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RE: [RC] Riding alone... - Mike SherrellHorses' herd instinct makes them very attentive to other horses, and
humans distract each other too. So riding alone is the best way to teach a
horse, to increase its tendency to pay attention to you, and to learn
yourself. This remains true for many years, until you and the horse
have finally come to the point where there is no more possibility of
improvement. Beyond that, I find riding alone uniquely satisfying because I
never have to compromise my riding style nor my horse's preferred way of going
to accommodate another's, so I feel unrestrained. I enjoy socializing less than
other people, though. As far as getting hurt alone, I deal with that with a
combination of having a cell phone, accepting the risk as a cost of the reward
(after all, every time you drive you accept the risk of a crash for the reward
of the mall at the other end of the drive), and the proposition that being
killed on a horse might be the best way to go. I think maybe men can submerge,
compartimentalize or ignore risk easier than women, though.
Regards, Mike Sherrell Grizzly Analytical (USA)
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