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Riding Alone

9K views 84 replies 32 participants last post by  MacabreMikolaj 
#1 ·
So I have rode alone lots of times now. But this summer I am going to be doing a lot of riding, pretty much as much as I can get in. Which means going on long trail rides and into the mountains and stuff. I always have my cell phone with me in my pocket and I get very good service everywhere. Gizmo is a great horse and I haven't come off him, yet anyways. But I really don't know hot to prepare myself anymore if something were to happen. Oh and what if we should see any animal on the way. I had a dog run after us one time and I didn't know what to do, because I didn't want to make him run and make the dog think we were pray and to run after us and bite, but I didn't want us to be sitting ducks for the dog to come and bite us. Luckily the owner got him before he got to us. But what happens if I see a bear or something while we are out there in the woods. I live in NH so that is pretty much our biggest prey. We do have coyotes, moose, deer, and mountain lions but they are really rare, fisher cats, and bob cats. I only say deer and moose because sometimes the males can charge with their antlers.
 
#2 ·
Well, my horse would exit stage left if we ever came across anything that wanted to eat him, so I can't help you there. I just wanted to add, put a sticker inside your helmet with contact/emergency/allergy info in case you ever take a fall and get knocked out. Phone's only good if you're still conscious.
 
#3 ·
Mostly when I see other animals they wander or run off through the bush as soon as they see me. I have had one of my horses decide she wanted to follow the moose through the bush. So, I let her. We had a jolly good time, but after 45 minutes I steered her back onto the trail.

I have had dogs chase me. I turn my horse around and chase the dog! :) What fun! Can you tell I like to chase animals? I once had a german shepherd that wasn't scared of my horse, so I went up beside him and kicked him in the head -- just took my foot out of the saddle and kicked him. That sure surprised him. Just make sure you have a really good seat.

Bears -- mostly they will walk away. If one starts toward you, I would try to walk away from it at an angle -- not my back turned, just as though you were going another way even if the bear wasn't there. If that doesn't work, make a noise. The bear will likely look up as though to say, "Oh, what are you doing here? I guess I'll go elsewhere." Deer never charge. At least I've never heard of it. Moose will charge generally only if in rut and you are in their area. Or possibly if your mare is in heat. You can't outrun a moose. I've never had a moose charge me, he will warn first by shaking his head. At that point, walk away. He will see you leaving and be ok with it.

Coyotes I have never seen while on horseback except waaaay over there in the field. Fischers come out only at night. Bobcats won't go for a horse. Mountain lions -- ya well.. not sure what to tell you there. Like you say, they are rarely seen. We do have them, I have heard them, I have seen their prints, but they are so rare that the provincial wildlife ministry only FINALLY ADMITTED that they are in Ontario this past year. After MUCH public outcry. Anyway, if you hear of any in the area you are riding, stay away from rock-cuts and tall trees. Lions like to sit higher than their prey.

Of course, there are ALWAYS exceptions to these things, but I have spent 9/10th of my life living in rural Ontario and have never ever been threatened by a wild animal unless I cornered it. (dumb kid, dumb kid...)

I don't know what the gun laws are in NH. Here in Ontario they suck and I can't carry while riding, but lots of people in different areas of the states do. I would if I could, though you'd definitely have to practice on your horse.
 
#6 ·
Ok that makes me feel much better. I'm not sure what the gun laws are about carrying it on a horse. My dad is buying me a handgun when I turn 21 though so I am going to get my permit to carry. So I can as long as I have that. But Gizmo doesn't like gun shots. We have a shooting range and it is next to the barn, (Not right next to it for safety reasons obviously) but he always jumps and hides in his barn and then he is grumpy at my dad after.
 
#40 ·
You know, I'm not sure. But I do know that a moose is in his territory, not horse territory. Ever try to run a horse through a million little aspen that are all about 15 feet tall? Or how about a marshy area? Oh, and moose can jump higher than a horse (at least, the average moose vs. the average horse). On a racetrack, a horse might be faster. In the bush, my money is on the moose. It's a thing to see I tell you!

I had never heard of the SPOT either. I am going to keep that in the back of my mind.

