Horse breeding from planning through foal care

Prevention and treatment for problems of the equine foot

Proper feeding practices for foals, adult horses, and older horses

Discussions about the welfare of our equine friends

Horse-heath-problem risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment

How to care for the basic health needs of horses

All aspects of caring for performance horses

Design and maintain a healthy horse operation

Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of leg lameness

News and issues for equine health professionals

Cover Story

The Many Faces of Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Unveiling what EMD and ID really look like.

Also in this Issue

Post-Foaling Red Flags
HERDA 20 Years Later
Strangles: An Old Disease in a Modern World
Before She Foals: Managing Broodmares
Beneath the Hoof Wall: Soft Tissues Injuries of the Equine Foot

Latest Q&A

4 Ways to Boost Soil Health on Horse Farms

April 22, 2024

Q&As

Equine Behavior

Our animal behavior experts field your questions about why your horse does XYZ.

Horse Nutrition

Equine nutritionists respond to queries about forage, grain, supplements, and other related topics.

Performance Horse Health

Veterinarians and researchers tackle questions about equine athletes.

Featured Podcasts

Navigating Skin Problems in Horses

Can PPID or EMS Affect My Horse’s Joints?

Podcasts

Ask 'TheHorse' Live

The Horse’s experts answer your questions during a monthly live audio event.

Equine Innovators

Join us as we interview leading equine researchers from the University of Kentucky.

Fact Sheet: Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID)

Fact Sheet: Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) in Horses

Free Reports:

View All Free Reports

Quick referenced of horse conditions, diseases and health topics

Forms

Checklists and identification forms for horse owners

8 Ways to Be a Good Trail-Riding Buddy

November 29, 2018
Posted by Kim McCarrel

We all want to be the kind of person other trail riders enjoy being around. Use these eight simple techniques to be a fun and safe riding buddy on the trail.

Topics: Behavior, Behavior & Handling, Blogs, Recreational Trail Riding and Hacking, Trail Riding with The Horse, Welfare and Industry

Favorite

No account yet? Register

Everybody in the group should get a chance to be in the front, middle, and back of the group if they so desire. Not only is it good manners, but it’s also a great way to ensure your horse learns to be comfortable in any pack position. | Photo: Kim McCarrel

You’re out on a pleasant trail ride with several other riders. Without a word, one of the riders suddenly urges her horse forward and gallops off down the trail. The left-behind horses frantically try to follow. The riders struggle to control their mounts. Pandemonium ensues.

This kind of thoughtless behavior on the trail is no fun to deal with and could cause someone to get seriously hurt. Clearly, leaving your fellow riders in the dust isn’t what you’d expect of a good riding buddy. “Never again!” you say to yourself. “I’ll never ride with her again!”

We all want to be the kind of person other trail riders enjoy being around. By using the eight simple techniques below, you can be a good riding buddy who is fun and safe to ride with on the trail

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Favorite

No account yet? Register

Written by:

Kim McCarrel

Kim McCarrel is an avid trail rider and author whose guidebooks are “must-haves” for Pacific Northwest trail riders. She’s been mapping and writing about trails and horse camps since 2002. Her newest books are revised and updated editions of “Riding Central Oregon Horse Trails” and “Riding Southwest Washington Horse Trails.” McCarrel lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, Steve, two Portuguese water dogs, and a Tennessee Walking Horse mare named Tex.

2 Responses

Floyd says:

November 14, 2021 at 3:30 pm

I have found that riding side by side can lead to dangerous situations on the trail; once while riding a new horse (friends),
a lady on a small Arab rode up beside me, A short time later a deer (whitetail) jumped up causing my light draft to jump sideways, but for my quick response the Arab may have been crushed and her rider as well.
Michelle Edwards says:

December 11, 2019 at 2:02 pm

I love these! It’s never fun to be scared or see someone else scared on the trail. Be kind and remember we were probably all there at one time. This is excellent advice, thanks 😊