Ten Rules of Riding Etiquette

In This Chapter

• Communicating with other riders
• Being appropriately slow and quiet on a horse
• Approaching and passing with caution
• Minding your manners on the trail

Riding is a dignified hobby, and riders are expected to behave a certain way when they’re astride a horse. Nearly all the expected behaviors in this chapter are related to safety, and they can keep you in good stead with those around you. Chapters Safety First: Protecting Yourself around Horses and Don’t Fence Me In: Trail Riding have additional details on staying safe while you ride.

Tie a Red Ribbon on a Kicker’s Tail

If you’re riding in a group and are mounted on a horse who’s a kicker, your horse is potential threat to other horses and riders. I once saw a horse kick another horse just behind him and shatter that horse’s leg.

Protocol

The universal signal of a kicker is a red ribbon tied at the base of the horse’s tail. This ribbon tells other riders that your horse kicks and that they need to stay back. Likewise, if you see a horse with a red ribbon on his tail, keep at least one horse’s length between you for 360 degrees around that horse.

Go Slowly after You Mount

When a cowboy wants to go for a ride in the movies, he leaps onto his horse and gallops off in a flurry. In the real world, equestrians don’t behave this way unless they want to harm their horses and incur the wrath of everyone around them.

Remember

When you first mount your horse, walk slowly to your point of destination, whether it’s a riding arena or a local trail head. Don’t trot or canter through the aisles of the stable, and don’t stress your horse by tearing off into a gallop from a standstill. This behavior labels you as a yahoo and puts you, your horse, and those around you in all kinds of physical danger.

Communicate with Your Fellow Riders

Always keep in mind that people have different skills and confidence levels when riding. Trail riding (which I cover in Chapter Don’t Fence Me In: Trail Riding) can be the most challenging type of riding for timid or less skilled riders. Check in with your fellow riders to make sure everyone is feeling okay and secure, and try to solve problems calmly as they come up. Don’t increase your speed without getting the consensus of other people in the group first.

In the arena, be sure to communicate with those around you, especially if you plan to jump or run barrels. Make sure the other riders are okay with your doing this, because some young, inexperienced horses may become unruly when they see another horse galloping or jumping. Let other riders know you’re approaching as well so you don’t have any accidental collisions.

Avoid Hollering

Yelling, hollering, and yee-hawing while on horseback is fine for actors in cowboy movies, but in real life, this kind of behavior frightens horses, annoys others, and makes you look like a dope. The only exception to this rule is when you’re riding in gymkhana or some other competitive speed event where such vocalizations are considered acceptable because they encourage the horse to go faster (see Chapter Show Off: Riding in Competition for details on horse competitions).

Keep a Safe Distance from Others

Remember

The rule of thumb when riding in a group is to keep your mount one horse-length from the horse in front of her. Keeping this distance can be difficult at times, because many horses prefer to travel with their noses just behind the tail of the horse in front of them, especially on the trail. One problem is that if the horse in front of you stops short, your horse will crash into her. Another problem is that the horse in front of you may not appreciate your horse’s nose in her rear and may kick out.

If you practice your riding skills and teach your horse to obey your cues, you should be able to slow her down if she gets too close to the horse in front of you, thereby creating a safe distance between mounts. If you find that another rider is following too close behind you, nicely ask that rider whether he or she would like to pass. If not, suggest to the other rider that he or she circle the horse to create distance between you.

Approach Courteously from the Rear

Warning!

If you’re approaching a horse from behind while in the arena, do not run your horse up behind that rider. If you do, the rider’s horse will almost certainly spook or take off, which could cause a serious accident.

Instead, if you’re trotting or cantering and are going to pass a rider from the rear while that rider is at the walk, give the rider and horse a wide berth so you don’t upset the horse.

This rule also applies out on the trail. When approaching another rider from the rear, slow down to a walk and let the rider know you’re there. Running up behind another horse is a sure way to cause an accident.

Pass Left Shoulder to Left Shoulder

Protocol

When riding in an arena, you’re bound to find yourself going in one direction while one or more riders are traveling the opposite way. When passing one another in a riding arena, riders use the left shoulder to left shoulder rule. In other words, when riders go past one another in opposite directions, their left shoulders pass each other. This approach is the equestrian equivalent of driving on the right side of the road.

To accomplish this feat, you may need to stay close to the rail so the approaching rider passes you on your left. Or you may need to stay to the inside, away from the rail, in order to have the approaching rider pass you to the left.

Remember

A good way to remember this rule is that if you’re traveling counterclockwise, you should stay along the rail if another rider is coming toward you. If you’re traveling clockwise, you need to pass that rider on the inside of the arena, allowing him or her to stay on the rail.

Prepare Your Horse for Trail Riding

Tip

Before you take an inexperienced horse out on the trails with other riders, make sure she’s safe. Expose her to some of the things horses regularly encounter on trails in your area, such as traffic, water crossings, train tracks, logs, bridges, and so on.

If your horse tends to be nervous and easily spooked, inform the other riders in your group of this temperament so they can determine whether they want to ride with your horse. Some horses pick up on the nervous energy of another horse and can become unruly themselves. This havoc can ruin everyone’s ride and make your fellow riders not want to go out with you again. Chapter Don’t Fence Me In: Trail Riding has more information on preparing a horse for a trail ride.

Be Courteous during Water Breaks on the Trail

While out on the trail, you may come across a water source, whether it’s a creek or a water trough set up for the use of trail riders. If you’re riding with others and their horses want to drink, be courteous and wait your turn, especially if the source is too small for more than one or two horses.

Drinking along the way on the trail is important for horses, especially on long rides, and you shouldn’t do anything that can discourage a fellow rider’s horse from drinking. Actions that can stop another horse from drinking include

- Allowing your horse to aggressively barge in and threaten another horse while she’s partaking of the water

- Allowing your horse to pin her ears (lay them flat against her head) at other horses while they’re drinking

- Pulling your horse away from the water source too fast when the horses still have their muzzles in the water (this maneuver may make the other horses stop drinking and want to leave with you)

Keep your horse quiet and passive during the watering session. If you’re having trouble getting her to behave, pull her aside and wait till the other horses are finished before you let her have her share. Also, don’t ride off until all the horses are finished drinking, because many horses will forego getting a drink if they feel they’re being left behind.

Help Others during Times of Trouble

Remember 

Whether you’re on the trail or in the arena, stay aware of other riders. If you see another rider fall off while you’re riding in the arena, or if you see a horse bolt and take off with the rider, immediately stop your horse and wait until the rider’s horse has been brought under control and the rider is being attended to. If you’re the only other person around, dismount and call for help if needed.

Out on the trail, a rider up ahead of you in your group may start having trouble with an easily spooked horse. If so, stop your horse and wait for the rider to get the horse under control. Another option is to check with the rider to see whether he or she would like you to pass so your horse can help calm the frightened one. Obviously, this method works only if you’re sure your horse won’t be spooked by whatever’s scaring the other rider’s horse. Because horses tend to take cues from one another, your horse may object to passing the object as well. In that case, hang back and wait for everyone to calm down before you proceed.

by Audrey Pavia with Shannon Sand