Bells/beads are great. I forgot that I do use those during mating seasons.

As for a dog vs. bear, generally speaking the bear would rather go away. They will fight a dog if they feel their territory, food or cub is threatend though. I'd sooner ride with a dog than not if I could. Unfortunately, our dog would run away and my ride would end up being a hide-n-seek game for my dog :(
 
#7 ·
I trail ride by myself a bunch too.
One thing I like to do with my cell phone is I like to keep it in my coat pocket when I'm riding/above waist height (I usually carry it in my pants pocket). My thinking with that is if I were to get pinned by something (a falling tree/falling Lacey/what have you) or get super traumatically injured, it would be better to have my phone closer to my mouth/upper body. I also turn it on loud when I'm riding by myself. Usually I have it on vibrate, but I figure that if I'm ever hurt in the woods and unable to make noise, I'd like to have something on me that could make noise without my help.

With dogs, I have Lacey stop moving (agitated/excited dogs seem to get more agitated/excited if we try to walk away and aggressive dogs have usually decided we're not a threat once we stop and wait with them for a bit) and turn to face them. With super aggressive dogs, I've found that yelling "GO HOME!!!" at them usually works. If none of that works, I'd have no hesitation about chasing a dog but so far (and we see unknown, new dogs basically every time we go somewhere) that hasn't had to happen. I think, at least around here, most dogs have never seen a horse so they just want to investigate Lacey. Once they've gotten her all sniffed, they're generally happy to be besties, in my experience. However, I am pretty good at reading dog body language, so that could be part of why we've been successful...
 
#8 ·
When I go out I always have at least 2 bottles of water, usually more. On long rides we usually take granola bars or jerky. I also carry a pocket knife, my Gerber utility tool, a 1st aid kit with a snake bite kit, id, cell phone, and hoof pick. Always let someone know where you are going & how long you expect to be gone. I usually call my neighbor or sister.
Coyotes will usually run if you chase them. Most snakes & other animals will get out of your way if you give them enough warning.
 
#10 ·
I ride alone alot, but I live in Kansas, so the worst we see is a Coyote or a fox (supposedly there are cougars here, but I have yet to hear of one in my part.) But the putting info in the helmet is a good idea, too bad I dont use a helmet.... Im a rebel. :D Sorry if I wasnt help, pretty horse though!
 
#51 ·
oh, cougars are here. didn't have to see more than just one, and i've been surprised by some of my friends who have seen them in other parts of the state as well.

i used to ride ALL the time with a rifle, however i lack attachment points on the new saddle for the boot. so i may, or may not, ride with a handgun, but i'd prefer a revolver over all the autos we have for that task. so i'm pretty content to just ride a lot of the time.

and i do not believe that ANY of my horses are ok with shots, however if i'm already off, or got off before shooting, i would not be worried about it. my *** is worth more than spooking my horse where i ride at most of the time.

anyhow, riding alone, i always let my wife know i'm headed out. however, last week when i hurt my neck somehow i FORGOT to tell her. holy crap, i'll never do that again. she called me and not ten minutes later i guess i called her back with where i was and "help." always make sure somebody knows a general direction and a general time frame.

at least it's that much more important for me because i ride quite a few horses i'm not familiar with. when i go out with our guys, i do not worry so much about it. i almost (ALMOST) always know what to expect from them.
 
#11 ·
If I didn't ride alone, I'd almost never ride. I have one of those ankle pockets where you can store a cell phone and a flashlight and pepper spray and a few Cashel Company
other things on your leg.
If you and your horse part ways, you want something attached to your body that can help you get home. The other thingI use is one of the Garmin forerunner wrist GPS units. Because if you have a cell phone in the middle of no where and actually have service but no GPS how can you tell the rescue squad your exact location? of if you aren't injured, you just set it to trace back to your truck.

As for carrying a gun, it's not going to do you much good if your horse isn't used to you shooting in. I also train my horses for Cowboy mounted shooting so my horses are used to the noise but most horses aren't used to it. You could do more harm then good by shooting off a gun if you horse is nearby. The best thing is to leave the gun at home.
 
