I have had great fun riding my two geldings that are attached at the hip with one being ridden and the other loose in the 200+ acre pasture. They are both usually fairly level headed and respect my space, which includes what ever horse I am riding. I would ride in the pasture that they lived in with ~50 other geldings. Which ever one wasn’t being ridden had lots of fun tagging along and not ponying meant I could work on gallop sets a little bit. Though when the loose one would forget how to cross the creek by himself I would also get to test how good my seat was if the one being ridden had a fit. All in all it was great fun and usually worked well, though I would not do it anywhere that wasn’t fenced in. I also have no problem working in an arena with a loose horse or two, as long as they aren’t being a huge pest. I figure dodging loose horses is good practice for dodging kids on ponies in a show warm-up, besides if the loose horses are too big of a pain they get put back in their stalls which is the same as timeout to them.
[QUOTE=Chall;5544682]
PaintedHorse, we are on the east coast in the suburbs, riding in nature preserves. I whole-heartedly agree with a loose horse on the open plains (where you see the horizon and nothing else), that is not our terrain.
P.S. That’s gorgeous territory and looks like such fun![/QUOTE]
Your quote says it all. You are not in a place that is safe to let a horse loose while you ride. I did it years ago. I was on PRIVATE land that had water on all sides and no access except the road we came in on. I let the horse loose only when I knew there were no other riders there to meet me.
many years ago
We used to pack salt up to the high mountains in Colorado on pack horses and did not hold onto them. It was usually the young horses who would carry 5 blocks of salt. two would be in gunny sacks hanging on the sides. Thoses horses learned not to walk to close to tree trunks or their sides would get poked with the corner of the salt block.
Later, when they became cow horses you could gallop through a stand of aspen trees and never worry about banging your knees.
As a young girl on the farm we would let the baby horses follow along when we rode their mom. However all private property and a totally different time.
Not cool on public property.
You want to do it on your own private property, feel free. But if you run into me on public land I’m bound to be the Beeotch and chew you out.
A loose foal on a group ride tried to nurse off my gelding and was lucky he just got a bump and squeal. Another loose horse (different ride and place) got hung up in a roll of barb wire that was hidden in the grass right off the trail. It flipped out and tore itself up something bad. No way I’d risk my horse or other riders, there are dozens of potential wrecks just waiting to happen.
Limited risk but if you cross another property or another horse, then you share annoyance/risk with another person. Maybe the other horse is in training; how would you know…or a stallion…or a child/beginner/elderly rider?
On you on property, sounds like fun though. Keep him free on you dime, don’t include the rest of us in your training/conditioning routine.
Not fair to others I say.
I’d argue that horse #2 should be ponied, not loose. If he’s that glued to horse #1, it would not be a big deal at all to do.
It’s a liability issue if you don’t have control of him (at least in my state). A loose horse out on the trail would equate to “not in control” by most peoples’ definition. Let’s say you’re riding along with #2 following just feet away. Suddenly something big and scary happens, let’s say a low-flying helicopter. You can control and settle your horse, but #2 always has that potential to bolt. If he gets away from you and gets into trouble, what will you say to the police or to the guy suing you – that you had a chance to control him with a leadrope but just chose not to bother. Not that a ponied horse can’t get away – but at least you’d be acting responsibly by having some way to control him. If the loose horse bolts into a road and gets hit by a car, in my state it’s the horse owner’s fault. If he gets into a neighbor’s farm and does property damage, it’s the horse owner’s fault.
In theory he’ll never leave his buddy’s side. But out on the trail who knows. What if you bump into a pack of agitated dogs who are trying to get a horse to run? What if you accidentally ride over a ground bee’s nest, the bees are stinging horses, and there is panic? What if you run into a drunk hee-haw on a 4-wheeler who is enjoying trying to upset your horses for fun?
On your own property you can do whatever you wish. I am just always thinking about the what-ifs. Better safe than sorry.
I’m surprised to still see this thread getting bumped to the top. Not a lot of other discussion to read. So I’ll stir the pot on it a bit. The disclaimer first. I never have a loose horse when I’m around strangers, whether that be other riders, hikers, mountain bikers etc. If my horses are loose in a group, It’s because the others in my group fully accept that practice.
I guess my turning horses loose goes back to a very early colt starting clinic I attended with Ray Hunt, way back when. He had 7-8 young colts in an arena and he was on his saddle horse working the herd. He had a flag on stick and had those young horses moving away from his flag. He moved them around the arena several times, changing their direction by cutting them off and waving his flag. After a bit he had the owners jump on them. He then moved those same colts around with their riders, ( no reins). It was quite a free for all, a bunch of young horses bunched in with other strange horses and then herded, Somehow the loose horses didn’t hurt themselves or the fellow riders in the arena. For those of you that watch RFDTV and see Ken McNabb push his herd of horses at the beginning and end of his show. There again a mounted rider with a LOT of loose horses under his control.
Not only do I allow the occassional loose horse to follow along on the trail. But I frequently turn my horses loose while I set up camp. After getting all sweaty on the trail ride into the wilderness, My horses enjoy a good roll, free grazing the meadows and wandering down to the local water for a drink. I know with a whistle they will come running. I’ve never had to follow one back to trailer because they left me.
Understand, I am not back east in highly populated area. I’m turning my horses loose in areas where I probably won’t see another human all day, and probably not all weekend. But it is public land.
My buckskin mare enjoying a roll
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p259/Painted-Horse/2009/Uintas/Maya2.jpg
Our horses free grazing in a meadow at 10,000
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p259/Painted-Horse/2009/Uintas/Horses3.jpg
The OP should not allow loose horses where she rides. But there are lots of places where there is no problem with the practice. It’s not a black and white answer.
I can see where it would be fun in certain parts of the country with enough open land, to ride with quiet, loose horse.
But yesterday I was riding with a friend and we came upon a turkey. Her horse was no way walking anywhere near that bird, even though I had convinced my reluctant mare to go ahead. The gelding was convinced it was a horse eating turkey.
I can imagine if he had been following me loose, he would have been headed off in the opposite direction with a flair, regardless of the fact he was out on trail with his only herd mate to whom he is pretty strongly attached.
And I can only wonder how my mare would have reacted had her buddy gone bolting off. As it was, the darn bird caused a bit of a headache for both horses.
I do it in my own pasture, with my riding horse being ridden while my mini just grazes. In the 3 years I’ve owned the mini I’ve probably only seen him canter or gallop a handful of times. He’s elderly, he doesn’t really care about much and he basically just stands there. He’s one that I can turn loose on the yard and he doesn’t go anywhere.
But I have never even heard of letting a horse loose on the trail intentionally. I guess becuase we have really no open land that’s secluded - it just would never happen.
