In a message dated 4/29/2006 11:55:06 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
guest-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
For
those of you posting cute, clever ways to avoid fellow riders on the trail,
they are neither; you have only invented excuses for your bad behavior. The
next time you are loading up your horse to go to a ride, remember to leave
your egos and your testosterone at home where it belongs (women included).
What goes around, comes aroud. Someday, it will be you on a new, green, or
behaving badly horse, or worse yet, you or your horse with an injury; then
you'll be singing a different tune.
I don't think ego has anything to do with whether or not one rider should
have to hold a gate open or wait at a watering hole for whoever comes along. If
a rider is on a skittish horse and needs a moment or two, I have NO problem
hanging back for them, or quietly walking off if their horse is okay with that.
But...BUT - no one should be expected to babysit other horses and riders at
gates, water stops, vet checks, wherever someone has a green or flighty horse.
Frankly, there are a lot of riders on horses who really needed considerable work
on horsemastership before GOING to a public venue. Even these I wouldn't mind
being thoughtful of - but that is a while different idea that, what, waiting at
every gate, every water trough, every water crossing for someone who decides to
draft off of you or who has a horse who probably should either not have come yet
or should have arrived with a pal of his or her own to go with. That is what we
do with our new competitors, even if we are going to a show. Good manners and
ego-maintenance works both ways. Much like riding a good hunter or jumper,
endurance and its close cousins requires more of a horse and rider than a little
trail ride.