#12 ·
I ride alone a lot, too. One thing I'm never without, and I've mentioned it on the forum before, is my SPOT. A satelite positioning system that will allow you to send a 911 call from anywhere in the world (more or less) that will give your GPS cooridinates.

You have to be concious to activate it, which is a bit of a drawback, but if you can get a GPS signal it WILL send out an emergency call.

It can also be used to send an "I'm OK" call to up to 10 people or a "I need Help but it's not a 911 emergency" call to up to 10 people.

I often send out an "I'm OK" just to test the system and to make my brother in Mississippi jealous of where I'm riding--the message includes GPS coordinates and a link to GoogleMap with your location. He's in Mississippi. I'm in Idaho. And I LOVE to rub it in! ;-)

Water, lighter(s), knife, rope, SPOT. And you're good for an emergency in the woods. I also carry a few PowerBars, but that's just a personal choice.

Have fun!
 
#13 ·
I have never ridden in bear country, but I have hiked there.
What I have heard is do not bring a dog, as they could bring an angry bear back to you.
A bear will really only attack when startled, so make sure he can hear you coming so he can get out of your way. Have your horse wear sleigh bells.
That's what I do when riding during hunting season, so that I am not mistaken for a deer!
 
#14 ·
Hunting season in different parts of the country mean different things. I've had many people tell that they would never dream of riding during hunting season. Here in Utah Bow hunting starts in Aug and we have hunt thru Dec or even January depending of the species.

There is no way I'm giving up being out in the moutains for 4 months of the year, because there might be somebody hunting.

I hunt and spend a lot of time on the mountain during the fall. I'm often alone, my hunting buddies on the far side of a distant mountain. Or at home because they couldn't get away from work. I've learned to travel with my horses and have accepted the possibility that some day, I may get hurt. I've broken ribs, torn ligiments and had a multitude of blister and bruises. But I've survived so far. Go prepared and have fun
 
#15 ·
I have read a lot of good suggestions here.

When Riding alone, on trail, I first would make sure you have a set of saddle bags in one side have your horse first aid and in the other have a human first aid kit. Then I would get yourself a set of horn bags, keep a water bottle and a few snacks that keep well, things like power bars, granola bars and things like that.
Educate yourself on the local wild life so you know what you have to worry about and what you don't. Pepper spray or wasp spray work great on most animals just aim at the eyes. If you horse is afraid of gun shots a gun will do little more than leave you horseless in the woods. Dogs I will usually stop and face them and they will usually stop too, if they stand thier ground I'll tell them in a very stern voice to "Go Home!" If they don't budge I move my horse toward the dog and it usually makes them back down, If not I get more aggressive about chasing them. My horse like this lol.

The GPS is a GREAT idea if you can afford it. If not The ranch I work at had Walkie talkies the main one was always on back home and they where of superb quality and we could be, I think, 25 miles away and still get a message back to the ranch if something went wrong.
 
#24 ·
Actually GPS's now days are quite reasonable. There are many models that will cost less $100. Walkie talkies are only good if there is someone back on the other end and if there aren't many hills that block the signal. For the flats they work a fair distance, but in the hills and trees the signal strength rapidly deteriorates.

The GPS is a GREAT idea if you can afford it. If not The ranch I work at had Walkie talkies the main one was always on back home and they where of superb quality and we could be, I think, 25 miles away and still get a message back to the ranch if something went wrong.
 
#16 ·
Oh and as far as hunting season goes a hunter orange saddle pad and vest really are a good idea!
 
#17 · (Edited)
I ride alone pretty much every time I ride. I'm lucky to have a really great horse.

We don't have bears or moose here... but we have gators, snapping turtles, hogs, coyotes, deer, bobcats, snakes, and panthers (although you never see them).

I've never had a problem with dogs... I either yell at them or chase them and they run off. A horse can easily outrun most dogs, and even the fastest dogs (sighthounds) can only outrun a horse for a very short period of time.

I bring dogs with me sometimes, but ONLY if they have a reliable recall, will lay down and stay from a run off leash, and know commands for 'stay close' and 'stay right next to me.' I never let them stray.


