Page 22 midwest horse digest April 09
Ask Mary: I do you. Look for people, places, things and action this spell danger? Now what?
a lot of trail rid- that seem odd or out of place. What are you Assess the risk of danger. Ask yourself,
ing. How safe looking for? Look for anything that is unusual, “What’s wrong with this picture?” If the answer
is it? What out of place or just doesn’t fit. Emily was out is, “this is not normal”.
should I do if trail riding and saw a new truck stuck on the Disengage- Leave now! At a quick but safe
there is some- horse trail. There were two men shabbily speed. Don’t approach the individual. You
one on the dressed trying to push it out of the mud. She don’t know their true intentions or capabilities
trail that wants to harm me? asked herself,” What wrong here? Does this Smart criminals will use a ruse to distract you.
make sense?” No it didn’t. She turned around, It may be in the form of a question like, “Can I
How safe is it out on the trail? As a police offi- rode to a safe place and called 911. She was pet your horse? Or can I use your cell phone?”
cer I have responded to calls from riders who right. The truck was stolen. The two thieves got Do not let an unknown person approach your
have come upon criminals who have stolen stuck while joy riding on the horse trail. Trust horse. Keep at least 40-50 feet away. Move
cars and were driving them on horse trails, your instincts. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably your horse if they come closer than that. Don’t
criminals who were hiding from the law living in isn’t. get involved in conversation. Say, ” Stay away
the woods, criminals who were out cultivating Pay attention to what your horse is telling you. from me; I’ll call police for you if you need
marijuana plants and infrequently a personal He can see and hear much better than you help”.
attack. It is not common but it does occasion- can. If he alerts (definition; it’s similar to a hunt- Ride a safe distance away and call for help.
ally happen. I like the Boy Scout motto, ing dog who points when he sees a pheasant, Your horse is your biggest advantage here. He
“Always be prepared.” Being prepared means your horse will hesitate and turn his head to can canter a lot farther and faster than any bad
having a plan of action and knowing you and look at something he has noticed. His ears will guy.
your horse are competent enough to execute point the direction he is listening to). I was rid-
it. Being prepared gives you a sense of ing Jimmy on the trail early in spring before the I hope you never encounter a dangerous
empowerment. You don’t have to be a victim. leaves had come out. I was miles from the trail person on the trail. However, if you see some-
You can do something positive to help yourself head when he alerted to something in the thick thing suspicious, remember your plan. Stay
out of a bad situation. Here are some self brush. I thought, perhaps he sees a deer or a alert and aware for anything out of place. Trust
defense techniques to keep you safe on your coyote. I stopped and looked hard. At first I did- your instincts, if something isn’t right, leave
trail ride. n’t see anything but brush and prickly ash. right away and ride to a safe place to call for
Be Alert and Aware Then I caught a slight movement and could help.
Real criminals target or select victims that are pick out the silhouette of a man hiding in the
preoccupied and oblivious to what is going on. brush. He was dressed in full camouflage Mary is a Mounted Police instructor and a
It’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of secu- including face paint. I never would have seen
fully insured ARICP riding instructor. She
rity on a trail ride. After all, you are in the coun- him except for my horse’s behavior.
devotes her creative energy to developing
try not the big city. But, not all criminals are in Be aware of your location on the trail. This
customized training programs to improve
the big city. Methamphetamine use has spread includes knowing alternative routes back to
show ring performance, mount obedience
to the country. It can cause people to behave your trailer. If you need to call 911 for help, you
and despooking trail horses utilizing training
in dangerous and unpredictable ways. Being need to know where you are on the trail so
methods used in training police horses. Visit
alert and aware doesn’t mean you need to be help can find you quickly.
paranoid or fearful. It means you need to be Have a Plan of Action
her website at www.riderselite.com or email
relaxed by alert. Cautious but not tense. Being an alert and aware rider, you notice
your questions to Mary at:mary@rider-
Maintain 360 degrees of awareness around something that doesn’t look quite right. Could
selite.com
Yo u’ l l f i n d e v e r y i s s u e
online at our website
www.horsedigests.com
•Photo Classifieds
•Training Videos
•Articles •Events
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60