A horse carrying a fat woman? I would have ran after them all the way to the trailer and taken my time with a very uncomfortable confrontation. It would have been the last time she rode on my trail.
You are better than me. I was tempted after my one unpleasant encounter to cut them off on the way down and burst out whopping and hollering. It would be unlikely she would still be on the horse
I keep thinking it would be great to have you on some local trails for a run, but let me handle the horse confrontations, if any
I saw them before they saw me, so I did what I always do and stopped running and then announce that I coming up. AK - We had a trail education seminar a few years ago, and I learned a lot about how to approach a horse. The seminar was mostly about what mt. bikers and horse people should do when on the same trail. Mt. bikers were advised to dismount and walk their bikes past the horses.
I saw them before they saw me, so I did what I always do and stopped running and then announce that I coming up.
AK - We had a trail education seminar a few years ago, and I learned a lot about how to approach a horse. The seminar was mostly about what mt. bikers and horse people should do when on the same trail. Mt. bikers were advised to dismount and walk their bikes past the horses.
Thanks. Was that just horses and bikes or everybody?
Why I'm wondering is that with respect to formal etiquette, we're close to edges of last frontier. Some things are common sense and people generally move out of the way of bigger or faster things. We made some etiquette signs for our local trailheads (non-motorized, urban spaghetti loop trails) a few years ago, but some people don't / can't read. A new trails foundation is hoping to work on some education - probably etiquette, esp. for motorized. So far, they've only accumulated a bunch of etiquette background (http://www.matsutrails.org/trail-resources/trail-etiquette/) and haven't synthesized it yet, but it's a start. And we've got a 3-day statewide trails conference coming up in a couple weeks where I think one session is how to share trails.
With the so-called sustainable trail construction guidelines, many new single track trails are being "designed for mtn bikes", which bikers think means they have the right of way. I should add that most existing "trails" are old mining, logging, ranching roads which were not intended to carry 30 ATVs or OHVs in a downpour. So new trails are providing something spec'ed for non-motorized, which gets interpreted as mtn bikes.
Le professeur de trail
Good for the guy that did not agree with her. Truly dangerous. If it had been the opposite and a runner was trying to scare the horse and riders, it could have turned out very bad.
I hope the rangers follow through in sending her a nice little fine.
All of my experiences with horse riders on trails have been positive although I am always afraid that I am going to scare them as I come up on them.
My favorite day of the week is RUNday
Tim
The conference was for everyone on "how to share the trails", but since most encounters were bike vs horse, they focused on that. Big topic was who is allowed on certain trails. The forest has 4 color blazes on their trails (plus White Blazes for the AT) and horses are only allowed to use orange and red trails. Bikers can use orange, yellow and red, and hikers can use all trails including blue. Most of the unblazed trails were but in by mt. bikers or ATV riders (with permission) and that is where the trouble is, since horse people want to use them also.
Where I was running is blazed with red, so this lady thought it should be her trail.
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
Thread killer ..
Two years ago on a local trail that is very popular I was nearly run down by by a rider who's horse was out of control and she had a large wolf dog loose ( dogs must leashed on that trail ) . She called me everything but a white woman pointed at a sign that IMBA put up showing trail courtesy, not the sign saying dogs must be leashed . Turns out I knew her and she then got really mad , I told her if I rode as poorly as you do I wouldn't ride on a multi-use trail that is mountain single track with every dog walker , trail runner and mountain biker in Reno on it .
I understand how they get defensive , the mountain bikers here are beyond awful, they run everyone down including runners during the TRT last year . That said I just don't ride anywhere there are mountain bikers anymore although for years my husband rode his bike along with me on trail rides into the desert . I would also not ride a horse that wasn't well trained on a multi-use trail system . I have seen too many weekend riders who aren't confident in their horsemanship or their horse to be comfortable outside a controlled environment.
The best thing to do is announce yourself , 90% of the time the horse knows you're there but the rider doesn't , they react then the horse reacts to them . Horses are not afraid of people , if you speak they know you are not a predator .
The conference was for everyone on "how to share the trails", but since most encounters were bike vs horse, they focused on that. Big topic was who is allowed on certain trails. The forest has 4 color blazes on their trails (plus White Blazes for the AT) and horses are only allowed to use orange and red trails. Bikers can use orange, yellow and red, and hikers can use all trails including blue. Most of the unblazed trails were but in by mt. bikers or ATV riders (with permission) and that is where the trouble is, since horse people want to use them also. Where I was running is blazed with red, so this lady thought it should be her trail.
Thanks. Are the trails assigned by firmness and width (horses presumably need wider or firmer trails) or by other features, like technicalness with roots and rocks?
Most of our trails are multi-use, primarily because we haven't had any trails plans or TMOs. HOwever, newer ones are being built to USFS sustainability standards, but still trying to accommodate all non-motorized. What's happening though is that the new trails are less interesting, as hard packed as asphalt, or so it seems, so many people, horses included, are continuing to use the fun "social" trails, partly because they still have a protective mat over highly erosive soils and they've got rocks and roots to negotiate (horses do agility also). Managers aren't particularly happy.
Don't know how they did it, but most of the horse approved trails are double track. They can be rocky and rooted or a smooth old logging trail, so seems like width was the only concern.
UPDATE: The Ranger met up with the woman at one of the horse trailer lots. He was just going to give her a warning until he found out the people with her were new riders and she was an instructor. He decided to give her a citation for "Improper Use of Trails" and also gave her a ticket for having an expired registration on her horse trailer.
(Wish I had John's dancing elephant emoticons.)
Are we there, yet?
UPDATE: The Ranger met up with the woman at one of the horse trailer lots. He was just going to give her a warning until he found out the people with her were new riders and she was an instructor. He decided to give her a citation for "Improper Use of Trails" and also gave her a ticket for having an expired registration on her horse trailer. (Wish I had John's dancing elephant emoticons.)
Here ya go!
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Wow trail justice, unbelievable.
Now if we could only get em to write tickets for dog poop.
Wow.Actual enforcement!
Refurbished Hip
You need to buy your ranger a beer!
Running is dumb.
Agreed, plan to drop off a care package on Thursday. This guy takes great care of our team when we have our XC camp up in their group tenting area. He, or his partner, stops by at least once a day to talk to us and give us weather updates, and we always try to feed them. In return, we had the team help on a trail clean-up day last year, so it's been a nice relationship.
Well played George!
That's awesome about the park ranger giving her fines and everything!
An instructor? WTF? I think the outcome was appropriate.
I'm sure the Ranger station will appreciate the care package.
tbd.