Trail riders: Be honest, how often do you ride alone?

Nearly every ride I take is alone. If I didn't ride alone, because of my schedule I wouldn't ride much at all.

I can get hit by a bus walking to my car. I can get shot in a robbery while making a deposit at my bank. I can fall down my steps and break my back. And yes, I can fall off my horse and get killed on the trail.

I chose to live my life on my terms and do what makes me happy. That includes riding alone.

My tips for riding alone: Do it on a horse you trust. Keep a cell phone on your BODY, not in a saddle bag (learned that one the hard way). Carry baling twine for quick tack fixes. Keep your saddle in good repair. Carry bottled water and toilet paper (another one I learned the hard way). Always have a trail map if you're riding in new areas. Learn how to read trail maps (learned that the hard way too). Always check weather conditions before heading out. Carry rain gear (yup, hard way again). Plan your route, and give it to someone you trust. Let someone know where you're going and when you should be back. If your horse says no, find out why. Don't push your luck.

I pretty much always ride on my own, unless i have a lesson! I go to a stable, where the majority of people are older, like 50's- 60's, so they ride during the day time, but i go to school in the day, so i only have really early in the mornings or after school.

I do know that there is some risk when i go out, i know where im going and i always tell my parents what route im going on, and how long the trail should take, so if im back more than half an hour late without phoning my parents, they come out looking for me.

So no matter what happens, i more or less fine, and the only time i go on a trail that my parents dont know is with other people, so im pretty much safe all round.

Id rather live my life taking risks than just being careful all the time.

I ride alone...because well I dont really have anyone else to ride with!!! I am 1 of only 3 boarders and I NEVER see the other 2 boarders, and they dont trail ride.

When I trail ride- I tell the person working at the barn that I am going out and will be back in ___.....and if Im not back to come find my body...hehe jk but I always tell someone that I am going out and the time I will be back. So if I am not back in like 2 hours- they know that something happened and to come look.

Then when I do arena work- I ride alone which is good actually!!! Then I dont have to think about running into others, what the others are doing..etc...Its just me...and my horse!

When I had horses in my backyard, I would leave notes on the neighbor's door to the effect of "If this note is still on your door and it's past 6 pm, please come find me on the trail" (he had a four wheeler) Then I moved to a busy barn and loved the safety aspect of it. Most of the time it was me who got to do the first aid and driving to the hospital or calling the ambulance (seldom) horses tend to get hurt more than people when good basic precautions are taken.

I digress as I so often do. Now I keep my horses at a private barn; just mine and the owners horses, and it is very different. No near neighbors, and the owner is home sometimes, but works and has many church obligations. Most of my horses I can safely ride alone, but one I prefer to have someone there. That said, I badly hurt my knee mounting recently and have been unable to ride for 6 weeks. No one was there, just a freak accident.

In the days before cell phones, it was a much bigger deal (when I had them in my backyard) and at the barn I am currently at, I only have spotty coverage. The horse trails by the lake are very well covered by cell reception. I keep the GPS function turned on with my phone, carry it with me everywhere, and have hopes that it would at least speed up finding me if I were unable to call or was lost and hurt. I ride the trails with my faithful mutt dog; he has medium long hair and a happy personality. He has defused more dog aggression toward my horse than I can count. He sometimes gets a little roughed up, and I admit I bring him along as a judas goat, but he protects me in the best way possible.

Do I think it's safe to ride alone? No. I do it knowing that it is a safety issue and take what precautions I can. If I waited to go trail riding for when someone else could go with me, I would only go once a month, and that's not sufficient for me to stay sane.

I ride alone all the time, it's quite peaceful. I like enjoying my surrondings and spending quality time with my horse. When I have someone there they feel the need to talk throughout the entire ride and all I want to hear is the sound of nature. It's the whole reason I go on trail rides. I do however, ride with my brother and the occasional friend or other family member. When I go out by myself I let my grandparents, a friend or my brother know what trail I plan on hitting and how long. Kind of like a float plan with a boat. I also bring my cell phone and a first aid kit with my attached to my saddle. Just in case.

However, accidents happen every day and can occur everywhere, you can have an accident going to sit on a toilet, but it's the risk you are willing to take. I of course wear my helmet always and always try to be alert on the trail. Try to see hazards before your horse spooks.

Happy trails.

I ride alone on the trails probably 50% of the time. I have started to take my cell phone with me, but I guess that's not much good if I'm knocked out. I always wear my helmet, and my horses are safe, non-spooky horses, so I don't worry much.

I boarded this past winter, and the trainer there hated when I rode alone. I'm probably the only one at that barn who would ride alone... but I liked the indoor arena to myself. I don't like always having to locate other people before i canter, jump or even turn in a circle.

I think it's good for a horse to be taken out on the trails alone. A horse must learn to behave away from the herd and put his trust in his rider.

I know the risks of riding alone. I know of one girl who decided to take her horse out alone and jump. She fell off, and somehow she was killed. I'm not sure of the exact details.

Most trails I ride on are neutrally flat with no major obstacles. There are the occasional dogs, but, like many riders have stated, I keep a cell strapped to my hip AT ALL TIMES while in the saddle, even in the arena.

I ride alone because most of the boarders at my ranch are older, or go off with other people, and I don't want to intrude. I always make sure someone knows when I got to the ranch, and my boyfriend and a couple of friends have trail maps I gave them, just so they know where to have search and rescue look if I don't turn up.

I use a helmet if I plan on going faster than a trot, or riding challenging terrain, but mostly I just casually meander down the trail, ipod blasting in my shirt pocket. :)

I was riding alone when I fell and broke my pelvic bone. Since then, I've been pretty wary of riding alone. However, I have gone alone since then. Now however, I make sure someone knows where I'm going, and how long I'm planning on going for. My mom and I have also agreed that if I'm riding alone, every fifteen minutes I text or call her, so that she knows I'm alive and uninjured.

There is something about riding alone I love. I do love that it's just you and your horse, and like you, my horse and I trust each other and she's a great trail horse. I completely agree with what you said that every trail horse should be trained to be ridden bitless. It comes in handy. The first night we took my brother's horse out for a long trail ride, we ended up getting lost (there were three of us) and my brother's bridle broke. Because we'd been riding him in a halter since he was trained to saddle, it wasn't an issue and we avoided what could have been a major wreck.

Where my dad lives we have a lot of wild animals, bears, cougars and wolves. It's very easy to come upon them suddenly, so when I'm alone I make sure I talk out loud to my horse pretty frequently. It helps to warn any animals that we're coming.

When my friends are at the barn ( which is almost everyday ) I ride with them, but when they are not there I ride by myself, but I do not go very far from my barn. I take lessons at a very busy show barn, so I am rarely there by myself! I always tell someone where I am going and when I am going to be back. I only go on trails that are visible from the barn or the one on the other side of the woods just in case. I also only go on horses that trust me.

personally i never ride alone just because i feel safer if i do like say i get knocked out and cant reach my cell phone then that is extremely dangerous.. but im lucky because i board my horse at a busy barn where there's always a friend to ride with.. i guess if your going to ride alone then make SURE you have your cell with you<----- this is REALLY important.. really i dont think there's any reason to ride alone to test your horse.. but i understand wanting to ride alone and really you dont have a choice... really i dont think there is a right answer for this question so as long as you have a cell on you, a helmet, and you ride a reliable horse safely then good luck is all i got to say