Trail riding is one of the most popular equestrian activities, and these tips from seasoned trail riders with decades of experience and thousands of miles on the trail can help make your time on the trail safer and more enjoyable.
Before You Go
- Ensure your horse is physically fit, calm, and experienced enough for trail riding.
- Address any training and behavior issues such as bucking, bolting, and kicking before hitting the trail.
- Practice mounting and dismounting from both sides of your horse.
- A horse lightly ridden once a week for thirty minutes may not be fit for a demanding two-hour trail ride.
- Teach your horse to walk up and down hills.
- Practice several walk-halt transitions to ensure you and your horse are in sync.
- Keep your cell phone on you, not on your horse.
- Wear a helmet.
- Your emergency kit should include a hoof pick, first aid supplies, and vet wrap.
- Bring identification and emergency medical information.
- Carry a garbage bag to collect your horse’s manure.
- Attach a small bell to the girth to alert bikers, hikers, and bears of your presence.
- Use a luggage ID tag on the headstall with contact information to help locate the owner of a loose horse.
- Identify key roles and areas beforehand: leader, drag rider, green horses, green riders, grazing spots, rest spots, cantering and trotting areas, and kicking horses.
- Horses that kick should wear a red warning ribbon on their tail.
- In large groups, use walkie-talkies to communicate between the lead and drag riders.
On the Trail
- Avoid riding alone.
- Maintain a distance of one or two horse lengths between horses.
- Actively ride every step with your horse; don’t just be a passenger.
- Dismount and calm an agitated horse from the ground.
- Do not punish a horse for spooking.
- Do not ride or engage in activities beyond the ability of any horse or rider in the group.
- Be friendly and courteous to hikers and bikers.
- If you hear someone approaching, stop and call out to ensure they are aware of your presence.
- Pair young or inexperienced horses and riders with calm, experienced horses and riders.
- Do not separate buddy horses.
- Stay together; do not split into separate groups.
- Avoid trotting, gaiting, cantering, or galloping away from the group.
- Ensure everyone is prepared before transitioning to a faster gait.
- Avoid racing.
- Do not rush up to or speed past the rider in front of you; instead, quietly explain your intentions and pass calmly.
- Stay on the trail and avoid shortcutting switchbacks.
- Do not pass where the trail is narrow, dangerous, or has a blind curve ahead.
- Avoid trotting, gaiting, cantering, or galloping on narrow trails, especially around blind corners.
- The leader should warn those behind about obstacles or hazards ahead. The drag rider should acknowledge the warning.
- When going downhill, slow down and maintain extra distance from the horse in front in case it stumbles or falls.
- Go uphill without stopping to maintain momentum and prevent horses behind from losing theirs.
- Riders going downhill should yield to those traveling uphill.
- Always yield to riders with children.
- Be cautious with brush and limbs that could snap back and hit the person or horse behind you.
- Watch for signs that your horse might lie down in water or sand, and be alert if your horse starts pawing at water.
- When crossing an obstacle that a horse behind you might jump, move clear of the landing area.
- Allow your horse enough rein to balance his head when crossing obstacles.
- If a horse refuses to cross an obstacle, the entire group should stop and wait while the rider dismounts, leads the horse across, and remounts.
- During breaks, do not tie horses by their bits. Use halters and lead ropes for tying and loosen the girth.
- If someone needs to dismount, everyone should stop and wait until the rider has remounted and is ready to ride again.
- Remain near the watering site until all horses have had a chance to drink.
- Ride faster gaits away from the staging area to prevent runaways, but WALK back to the staging area.
Most of all, HAVE FUN!
By Chris Forté
More ideas to keep you safe on the trail: