up and speak clearly, and if needed, to speak up for those on your ride who are more timid. 
Is there anything you'd add to this list? Let  me know!

Cheers to long trails and good horses,
Erin

1 Comment

Rise and Fall

5/17/2020

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​Often, I find myself working alone, and I'll tell you - you get to thinking when you're all by your lonesome. I had an epiphany many years ago: here I am, putting some conditioning time on a horse I've been working with for a few years, and I'm in a state of mind that - to be frank - is just present enough to keep my horse honest and using his body well. So my thoughts wander to all kinds of things, such as, "why do hot dogs come in packages of 8, and hot dog buns come in packages of 10?"
But I digress.
This particular day, my thoughts drifted to the lovely posting trot my horse and I were doing - at times on the correct diagonal; at times, not. Cue all the hushed chatter about being on the wrong diagonal on purpose... "why in the world would I want to ride on the wrong diagonal??" And maybe, just maybe a small few of you might follow with, "why do I need to be on a diagonal to begin with? Why does that matter?" 
Many of you - if you've ever ridden english or learned how to post the trot - learned the following (or similar) rhyme: "rise and fall with the leg on the wall." For those unfamiliar, there are two phases to posting the trot - the rise phase, where we use the moment of suspension, or bounce in the trot, to propel our bodies upward; and the sit phase, when we return to the saddle, only to rise again immediately. All this is done in rhythm with the horses' movement, so that we're in sync, and always - we're taught - with the diagonal pair of the inside hind and outside front legs. But WHY?? 
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While the exact origin is foggy, posting the trot was developed to make riding the trot (especially over long distances) more comfortable (here's an interesting article on some origin theories: https://www.elkrivergr.com/blog/the-history-of-posting-the-trot-myths-debunked). But it also allows our horses to move in a more balanced way at the trot - particularly riding in any kind of arc. If we bring our focus to the horses' hind end, the rise phase of the posting trot creates momentum that can encourage the inside hind to swing forward with a little more oomph, allowing the horse to step deeper under himself than he might in a sitting trot, therefore making him more stable and move more efficiently. If his inside hind leg is able to take a larger step, then he can push a little better on the next half of the stride, increasing swing, and covering more ground. 
Don't know which leg you're moving with? Try this:
Notice in the following series of photos - when learning to see which diagonal you're posting with, establish a good posting trot, then go ahead and look down at your horses' shoulders. You want to eventually get proficient with feeling which diagonal you're on, but for now you will benefit from seeing what you're doing. Disclaimer: this will take you a while to pick this up; having someone on the ground who can confirm whether you're on the right or left diagonal will be extremely helpful; even better if you can do this on a lunge line, where your attention can be zeroed-in on just this observation. 

In this first photo, see the blue line just in front of my horses' withers? If you direct your vision generally there, you should be able to watch both shoulders move forward and back (marked by the black circles)

Notice the next picture, the right shoulder/leg is moving forward, while the left shoulder/leg is moving back; and we have the opposite in the second photo. 
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Try to feel when you are rising and sitting, that you are rising and sitting with one shoulder or the other. As you are able to see your correct diagonal consistently, the next step is to notice what you FEEL about riding each diagonal. Start maybe with little things you notice in your upper body - maybe there's a shift in your hip or your shoulders; then observe what you feel in your seat and your legs -- I find I can tell my diagonal by feeling the horses front legs moving toward or away from my legs. It's a subtle feeling, but I know it well enough now, having practiced over the years, that I can feel my diagonal accurately every time. 
Give it a try! I hope this was helpful, and if so, please let me know in the comments below!
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