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[RC] mountain bikes - LRN8554

My non-horsey husband rides his mountain bike with me on weekends and he really sets a good pace.  My mare trots with her head right on his shoulder.  He has fallen a time or two and she has always managed to jump clear but it sure seems to surprise her when the rider and bike separate.  I've found with other horses that ride with us that the horses are much more comfortable with the bike out front.  They can really freak when he comes up on them from behind.  With my last young horse, who was terrified of bikes, we used two bikers and three horses on an open gravel road.  We started as a group with both bikes behind us.  Then we let the bikes pass and followed them for about a mile.  Then, and this was the fun part, I had the other two horses pass the bikes and had the bikes spread apart about 100 yards, she was torn between following the other horses and passing a bike.  Finally, she passed one bike but because the other one was still up ahead she didn't bolt forward, I kept her there for about a half mile and then she went around the front bike without spooking and then was back with her buddies.  Linda