sensible riding precautions

for most of us, at some time in our riding life,
comes the sudden realisation that we now have to learn about:

sensible riding precautions when riding alone / on your own

these are my top tips:-

and BTW,
most of these are also
sensible precautions when riding in company...

re hacking

always carry a charged mobile phone
and PLEASE attach the phone to YOU,
NOT the horse (- daftest idea ever, phone carriers that attach to a D ring on the saddle!)

also, before you head out for the first time on a new horse....

get someone to call (ring) you,

whilst you are sat on the horse,

just to check that the horse can cope with this!

if not, then:

either (preferably) spend time desensitising the horse to the phone ringing

or switch the phone to silent mode

wear high visibility gear

obviously this is essential if the route includes roadwork

... rather an uncool, fashion victim

than a road traffic accident victim...

but wear high viz even if you're riding off road...

as this means cyclists, dog owners, walkers, other riders etc.

can see you from a good distance

and, ultimately...

if you're lying in a ditch,

the helicopter has a better chance of spotting you..... ;-}

when hacking on a new route...

take note of where you do and don't have a signal/network coverage

and remember this for future reference...
so that you always know the 'nearest' spot to head for in an emergency

also take note of landmarks, road names, etc..
so that you could direct someone to you if required

for the first few months at least...

make sure someone knows that you are out, your route etc..

e.g. if you are based on a yard
leave a note of your intended route and the time when you left the yard
attach this to your stable door or on the yard noticeboard
and stick to that route whenever possible

re jumping

NEVER do this on your own...
you don't have to have someone stood watching you, necessarily,
but make sure there is someone around who knows what you're doing
of course it's also a lot easier to organise a jumping session

if you have someone else around to put up, rebuild and adjust fences

please, for your and your horse's safety...

get someone knowledgeable to teach you
at least the basics of fence building,

covering :

• ground poles (no, this doesn't mean poles on the ground!) 
• and distances
• as a minimum

re schooling

I still remember how weird I found this at first

(and that's a good few years ago )...
not having someone telling me what to do...

take time before each session to think what you would like to work on

so you have a plan

then be flexible if required

but at least that way you shouldn't suddenly realise

you have jut wasted 20 minutes 'ambling large'

and acheiving nothing

and finally...

you will soon find that

taking sensible riding precautions when riding alone / on your own

soon becomes second nature...

NOTE:

I have just found out that the RAF (Royal Air Force) UK

are asking riders to wear hi-viz

to help their pilots spot them and divert if possible during low-flying missions

(Horse and Hound magazine June 2012)

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