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Re: [RC] why I don't love trail riding - Maryanne GabbaniJeez, Gina. You could never get me on a horse as tall as Ash in the
first place and I think that throwing you and your horses over jumps
the way you do is the ultimate in lunatic risk taking. I'm in utter awe of people crazy enough to do that. LOL People get hurt
far worse and far more often jumping than just falling off a horse on a trail...or do they? I don't really know. I DO know that as riders we take a chance every time we get on a horse and that this is the life that we've chosen for ourselves.
Rather than looking at it as a "where" you ride issue, it's more productive to look at it as a "how" you ride issue. As Raven noted, for trail riding a mobile phone is a must and one with a gps in it is wonderful (not that most people even know how to use this feature...but it is really helpful). Knowing your horses and your terrain is also a must. But it sounds like this was just one of those freak things. And even preparation s&*%t happens. Last year I got a call from a neighbour who had been out riding with friends in the desert (think the world's biggest arena...nothing in it but some fairly small rocks and fairly large pyramids) on her horse that she'd raised from birth. While cantering across some sand, the horse stepped onto a fox den that collapsed under him causing him to fall with Janie. He was fine. She broke her collarbone. I came out to them in the jeep (forget emergency services in Egypt) and we took her to the hospital for an xray. She ended up with a nice little plate in her collarbone and still rides in the desert. On the other hand, she is terrified to ride in the countryside and transmits that fear to her horses who then balk at the smallest thing, while I'd rather take people riding there than in the desert...I think that it's safer. Unless Figgy decides to go swimming again. When I was that age I was riding out with friends and wandering around the hills of the Ojai Valley...no cell phones, no 911, no helmets, nothing. One one of those rides I came off a horse hard enough to break the spinal processes of three lumbar vertebrae and hit my head with enough of a whack that I still don't remember how the accident happened. In fact the only reason that I know that it did is because A) I now have the 3 fused vertebrae showing up on xrays without processes, and B) some old friends can remember me being out of school for a couple of weeks while I read all of Kristin Lavransdatter (check it out...a 2 thou page trilogy LOL) and C) I do recall my poor mother and I fighting over whether or not I would wear a back brace...I didn't, took up Greek folkdancing instead. Accidents do happen and people do get hurt. This is how the world works. Looking at something like this as just too dangerous locks away part of the world. But then I guess that I've done that with jumping, haven't I? Maryanne On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 5:23 AM, Gina Kazimir <gkazimir@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: This brief was in The Baltimore Sun. What it doesn't say is the girls -- Maryanne Stroud Gabbani msgabbani@xxxxxxxxx Egypt Face to Face www.alsorat.com Weblogs: Living In Egypt miloflamingo.blogspot.com Cairo/Giza Daily Photo cairogizadailyphoto.blogspot.com Turn Right At The Sarcophagus haramlik.blogspot.com Da Moose Is Loose (a blog for kids) mstroud.blogspot.com Photos of Egypt: http://www.flickr.com/photos/livinginegypt/
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