By Randy Winter
Trail riding with horses, like many other ways people enjoy being with their horse, is a skilled discipline not to be taken lightly. Some of the trail skills for your horse are: trailering, obstacle negotiation, control of spook response, maneuverability, gait control, sure footedness and group manners. These are all equine-specific skills to be worked on and improved upon to enjoy time out on the trail.
There are also trail riding skills for the rider, such as riding posture, tack suitability, group manners and clothing choice. But in this article, I’d like to specifically emphasize a rider skill that is often forgotten but extremely important, and that is Attitude! As a middle school teacher I learned the importance of controlling my attitude in the classroom and had this poem by Charles Swindoll on the wall by my desk for about 20 years:
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
A reality for riding trails today is that we share the trail with many other users. One of the most consistent complaints I hear from riders is sharing of the trail with other users. The attitude we decide to carry with us on trail affects our enjoyment of the ride. It affects our horse and others around us on trail.
There is complaining about bikes, dogs and even parking violations. Trail riders rail on bike riders who don’t yield and are unaware of the danger they pose to themselves and us by their actions. There is discontent with the trail surface, no bathroom, no water, difficult parking and poor signage. All this leads me to the skill of attitude.
As a trail rider my goal is to be safe and enjoy the day. I also want my horse to be safe and enjoy the day. The trail riding skill of controlling one’s attitude on the ride can make or break these goals. The attitude we carry with us, very importantly, is transmitted to our horse. The attitude we carry with us is also transmitted to those we are riding with and those that we meet on the trail. How we choose to react to circumstances really can define how safe and pleasant our ride can be.
I ride the trails of the City and County of Boulder frequently and most, and I do mean most, of the bike riders I meet are considerate, aware of the rules and out to enjoy the day just like I am. There is no problem exchanging pleasantries, being safe and having a good attitude to ride with.
But when a rude bike rider speeds past from the rear with no warning and no understanding of the risk they pose, the attitude I need take to assure enjoyment and safety, can be a challenge. Preparing my horse for the unaware bike rider is a skill for him to learn and a topic for another time. How I react, the choice I make, contributes to how my horse reacts, now and in the future.
Therefore I try to remain cool, composed, collected, serene, tranquil, sedate, and levelheaded. Actually any one of those will do that fits for you! My horse understands we are okay and I understand we are okay. It would be easy to become agitated, but that sends a message to my horse to also be agitated and that’s something I don’t want. I make the choice to continue to enjoy the day with my horse and all the others I am with or meet on the trail. It works!
While opportunities exist to work with trail user organizations to help alleviate trail user conflict in policy-setting, on the trail is not the time to create or address conflict, not for me nor for any trail user. Let us all first work to understand each other on trail through positive, helpful attitudes. Let us all continue to love the reason we ALL live in Colorado.
Happy Trails!
Note: BCHA is currently working with OSMP to improve horse-related signage, and public outreach to hikers and bikers in Boulder County. Stay tuned for more from BCHA.