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[RC] Stopping at water (was:trail etiquette question) - k s swigart

Maggie said:


I'd like to pose a hypothetical question to you all

regarding trail etiquette...

On trail, when riding in a group, it is polite and correct

etiquette to wait at

water for other horses to drink.  I am talking about

puddles and streams,

etc.  We all do that.  Most of us anyway.  No doubt about

that, is there?

I'm going to answer the first part of the question, the part
that there is "no doubt about."

Because, I'll be honest with you, MY personal attitude about
trail etiquette at water stops is not that we all wait for
the other horses to drink, but exactly the opposite.  If my
horse isn't drinking, I need to get out of the way.  And if
your horse isn't drinking, the polite thing for you to do is
to get your horse out of the way.  So yeah, that means, get
on down the trail.

I figure if my horse wants to go with that horse that is
leaving rather than drinking (because they happen to have
been riding together for a while) if I want those other
riders to wait while my horse drinks, I will ask them to.

...and if people want me to stay while their horse drinks,
then they can ask me to.

It would, then, be rude, to ride off anyway.

However, in my world, proper etiquette about water stops is,
take your horse to the water, let it drink and move on
quietly to leave room for everybody else.  If somebody wants
me to do anything else because their horse has difficulty
with that, they can ask. It is entirely possible that I am
the only person in this world and have been considered rude
for getting out of the way. :)

This is NOT however, what I do, if it is THEIR water that my
horse is drinking.

So, in the hypothetical question about the crew stops.

If their crew is offering my horse water, I will give my
horse the opportunity to drink it (I am NOT going to say to
my horse, "No, no, you can't have this water, you have to
wait 'til we go another few hundred yard."  If my horse
wants to drink the water being offered, I will let it and
thank the crew person kindly.

And yes, I will wait until the other horses are done and the
other people are ready to move on, and then will repeat the
offer when we get to my (hypothetical) crew.

But if my horse is not interested, then no, I am not going
to wait....

....unless they ask me to.

kat
Orange County, Calif.




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