[pct-l] Horse etiquette

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good afternoon, Swope,

In spite of the fact that I’m – first, last, and always -- a hiker I’ve had
a long and pleasant association with horses and other pack animals;
including burros, mules, and lamas.  My first contact was during the
Roosevelt administration, when WW-II gas rationing made farming difficult
for my father so for several years he reverted to using draft horses
instead of his tractor.  As a little kid, I well remember those huge,
gentle animals.

Later, I married a horsewomen and cared for a number of saddle horses and
burros that we owned and had on our property.  I rode them, fed them,
trimmed their hoofs, patched-up wounds, and poked big antibiotic needles in
their neck or rump when they got a snotty nose.

Regardless of my attraction to horses, I agree with a John Wayne line,
paraphrased, “A horse is nothing but a 1,000 pounds of trouble in a leather
sack.”

Please note that my comments below do not apply to any PCT riders on this
List.  I know you all have mounts that are without character faults, and
are perfectly trained, well-mannered, and trail-wise.

Here are some good things for a hiker to remember about pack and saddle
stock:

On the trail these are not pets.  They are working animals with a job and a
boss.  Please avoid running up and saying, “Oh, look at the cute horsey”,
and start petting him.

Be aware that horses – like dogs – are likely to get into poison oak,
particularly on their nose where people like to pet them.

They don’t need any of your food – granola bars, candy, or the like.  Neither
do they need that wad of grass you pick up beside the trail.

If you encounter a serious trail rider, or a professional packer, be guided
by what they say you should, or should not, do.  If the rider is a dude
tourist on a guided trail ride, don’t believe anything they say about their
horse – just get out of the way.

If you stop and talk to the rider, the easy thing to do is to stand close
to the horse’s shoulder – left or right.  That’s a bad place to be if a
peeved horse turns its head and nips at the first convenient thing -- which
is the hiker’s upper arm.  As a minimum the hiker could be clobbered when
the horse impatiently tosses his head in your direction – something that is
much more common than biting.

Kicking is really very uncommon for horses, but stay away from their rump
anyway.  Mules are somewhat more likely to kick, but probably the only
mules on the trail will belong to the professional packers or serious
enthusiasts, both of whom vet the animals to identify character faults
before exposing them to the public.

Don’t try to duck out of sight.  Make sure the stock and the riders see you
as far away as possible.

If several hikers are together, all should move off the same side of the
trail.  Stock gets a bit tense when they have to walk between “threats” on
both sides of the trail at the same time.

One of the more difficult things is to overtake a pack string, which
serious hikers can easily do.  Be sure the wrangler(s) hears you coming,
and then ask how they would like you to pass.  Its awkward because they
really can’t get off the trail for you.

Theoretically, a hiker should move off the trail down-grade, but it’s
really more important to just get a few yards away without making any
commotion.  Even then there are no guarantees:  I once hiked into Eagle Cap
Wilderness in, NE Oregon, and encountered a professional packer coming out
with an empty string of mules.  There were two wranglers: One in the lead
and one following in the drag.  I did all the right things:  I made sure
they saw me; I got off the trail; and I kept still.  The lead wrangler
waved as he passed, and the mules in the string seemed to pay no attention
to me – very well behaved.  Unfortunately, when the drag wrangler passed he
also gave a big, friendly wave.  At that point, one of the last mules in
the string bolted ahead– apparently believing something bad was about to
catch him from the rear – and he tried to pass the remainder of the string.
On most long pack strings the wrangler leads the first pack animal; then
the lead rope of the second animal is tied to the a loop in the tail-hair,
or to the packsaddle, of the first; the lead of the third animal is tied to
the back of the second, *ad infinitum*, until they are all tied together
like ducks in a row, each in its own place.  When the mule near the rear
bolted you can’t even imagine the commotion that was created in the string
with each mule trying to pass his buddies in front.  The wranglers were
pros, and fortunately they got it all straightened out after a couple of
hundred yards.  They weren’t mad.  They knew perfectly well that things
like that can, and will, happen.

Most pack and saddle animals have the disagreeable habit of lunging ahead a
bit through a rough spot such as up a bank or when crossing a creek.  A
hiker may tend stand close to the trail to watch them cross only to find
them suddenly coming at you at a trot.

A trail-wise horse is great at fording because they have long legs, lots of
weight, and four-wheel-drive.  Some hikers may be tempted to ask to hold
onto the saddle strings to get some help when fording.  That’s a bad idea:  The
horse will cross too fast for a hiker, and then it will probably lunge the
last 10 feet and up the bank.  A really bad idea is to try to cross
upstream of the horse unless you want to fall down in the water then be
swept under the horse’s feet as he scrambles.  The best plan is to stay
well back and out of the way.

There’s an old saying, “Anyone who says all people are equal has never been
afoot and been passed by someone on a fine horse.”  Try not to be resentful.

Enjoy your hike,

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/


On Sun, Mar 11, 2012 at 7:32 PM, Christopher Swope <sswwooppee at gmail.com>wrote:

> Before my hike in 2010, I wish I had the sense to ask this list about
> proper horse etiquette before I hit the trail.
>
> Maybe one of the knowledgeable horse people on this list could go over
> what's expected of hikers and riders when they meet one another on the
> trail? I'm a little embarrassed to say, I still am not entirely sure what
> best practices are, other than:
>
>
>   - don't scare the horse.
>   - don't get kicked by a horse.
>
>
> Anyhow, someone is sure to be helped out with this info.
>
> Swope
> _______________________________________________
>