Pamela--Nice to see you were doing this on your lunch hour. Unfortunately I
have to do this at home and my husband makes me ride my stationery (or is it
"ary") bicyle at the same time. I've logged many miles answering mail on
this page :-))
Would I worry about my raingear bothering another horse/rider combo? An
interesting question--I would use common sense and be courteous. However,
if my rainwear was reasonable,I wouldn't expect someone else's horse to get
upset, and if that horse did, I'd say it was a training problem for the
horse that got upset. All of my horses accept a slicker, poncho, or my
Goretex parka and pants. Raingear is a fact of life in this sport, so
they'd better get used to it!
Sue
p.s. there was an article on Etiquette for "Open" Riders I found rather
interesting in the last NATRC Region 2 newsletter. Although some of it was
common sense, I can understand why some endurance and/or Novice NATRC riders
find the Open NATRC riders (I'm one...) to be "snobs."
If you're interested in the article I'll scan it in or snail mail you a copy.
>On a trail ride I wore a yellow rain suit. My horse was OK, but
>another nearby horse was upset by my rain gear. It was not clear to me
>whether the color, noise, movement, or all of these caused the reaction by
>the other horse.
>
>As a consideration to other riders, do any of you avoid using rain gear or
>avoid using certain types of rain gear?
>
>My question could even be broadened to create a list of "endurance riding
>etiquette". Are there certain "rules" that most riders abide by, that
>novices might be unaware of?
>
>The advice I have read on endurance riding seem to only address the most
>obvious, such as:
> - passing other horses and allowing horses to pass you
> - waiting while another horse drinks before proceeding
> - not cooling your horse down over the drinking water trough
>
>Pamela Corley
>pcorley@hsc.usc.edu
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