Equine Trail Safey & Etiqette
TRAIL SAFETY AND ETIQUETTE
Posse members are expected to know and exercise proper trail safety and etiquette, and to assist in helping and educating others who enjoy utilizing the out-of-doors.
- Realistically know you and your horse’s capabilities and limitations.
- Check your tack and equipment for condition and fit before you head out.
- Anticipate potential inclement weather considerations.
- Be sure you know the area or are with someone who knows the area; and have a map, compass, and/or GPS.
- In a group, maintain good spacing. One horse length between horses is considered safe.
- Don’t run or gallop up to a group of riders.
- Relay information up and down the line so everyone is apprised of a need to stop, or of hazards, etc.
- Understand and respect the limitations of other riders and/or their equines in your group.
- As example:
- Insure that all riders and their equines in the group are comfortable with you leaving and returning to the group before you engage in such activity.
- Don’t charge off in a gallop or gallop up from behind someone.
- Don’t take other riders into varied terrain or water crossings until you’ve verified they can negotiate that level difficulty.
- Anticipate potential problem areas:
- If the trail curves around a hill or trees where you cannot see ahead, anticipate that bikers or hikers may be there and proceed appropriately.
Formal trail etiquette dictates that everyone not on an equine is to yield to equines. That is wonderful, except that 90% of non-equine people don’t know that!
If you see others approaching you yell a, “Hello, How are you?” Or some similar question designed to get a verbal response from them. If your equine is not sure of what is approaching (due to the silhouette created by backpacks or bikes, etc.), hearing a human voice from this potential threat is often enough to calm the animal down and reassure them there is no threat.
Talk with the hiker/biker and discuss/determine the safest way to pass one another.