tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891367666970376785.post1138430032604785092..comments2024-01-01T08:22:39.808-08:00Comments on Laying The Foundation: Dealing With Dangers On The TrailSFTShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14155830531219245152noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891367666970376785.post-43762111209481222172009-12-19T20:26:39.153-08:002009-12-19T20:26:39.153-08:00Btw, we got back from the Mustang-Spirit event jus...Btw, we got back from the Mustang-Spirit event just a short while ago and it was a BLAST!! We told Tania we can't wait to do it again next year!SFTShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14155830531219245152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891367666970376785.post-87816286929577714052009-12-19T20:22:54.286-08:002009-12-19T20:22:54.286-08:00Very good point. Likewise when the road dips into ...Very good point. Likewise when the road dips into a low spot before it crests again.<br /><br />My daughter and I were riding up Snowline Drive over in South Phelan about a year and a half ago when out of nowhere a dirt bike came flying up behind us from one of those situations, used that crest like a jump and landed literally ten feet behind my daughter's horse.<br /><br />Fortunately he is a one in a million boy, because that could have been disastrous.<br /><br />With the dirt bikes out in Apple Valley (where we had quite a few high/low trails, I learned to use those hilltops to become visible to the kids riding bikes. If you're down in a wash for instance, they will never know you are there. If you ride to the top-most hill (OFF the trail/track), they will be able to see you and be aware there are horses being ridden in the area, therefore more likely to take your presence into consideration.<br /><br />There will always be the inconsiderate jerk who will purposefully try to spook a horse (and I am inherently biased against dirt bikes and their riders from many experiences from way back when I was a kid out in Riverside), but I do have to say that overall, I am impressed with most of the riders I have encountered out here in the Desert, most of them have been "raised right" to be courteous to the horses and give them the right-of-way.<br /><br />One of my peeves, though, that I have made it a point to explain to some of them is I'd rather they idle past as opposed to kill the motor, then fire it back up once they are past (and <i>behind</i> the horse!).<br /><br />Excellent tips, great advice, thanks!SFTShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14155830531219245152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891367666970376785.post-39990008979738805272009-12-19T12:34:14.326-08:002009-12-19T12:34:14.326-08:00Another danger is riding up/down a dirt road (or u...Another danger is riding up/down a dirt road (or up the "dirt tracks" where the road crests) and you cannot see what is coming down/up toward you. I was riding below the Marianas one day and just "had this feeling" and rode to the side of the tracks. Here came a guy in his pickup truck, airborn as his truck shot off the crest and landed about 15' below it.<br /><br />Had my riding companion and I been ON the road, we would never have been able to get out of the way in time, and he might very well have landed ON us.<br /><br />I figure "riding across the prairie" is a good idea whether there's a road or "trail" or not. As long as the terrain is flat and you can see what's coming your way (or coming up behind you), riding on the trail is fairly safe. If it's hilly, I'd stay off the trail and be extra alert when approaching the crest of any hill.TBDancerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03889066602819359591noreply@blogger.com