The Dilemma

[Shadow14]

I was out road running again last night and I regularly do this 10 mile loop. I stay away from my bush trails this time of year because of the bugs.
On my loop there is a long down hill that has a very narrow paved shoulder and a guard rail. I have about 3 feet between the rail and the traffic but the road is narrow and cars tend to use the entire lane.
Last night half way down the grade I see a tractor working the ditch, cutting the grass but also looking far ahead I see a big tractor trailer comming along. This is a 50mph zone and you do get a big gush of wind as the truck flies past.
The truck is no problem since I regularly run into them on this narrow stretch but I have never encountered a tractor cutting grass on this stretch.
The tractor is also not a problem but Shadow will be squeezed between the truck and the tractor, he will have to handle both things at the same time and has only this narrow 3 foot paved strip to handle it in.
Do I turn back so I don't have to face both things at the same time??? or do I continue on and trust to my training that he will hold???
Well being stuborn and trusting I continue on, try to relax, keep legs off the horse, leave his head alone, don't transmit any nervousness to the horse warning him that it is intimidating.
Well he arched his neck at the tractor, didn't shift to his right into the path of the transport and everything went ok:D

Is this trust or stupidity on my part??? But I trust him, I place my trust in him and he won't let me down.
3rd commandment
Place your trust in me. It is crucial to my well being.

[ChocoMare]

I probably would have done the same thing. I "read" the horse just as much as they read me. Any balking/spinning, etc. and I would have gone with Plan B.

Usually, though, if I act like it's no big deal and just think "forward/la-dee-da," the horse does too :D

[Halcyon Days]

hmmm, I would probably have tried to halt and just wait for the big truck to pass, but then again, many times I've just trusted to luck and haven't died yet, depends on the horse I'm riding, hehe

[jnel]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong...but might you have either slowed down or speeded up so the truck passed you before/after you passed the tractor? I believe in trusting your partnership with the horse but also in assessing risks and minimizing them if possible. I want to set myself and horse up for positive outcomes as much as I can.:yes:

[Auventera Two]

When I'm in bad situations I just get off the horse and stand at their head. If the horse is going to freak and kill somebody I'd rather they didn't take me with them. I abide by the John Lyons motto: Live to ride another day. I never sacrifice immediate safety for some training opportunity or "testing" of my relationship with the horse IF it can be avoided. If in doubt, I always get off the horse and stand at its head.

When I "won't" get off is when there's a chance the horse could run over me and I'm safer on top of her back. For instance, we got to a very steep hill with a creek at the bottom. I stayed on because if she started sliding down that hill, the only place to go was over top of me.

I think each situation is different depending on ALL the circumstances, including the personality of the horse involved, and just the particular day.

I've ridden past semis blaring down the highway at 70 and getting on their air breaks at the speed limit change, and other times I've gotten off and held the horse by the reins because she was just too ramped up that day to take a chance.

[katarine]

I'm a pretty darn ballsy rider but I'm not going to risk such an unusual, and easily avoidable situation. There are too many possible & reasonable things that could go wrong in a heartbeat... including the truck hitting his air brakes, the tractor's bush hog or cutter slinging a rock or other object out and either hitting us or spooking my horse, whose brain is already amped and full out ALERT to the tight squeeze. Don't leave off the truck shedding a recapped tire or blowing a tire. When there's nothing to do but get it exactly right OR die, I'm going to bow out.

I had a horse lose it mentally on an incredibly steep and dangerous set of switchbacks in MT. We had to halt to deal with a hurt pack horse and he wouldn't agree to whoa for me...and I would not have put it past that dingdong to fall off the mtn with me. When settling and correcting and sorting didn't help..I bailed and took my bridle with me. I'll get the saddle later, Mr Doofus. I'm not going to assume the horse can and will save my bacon in some situations. you have to know when to say no.

Glad you did OK but I think it was a pretty irresponsible move in my book. Too risky for me!

[Shadow14]

I would never get off a horse in a scary situation. Once on the ground I can be run over, I loose control of the hind end and I run the risk of loosing the horse.
On his back I control the hind end, a touch of the spur moves him around even when frightened and I control the head much more effectively with the reins.
I am an old rider, have been doing it for 50 years and never have I really gotten myself in trouble. Sure I rode/broke buckers and I eat alot of dirt, went through fences on these buckers but never have I lost the fight, I get up, get back on and ride it out. The horse gets broke and learns to obey.
In the case with the truck and trialer they pass me daily, every single ride and if I have to worry about a blown tire or something falling off the truck I wouldn't ride. I don't give it a second thought.
My chances of tripping in a hole or the horse tripping and going down are far more likely and I do go down 1/2 dozen times a year.
I bounce really well:lol:

[katarine]

welp, you either:

Know enough to ask yourself was that really the best thing to have chosen to do, or

You really just wanted to brag on your horse (no crime there), and rightfully so, he did well.

