Going to a clinic tomorrow - "Defensive Riding"

[pj1]

[QUOTE=PeteyPie;6968944]
I think the info was somewhat valuable but I have to agree that being accosted while on a horse is pretty remote. .[/QUOTE]

I agree the situation happening is pretty unlikely BUT it only takes one time and you might wish you knew what to do to save yourself.

Just a few years ago a girl on a trail in Ga. hiking with her dog was kidnaped and murdered by a weirdo walking with his dog. We tend to feel that dog walkers are pretty safe to be around people. Chances are they are but this one time…It only takes once.

[HalfArabian]

I agree with the posters, who say it only has to happen once. While not on my horse, but out walking my dog alone(in TN). A guy just sat in his car and just watched us(intently), I got a weird vibe and got the heck out of Dodge. People may think I was paranoid, but better to think of me as paranoid than dead!:yes:

jmo,

KH

Ps. riding primarily alone and being somewhat timid I am all for having the weird feeling and training to back it up!

[PeteyPie]

[QUOTE=HalfArabian;6969896]
I agree with the posters, who say it only has to happen once. While not on my horse, but out walking my dog alone(in TN). A guy just sat in his car and just watched us(intently), I got a weird vibe and got the heck out of Dodge. People may think I was paranoid, but better to think of me as paranoid than dead!:yes:

jmo,

KH

Ps. riding primarily alone and being somewhat timid I am all for having the weird feeling and training to back it up![/QUOTE]

This brings up another aspect of the defensive training. Although I still think the probabilities of being accosted while you are riding are remote, I agree that there is some value in learning ways to protect yourself. But your example brings up another aspect which brings value to the defensive training: if you feel safer and more comfortable as a result of the training, whether or not you ever need to use it in your lifetime, that feeling of security and confidence will make your outings much more enjoyable.

In addition, the police crowd control stuff is really good because most people are totally intimidated by a horse already, and if you can ride your horse into or over someone if need be, you would certainly have an advantage.

I have also encountered a creepy guy in the woods while walking my dog. Actually, my dog spotted the guy, who was standing about thirty feet off the trail, just standing there and looking. My dog, a medium-sized Aussie mix, went into total defensive behavior, with her hackles up and barking pretty viciously. She was a sweetheart, but since her act had me half convinced she would attack him if he approached us, I’m pretty sure it had him totally convinced. Good dog!

So I’m not saying don’t do the training. I am saying that while many of us have had experiences with creeps while walking alone or walking our dogs, it’s really rare to have a creep approach while you are mounted because horses are very intimidating to most people. So it would be nice if the clinician could include some training that would encompass things you will very likely encounter in addition to the anti-creep training.

By the way, OP, did you hear any stories about why people were taking the class? What problems had they had which prompted them to sign up for this training? Maybe I’m just totally off base and people are being snatched off their horses on a regular basis.

[Emily_amp_Jake]

There was a good sized thread on another horse BB about scary/dangerous encounters while out trail riding. I was amazed at how many people had some crazy scary story to share! Things do and can happen.

I never ride out alone as I’m just too paranoid to (and my horse, while not herd-bound, is just harder to convince to go out alone than with another horse), but I would make sure to have some sort of protection on me/training if I ever chose to hack out alone.

[Jaegermonster]

[QUOTE=wildlifer;6929454]
I confess I’m always a little puzzled when I see articles and stuff about this. I’m riding a 16.2 racehorse – I’m gonna get the f@#$ out of there. I sure as heck am not going to be practicing my leg yielding. You are welcome to try and hold on to my 1500 lbs of muscle that leapt out of a starting gate many times.

I guess I’m not sure why there has to be more to it than, “Run, run away.”[/QUOTE]

I have found that when teaching defensive tactics, especially to women, it is more just teaching them that its ok to be rude sometimes, and it’s ok not to be helpful and not to stay and chat. Dont let them get close to you, and you dont have to be the Trail Ambassador for Horse Relations to everyone you meet on the trail. We all love to show off our pretty horsies, but we also have to realize that there are more people living/hiding in the woods than most people think, and they are there for a reason. Women especially are taught to be helpful, be polite, and dont argue and dont hurt anyone’s feelings, and some women have a harder time overcoming that than others.
So sometimes all it takes is to make people aware, make them think, and make them have a plan.
I was accosted once on a trail years ago, and used many of the techniques mentioned as well as a couple others not mentioned. They worked and we got away and lived to fight another day. I saw the man in the woods, he was working with a logging crew in the area. I’m a police officer, and had just completed a 3 week mounted police school so I was not about to turn around and go the other way yes he was later arrested

[Malda]

[QUOTE=wildlifer;6929454]
I confess I’m always a little puzzled when I see articles and stuff about this. I’m riding a 16.2 racehorse – I’m gonna get the f@#$ out of there. I sure as heck am not going to be practicing my leg yielding. You are welcome to try and hold on to my 1500 lbs of muscle that leapt out of a starting gate many times. I guess I’m not sure why there has to be more to it than, “Run, run away.”[/QUOTE

We only have hills where I ride, there’s no way I’m going to gallop down a steep hill with rocks, etc. I found this quite helpful. Except for the part about the dog. We recently had a pit bull attacking horses, it went straight for the head and bridle, so turning and facing the dog would have been worse. A lot of us now ride with pepper spray.

[Simbalism]

Unfortunately, not everyone has access to miles of pristine, deserted trails. Many people “trail ride” on bridle paths in parks that are easily accessable. One barn I boarded at was only a few miles from a prison. Several times when we went out riding, we encountered guards with rifles because someone had escaped.