Ridecamp: RE: [RC] riding in traffic

Roy has a good point about off-road vehicles being
another hazard.

I ride the roads in a city zoned entirely for horse
property.  But, the idiots are certainly out there on
those roads.  The ones that like to rev their engines
as they go by, or honk, or speed up, or otherwise
behave like a***oles.  And, of course, the big trucks
(lots of construction here) and other vehicles that
are just loud naturally (Harleys come to mind).  Then
there are the barking dogs (and most seem to have
perfected the
lie-in-wait-until-the-horse-is-least-suspecting
trick).  Or lawn mowers.  Or the horse-eating trash
cans.  Or or or.... What it all comes down to is
teaching your horses to deal with it.  And that just
takes time and miles of road riding.  For me, I am the
nervous part of the equation.  I'm always nervous on
the road, expecting the worst, and my horses are
pretty good about it and try not to live up to my
expectations. :)

We also deal with off-road vehicles.  I've found that
in our local hills where the off-roaders are playing
that the motorcycle riders are the most polite, the
ATV riders are a bit ruder, and the guys in trucks are
oblivious that anyone else is out there.  Luckily
there aren't many of any of them -- and they can't
sneak up on us (although as Roy says, we do sneak up
on them).  My horses actually have been pretty cool
about off-road vehicles, even when green.  Although
the day the truck followed as close to me as he could
for 5 minutes was not fun.  I finally got rid of him
by going up a hill he couldn't climb.

~Nicole

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*      Zephyr Arabians & KattWmn Web Design      *
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* From the "Horse Capital of the USA" Norco, CA  *
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