But you did ask...

Is this trust or stupidity on my part???


I am glad you know you can trust your horse. I still think what you did was stupid. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Hey, you did ask, right?

[sublimequine]

I'm basically like A2, if I have a doubt, I'll hop off and stand up at her head. My mare is A LOT more confident with me next to her, and if my safety is involved, I feel more comfortable out of the saddle. Nothing wrong with that, and maresie still gets exposed to things. Like when we saw goats and llamas for the first time... yep... I got off pretty darn QUICK for that. :lol:

Like A2 said, "Live to ride another day!" :lol:

[Auventera Two]

I'm basically like A2, if I have a doubt, I'll hop off and stand up at her head. My mare is A LOT more confident with me next to her, and if my safety is involved, I feel more comfortable out of the saddle. Nothing wrong with that, and maresie still gets exposed to things. Like when we saw goats and llamas for the first time... yep... I got off pretty darn QUICK for that. :lol:

Like A2 said, "Live to ride another day!" :lol:

Yep, that's how my Arab is too. My other 2 mares are happier with me on their back. Each one is different I suppose.

[mp]

I would never get off a horse in a scary situation. Once on the ground I can be run over, I loose control of the hind end and I run the risk of loosing the horse.
On his back I control the hind end, a touch of the spur moves him around even when frightened and I control the head much more effectively with the reins.
I am an old rider, have been doing it for 50 years and never have I really gotten myself in trouble. Sure I rode/broke buckers and I eat alot of dirt, went through fences on these buckers but never have I lost the fight, I get up, get back on and ride it out. The horse gets broke and learns to obey.
In the case with the truck and trialer they pass me daily, every single ride and if I have to worry about a blown tire or something falling off the truck I wouldn't ride. I don't give it a second thought.
My chances of tripping in a hole or the horse tripping and going down are far more likely and I do go down 1/2 dozen times a year.
I bounce really well:lol:

Well, then ... carry on.

Anyone who's been riding 50 years, goes down that much and doesn't "get in trouble" must know what he/she is doing.

[Shadow14]

Well, then ... carry on.

Anyone who's been riding 50 years, goes down that much and doesn't "get in trouble" must know what he/she is doing.

I do tend to go down alot. 3 tumples ago I was crossing a beautiful snow covered huge field. The foot was perfect, he was only breaking through about 1 inch on the hard white crust and you couldn't read the dips and dives, everything was flat white and I just about got across the field when down he went, landed hard on my left leg and I did a complete 180 degree flip with 1000 pounds clamping my leg down. Really wrenched the knee.
Once he got off my leg I stood up and looked what we hit.
We hit a perfect ground hog hole, straight down and about 8 or 10 inches in diameter..
Who could forsee it??? What are the chances of hitting in exactly the right spot??
I run about 50 miles a week over the frozen snow and take my chances. I have gone down over the years dozens of times like that and so far other then a wrenched knee both of us have survived.
I will not quit riding just to play it safe nor will I stop running trail just because something might happen
I've probably went 100,000 miles on horse back over my life and never had to shoot a horse yet.
Hope my luck holds.:lol:

[Romantic Rider]

What I would do would depend entirely on the horse I was riding. We have a one really bold gelding, that horse never balks. I would probably ride him by anything I'd encounter on the road and think nothing of it. But that is the only horse I know I would ride by a road situation like that.

A couple of months ago I was riding my little Arab mare on our country roads. The shoulders are safe to ride on, though only about two feet wide, and there are very few cars. Well we were trotting down a road when a big tractor comes toward us pulling a wagon. Not only was this a big tractor, but it had chains on the wheels and was making a terrible clanking racket. Now, if there had been room to move off the road a bit and wait for it to go by I would have. But, like I said the edge is only about two feet, and there was a nasty ditch that I did not want to be in. As the tractor approached I could feel that my horse was going to freak out. (She can be flighty, and would, if panicked, rear and/or whirl and bolt.) So, not wanting to be dumped on the road and have my horse end up goodness knows where, I jumped off and held her as the tractor went by. Was this the right thing to do?? For me, at the time, it was. You just have to know your horse and situation.