Coyotes and bobcats would never go after a horse unless there was something seriously wrong with them.

A deer would never do anything and you would never see a panther.

Hogs will occasionally go after horses but usually run away. They can be outrun.

Unfortunately, around here, the venomous snakes seem to be the stupid ones. I really only see black racers and cottonmouths while I'm riding. The black racers always run for their lives the second they feel the ground vibrating. The cottonmouths, on the other hand, coil up in the middle of the trail and refuse to move - even with a horse galloping towards them! I can't tell you how many I've accidentally run over. Luckily, they can't really bite a horse moving that quickly, and if I'm going more slowly I can usually spot them before we get near them.

Snapping turtles won't do anything unless they're cornered or you block their access to the water. Gators are the same, except add when they have eggs or babies or are trying to mate.



SailorGriz - Thanks for the info on the SPOT! I'd never heard of one and it sounds awesome : )
 
#18 ·
Thanks all! Everyone has realy great ideas, I feel better about it now. I will have to look at the gps or the SPOT thing and see how much they run. We have a car gps that you can program for walking, but my mom would have my hide if it were to get damaged in anyway. Well the more we have been shooting around Gizmo the more he has been getting used to it. I think mounted shooting is so cool. But I still don't know how he would be if it was right on his back. He is a really great horse so I doubt anything would happen, I just want to be prepared for the unexpected.
 
#19 ·
Gizmo, FindMeSpot.com is the place to get info on Spot. They are NOT a GPS! They are strictly a one way communicator for preprogrammed (user programmed) messages. They won't keep you from getting lost--but they just might get you found!
 
#20 ·
If you're going to take a cell phone with you...

First off, don't put it in your saddle bags or otherwise attach it to your horse. When you're on the ground bleeding and your horse has gone south, you're going to wish you had it. If you're separated from your horse and your horse has your phone, you're gonna have a problem. When people put cell phones in their saddle bags and go off alone, it makes me die a little inside.

Second, have a contact in your phone that says "ICE". That stands for "in chase of emergency". That contact should call someone reliable who knows you and can get you to a hospital. When you're on the ground unconscious or otherwise delirious, the person who finds you needs to know who to call. I have two ICE numbers (ICE #1 and ICE #2), in case the first doesn't pick up.

Third, take the password off your phone. You probably don't need it, and your phone is as good as a square rock if the person who finds your body can't get into it, identify you, and call help.
 
#21 ·
Thank you brighteyes I meant to say that too. "ICE" is something everyone should have on their phone no matter what. The movement was started by a paramedic who wished there was some way to know who to call in case of an emergency, He realized that the victims always had a cell phone they just didn't know who on it to call. An "ICE" number gives them some one to call immediately in any type of accident.
 
#22 ·
I haven't read through the posts, so I'm sorry if I sound repetitive.

I would get a saddle bag and fill it with emergency supplies for you and your horse. Just enough so if either of you were to get hurt you could buy yourself time to call for help and whatnot. I would also always make sure to pack a lot of water and some candy and trail mix, especially on the really long trails. You may want to look online and think about what emergency supplies other than medical you deem important to take with you. An emergency whistle, mirror, or strong flashlight (if I remeber correctly) can all be used to signal for help if anything would ever happen to your cell phone. Basically three of anything means "I need help". You might also want to consider keeping some matches in a baggie or other waterproof container. They take like a centimeter of room in any bag and they're great to have for emergencies. Again, I would go online and read about preperation for hiking. I know you're riding but most articles have really good tips you can use for any outdoor venture.

I would also ALWAYS ALWAYS tell someone or leave a note detailing exactly where you plan to go. Just in case you get hurt and can't call anyone (for example, you get knocked out). Then people will know where to find you.

I know I probably sound weird but it's better safe than sorry and you never know what could happen :lol:. You did mention where you live, I can't remember exactly where right now but I'm sure you know some of this already.

Good luck and I hope I helped!
 
#23 ·
I almost always ride alone--it's a great start that you know you can trust your horse. They have cell phone things that can attach to your leg or arm (don't know if yours ever falls out of your pocket or not) but I use those in the summer when I don't have pockets..and sometimes even if I do.

