While riding a week ago I encountered logging operations in three different places. The first two operators were very considerate and idled down when they saw me, but the third guy - who was operating the machine that cut off the trees at ground level and let them fall - just kept working. It got exciting to say the least. It turned out OK, but I think it might have been less stressful for my horse had I hand walked him past. Opinions??
You know your horse best. If you rode through the spook safely and you are satisfied that you can ride it again that that’s probably the better practice. The world is full of spooky stuff; teaching the horse to follow your lead and ride it out helps both horse and rider.
G.
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Are you sure you were supposed to be riding in that area? I’m not aware of logging activity that is allowed near public trails, and no way would I ride or hike or bike near an active logging site. It’s a dangerous activity.
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I’ve run in to loggers before (and @Palm Beach public property, no notice of logging and we were sort of “stuck” in the middle of it). For me, I’m a stay on person- my horses tend to be pretty bombproof but in general I am far more coordinated on horseback than I am on the ground lol.
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I run into loggers quite a bit in the Allegheny National forest. Most of the time I stay on and ride through, but if the horse is really having a meltdown, I get off. Not worth getting tossed and having a loose horse in the wilderness.
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I’d guess it depends on the relationship with you and your horse…when I’m on board, my two stallions are super well behaved and definitely look to me to lead them, but when I’m on the ground with those two, they find the scary stuff a LOT more scary, and while they are respectful to me, they’d find it far more terrifying with me on the ground. If I had to guess and anthropomorphise, I’d say that on the ground they see themselves as looking after me, and on board it’s the other way around? My mares and gelding are the other way around - if something is a seriously scary situation (rather than just the run of the mill dangerous leaf scenario) then they relax and trust me to lead them from the ground better than on board…horses for courses…
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I find it safer to stay on if at all possible.
Spooked horse can pull back from you & no way on Earth can you hold on to one determined to leave the premises!
I am not afraid of asking noisemakers to turn it down - always adding Please - until I ride past, but if they don’t, just have to deal.
I generally prefer to stay on.
I have had two times where I have bailed. First time Finnegan was having a meltdown about walking past the pigs and then the geldings in the field next to the pigs decided to run/buck/fart. It was too much for his little brain and he started to rear, touchdown, rear higher. I bailed when his feet were higher than the 5 foot fence. I was concerned in his panic he would go over. The moment I came off he stopped panicing- looked down at me with an expression of “What are you doing down there?”
More recently I was on my OTTB that was fairly recently in re-training. I had hacked him out around the fields and was between a run-in shed and a fenceline in a 12 foot wide alley. Bolting directly towards me in a full blown panic was a deer. I had time to get off. The deer veered at the last moment, jumped in the paddock next to us, slammed into the second fence of the paddock twice before going between the rails. I just kept turning Carson to face the deer. He was all chill and like “What’s the big deal? The deer graze in my field with me all the time. That’s Mandy. Hey, Mandy where you going so fast?”
I would have been fine staying on but I was actually afraid this deer would run into us and we really had nowhere to go other than do a quick 180 and head for the wood to get out of the alley.
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I think you did right, but in the next situation, you can always reevaluate! I usually stay on. But I recently came across tree clearing too. I just stayed on, as he is a brave beast, and, BOOM, one giant tree down. Then CRASH, another ell, even closer. My horse was wondering if the world was falling down around him! Just in case they were going to fell another, I got off. He is respectful on the ground, the trail was technical, I decided to just walk a bit. And I probably could have stayed on, but as the situation seemed to be escalating, I was just making the best guess I could at the time!
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I think it depends on what your horse does when he is afraid. If he is a bucking bolting beast, get off. If he is a a spook in place kind of horse, I stay on. I no longer ride the bucker/bolting beasts, so most of my horses are solid citizens. The worst they do is the high snort, and a rapid backup. I can sit those things. I worry more about being hurt by OPH.
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There is frequent logging on many of the county forest trails I ride in. It’s absolutely allowed near the trails, as that’s their way into the woods. Whether I ride or lead my horse all depends on the situation and how my horse is reacting. I’ve been with other riders whose horses were fine, so my mare just kept an eye on the scary horse-eating machine. Recently a friend and I dismounted and led the horses by. They had shut down the machinery but the horses were going to be balky about walking past it. It was easier to hop off and lead them. Later that ride we ended up staying on and riding off the trail and around, as they were right on the trail and still operating.
If I’m alone I’m probably getting off, because my horse is braver when I’m leading than he is when I’m riding if it’s just the two of us. (I’m pretty sure this is because he figures if he has to, he can outrun me, thus leaving me as a sacrifice to the Scary Monster of the Moment and facilitating his escape. But so far it hasn’t come to that so I can’t say for sure).
If we’re with another horse and rider, I’m staying on.
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It depends on your horse and confidence. However, I will say my sister broke her wrist from leading a horse. She was walking her horse by an arena where some workers were dumping rocks into a wheelbarrow. Her horse spooked, turned, and kicked out at her. Getting off doesn’t always mean it’s safer either.
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Always a very individual choice! Depends on the situation, the temperament of the horse, and the temperament of the rider. I’m not a fan of making a frightened horse tough it out and perhaps hurting us both if I fall off a gyrating fear spin/spook. My mare is calmer if I lead her past something REALLY scary and unusual, and fine if I nudge her past ordinary scary stuff while aboard. I know the difference and respect her limits and my limits.
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Well said.
G.
As others have said, a lot depends on the situation and the horse. However, I can say I find myself getting down more as I age… partly because I do a lot of my riding alone now and partly because I don’t bounce like I used to…
I generally try to stay on; I’ve only gotten off one time in the eight years I’ve been endurance riding. Here’s my experience with getting off versus staying on. We had to go under a bridge on a highway and these were repeating loops so we had to do this a total of four times. First time was okay, Teddy was nervous but we ,ace it without incident. Second time we crossed under, a car went over the bridge and Teddy scooted with me and was uptight but we made it. Third time going under the bridge I came off about a mile prior to going underneath the bridge. He was a bundle of nerves when we got to the bridge, and I was sore from being dumped, I decided this time to just get off and walk him. I took the opportunity to electrolyte him and let him graze before getting back on so he wouldn’t associate me getting off with the scary bridge. Last loop going under the bridge I stayed on and rode him through it. He was rushy and nervous but he behaved the same way on the ground. As hard as it is to stay on (Teddy is 16.2 HH so the ground is wayyyy down there) I feel this is the best option for MY horse. That being said I don’t think there is a wrong answer here, go with your gut!
Welcome. Do you have anything to say about horses?
that would be a bit of a stretch for a bot, I think
