From: susan@noaapmel.gov (Susan Collicott)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Re: IN SEARCH OF RIDING!
Date: 28 Jul 92 03:26:50 GMT
	<1992Jul28.001555.11202@athena.mit.edu>
Organization: NOAA/PMEL, Sand Point Way, Seattle, WA


Actually, Karen, I don't like to have a guide along on most trail rides.

And it's not because I want to "run the s**t out of them".  It's because
a lot of (NOTE: I DID NOT SAY ALL) guides are rude, unimaginative, bored,
and they ignore your requests for *reasonable* trots and/or canters.

I have been on many, many rented rides.  (Only way I could afford to ride
when I was growing up - mucked out stalls in return for a ride.)  And yes,
there are some wonderful guides out there.  (Estes National Park has some
incredible people working for them - the guy got off and let us inspect
wildflowers, moss, fungi, tracks, and take stupid posed pictures.  Not 
your normal 'guided' trail ride!  He also 'promised' us a deer, and we
were about 15 yards from the end of the ride and were teasing him about
welching on his promise - when about 20 deer came sauntering out of the
woods and smirked at us.) But there are some really disgusting ones too.

When I know the guide is polite, knowledgable about the area, skilled in
riding, imaginative and flexible, then I'm more then willing - ecstatic
even - to go out on a ride with them.  But if all the guide is going to do
is act as a traffic cop, then I'd rather not pay them any money.  I
especially refuse to go on a trail ride with some rude, slovenly person who 
just rolled out of the tent, with shirt unbuttoned and hanging out of her 
bra, with smelly dirty hair and an attitude that would annoy Will Rogers!
If they keep themselves that way, how do they *really* treat their horses?

True, you don't want to just give your horse to any stranger.  I think having
set trails with nowhere to wander off to helps.  One place out here in
Washington bought up an old railroad grade next to a beautiful river.  You
go down the hill to the trail, and you go straight on for miles!  Nowhere to
get lost, and the horses know where they are allowed to canter and won't do
it on any other part of the trail!  Heh.  Smart horses.  Beautiful woods 
and mosses and plants and fungi and the river rippling by.  Most relaxing.  
(And they have a blind horse that gets upset if it's not allowed to go out 
on trail. Most sure-footed one there! She has everything memorized.) Sometimes 
when I go out there, a couple of the black labs will go out with me, and then 
the horse wants to frolic a bit.

I also had one trail ride up here in some of the smaller mountains around
Mt. Rainier - you brought your own sack lunch and they took you out to this
great rocky river, and we played around skipping rocks and munching sandwiches
and watching marmots.  Then we ambled back - no cantering, trotting was as
fast as we went, but it was much more enjoyable than most guided gallops
I've had!

Also tried one place up on Mt. Crystal.  They were quite the ... backwoods
riders.  The owner looks like Grizzly Adams, and smells like a grizzly too!
But they were congenial, and quite intelligent, and their horses were
mountain-bred (he boasts they've never been below a certain altitude - can't
remember the number, and don't want to guess cuz I'd probably guess something
like Chicago's altitude!) and scrambled up the mountainsides like goats.
They took you out into the Cascades, cooked supper for you, provided you with
a tent, and let you pick where to go.  My group (I was alone, they put me
in with two couples and a family) decided to split into two: the family went
the easy way, walking, which would take longer.  The other group wanted to
go up to a certain lake, fish for a few hours, then head over to the meeting
point.  Great.  What should *I* do?  (the kids in the family were whiny
brats - and that's what the *mom* called them!)  So the guide winked and
said "Come fishing". I went with them, when we got to the lake (Oh BOY! What
a ride that was! Slate slides, rock hopping, and dizzying heights - my
horse was bored through out it all.) the guide said "You can go ride by
yourself, just always keep the lake in sight, if you get lost put the reins
on his neck and he'll come back here."  What a great time I had!  I was
happy to get back to the guide, though, as I was not familiar with that side
of the mountains and I didn't want to get lost.  

Ramble ramble ramble!

After all this, my point is - fun guides? Sure! Bring 'em along! Rude lazy
slovenly guide?  FORGET IT!

Man, can't wait till I'm out of college (again) and can get another horse!
Tuition and vet bills just don't go well together.....

Susan
susan@noaapmel.gov