As far as dogs go, I usually turn around and face them. They usually will back down. If they continue, I walk my horse toward them, "chasing" them. IF you encounter a truly vicious dog that is biting/attacking your horse--take off. You can outrun them. I've never seen that happen, though. Every case I've run into the dog has backed down when a horse came after them if not just when the horse turned to look at them.

It's a good idea to bring a saddle bag with a horse first aid kit (at least some vet wrap and gauze) some water, and a snack for you....just in case you get lost or an injury occurs and you're stuck on the trail longer than you think you will be. Most of all, just relax and have fun! Riding alone is so peaceful :)
 
#26 · (Edited)
Gizmo
I love this Forum. There is you planning a safari out into the boonies and you are worried about how to defend yourself against lions, bears, and all sorts of big creatures which I have only seen in zoos or on the TV.

There is me, owning a chicken livered Irish sports horse mare who is frightened of birds flying up out of a hedge.

There is you being advised to take a gun to defend yourself.

There is me wondering what to do about some 80 year old lady car driver who doesn't know how wide her car is and who can't reverse down a narrow country lane.

There's you living on a continent and there's me living on a relatively small island of less than 100,000 square miles , the largest animal predator of which is a fox or a pig which one day escaped from its pen.

I do wish I could persuade my horse to realize that although she might get eaten by a paper bag flapping in the breeze at least she isn't likely to be eaten for lunch by a mountain lion.

Oh and I love it that your mobile phone works out in the middle of nowhere. I just wish British Telecom would read what service you Americans expect to get from your mobiles. My cellphone won't work up on the hill a mile north of the house.

Enjoy Gizmo - I wish I could come with you on your trip

Barry G

PS Oh My, which of us lives in the real world?

PPS I can be locked up by the police instantly for even owning a gun - let alone carrying it.
As for carrying it in a holster mounted on the saddle - the authorities would call out the SAS.
I'd be thrown in clink for the rest of my days.
 
#29 ·
Wow that is funny. It is funny how diverse this world is. Just in America too, here we don't have any poisonous snakes or anything like that, just some wild game and mountainous terrain. (I actually live almost on the top of a small mountain.) Then you go to the mid south of the country and it is a desert, completely flat in most areas filled with tiny little creatures waiting for you to walk by so they can grab you with their venomous fangs. Then there is Florida, a tropical paradise with swamps containing alligators and wild pigs that can charge at you. Then there is the northern mid region which is very mountainous and has things like wolves and big mountain lions. It is amazing how diverse everything is and how different things can be just a short distance away. I live in New Hampshire so I am about 1,000 miles away from Florida. But before you even reach that you hit North and South Carolina where the temperature changes dramatically and they hardly ever get any snow, where we get a ton with temperatures that go way below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
This stuff I am doing is going to be right behind my house. We have trails that connect right to Canada so I plan on riding them up into the mountains and stuff. It is very pretty. I will take lots of pictures to show you and everyone! Then I hope to get a group together sometime this summer to go camping in the mountains with the horses. That should be fun and interesting. Now, I just can't wait for the snow and ice to melt so we can start our little adventures. :)
 
#27 ·
Gizmo,

I have just shown my wife this thread.
Like me, as she read it, she smiled, she laughed and then said
"What a wonderful thing to do".

And we have, on this tiny weenie little island, folks that believe a holiday is to fly 400 miles to sit on a beach and do nothing.

Enjoy Gizmo and send us a postcard.

Barry G
 
#28 ·
i ride alone a lot and i love the tranquility of it - however i also know there's an added risk. in addition to carrying my cell, i also usually do a check in with someone before i leave and give them an est time i will be back. if i plan on staying out longer or to keep from losing track of time, i will set my cell alarm to call my check in person and update them. the cell alarm keeps me from forgetting to check in if i want to ride longer. and then if im not back within 30 min or so of when i say i will be, then someone knows to look for me. usually that works and is a little safer all things considered because like many of you, i'm not just going to wait for people to ride with and sometimes i really do love the peace of riding alone :)
 
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