Trail riding is its own sport. It is very important to teach your horse to stand still when mounting and dismounting, but the trail has its own set of challenges. Arena riders are generally riding in an arena for a short length of time, and the need to dismount is not usually part of the performance, unless you are roping calves, etc. On the trail, no one is going to run out from ringside and hand you your hat if it blows off.
The other significant factor is the condition of the surface you are landing on. Arena footing is generally level and not slippery. On the trail, that's not always the case. No one is telling you to fly off your horse jockey style. You can lean on your horse for support and balance. If you are dismounting on the “near side” (left), swing your right leg OVER the horse, now lean against the horse, and release your left stirrup. Now, slide down, landing with both feet touching the ground at the same time. Practice at home, dismounting from “near” left and “off” right sides. Also, remember that loose clothing and large belt buckles are hazardous on the trail. We care about you, so stay safe out there.
An Editorial Note from Tom
I have ridden with this woman for over 50 years. I have come to learn that arguing with her over anything to do with horse safety is as stupid as arguing with Sir Isaac Newton about the effects of gravity on a falling object.
On this subject I can interject my own personal story. Soon after graduating from the University of Notre Dame I was employed as a pharmaceutical representative. My territory was Colorado, from border to border.
While in a small 1 doctor town in eastern Colorado I was patiently waiting for an overworked country doctor to see me so I could tell him about all my drugs. After sitting for 5 minutes or so the door flies open and a group cowboys (we’re talking the real deal, seven or so dust covered, dawn-to-dusk open range ranch hands almost knock the door off its hinges carrying their buddy in. He was a bloody wreck, hardly distinguishable as a human being. Here was a man who lived with horses, riding , rodeoing and making his living from their back over 40 years! Quite dead. How? Despite 40 years of flying out of the saddle in every manner conceivable, for reasons no one can ever be certain of; perhaps a clod of Colorado red clay had dried on the sole of his boot so it wouldn't slide out of the stirrup, maybe a set of new stirrups that were a smudge small he was planning to return tomorrow, maybe a spur got caught, maybe… who knows!
But this day as he threw his right leg over and stepped down his left foot didn’t reach the ground as it had thousands of times before, it stuck in his stirrup. His horse, who was standing perfectly still they told me just up and run off! Dragging this poor man a good mile before stopping to graze. He died within minutes of being laid on the table. I witnessed the horror of it.
I am sorry for being so macabre, but your wife, husband, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, grandson or grandchild will someday not have to thank me for waking you up by reading this article, it will be the greatest unthanks I ever get. There is no sane argument here. Bad knees, dismount on a hill, find a large flat elevated landing area where the drop is small. Do it safely. Not for us, do it right for “them”.
~Tom Scrima, ACTHA GM
ACTHA Monthly | November 2014 | 27