From: Cheyenne
Dear Jessica, I got in trouble last weekend and I don't understand why. I didn't tell my parents because they don't like for me to be riding alone on new trails anyway. I was riding on a new trail, well not really new but I hadn't ridden on it before, and part of it was on a hill and the trail went back and forth and back and forth in squiggly lines called "switchbacks". I know they are called that because a big mean guy who was riding on the trail with his wife (I guess) stopped me and yelled at me because I wasn't using them. That's the first time I ever heard the word "switchback". It doesn't sound very nice.
My horse is very strong and I have ridden him up and down bigger hills than this before, so there was not a reason to worry. It was easier and faster and more fun for me and my horse to go straight up and cut across the squiggles. But this guy had a fit, he was really unpleasant about it, and said I was destroying the trail. I think that if he is so insecure that he has to ride his horse in squiggles just to get up and down a hill, maybe he should just ride in the ring. I didn't say that to him because I have been brought up to be polite to adults even when they are acting rude and crazy.
Do you think that I actually did anything wrong, just because me and my horse prefer to go the direct way and go in a straight line instead of turning all the time and taking twice as long to get there? How could we hurt the trail, we were hardly even on it, only when we stepped on it when we were crossing it, and that guy and his wife and their horses were on the trail every minute, so if anybody was hurting it, they were. Also, trails are there to be ridden on, so what was that all about? I hope you can tell me, because I liked running up and down that hill, but I don't want to get in trouble again if there are a lot of rude people riding there like that guy. I don't think I did anything bad but if I did, I want you to explain it to me because you always make sense.
Cheyenne
You're quite right, trails are there to be ridden on - and wherever switchbacks (a perfectly nice word) are part of the trail, you SHOULD follow them. Here's the thing about trails: They do much more than just give you a place to ride - they show you how to stay OFF the areas where you shouldn't ride.
I'm sure that you're a secure rider and that your horse is strong, but that's really not the point. The man who yelled at you was probably not worried about your horse not being strong enough to run straight up the hill - I'm sure it was quite obvious that your horse WAS strong enough, since you were doing just that. He was yelling because what you were doing was bad, not necessarily for your horse, but for the trails and the hillside. I'm glad you were polite to him, because he wasn't being rude or crazy. He was right to tell you not to cut across the switchbacks, and as for someone being better off riding in an arena, I'd be willing to bet that he and his wife thought that YOU were the one who didn't have any business riding outside.
Switchbacks are designed for safety - yours and your horse's and the environment's. I know it seems silly to twist and turn instead of running up and down hills in a straight line, but trailriding isn't about achieving the shortest distance between two points, it's about responsible enjoyment of the scenery. Hhere's why you should use the existing trails instead of cutting across switchbacks. Good trail-riding means staying ON the trail and following it, switchbacks and all. It also means PRESERVING the trail and the environment around it - cutting across switchbacks will hurt the trail itself, hurt the environment, shorten the life of the trail, and provide ammunition to those people who want to limit equestrian access to trails.
When riders (and packers, bikers, joggers, hikers, etc.) stick to the trails, they limit the inevitable destruction to the grasses, plants, trees, and water in that area. Keeping all of the feet and tires and hooves on a single path accomplishes two things. It keeps the path clear, so that humans and animals are protected - there's an obvious, safe place for walking and riding. It also protects the hillside itself! When travelers stick to the trail, the grass, plants, and trees on the hillside are all protected from damage, both the immediate damage from traffic, and the damage of erosion over time.
Those switchbacks aren't silly or frivolous, they're a purpose-built way to let traffic go up and down steep hillsides without putting either the traffic or the hillsides at risk. Switchbacks don't just happen - they are planned, designed, created, and maintained by people who care very much about preserving those hillsides. If, on one of your rides, you ever have a chance to talk with someone from the National Forest Service, ask about switchback design - and ask about the dangers that can be created from erosion, and about the way that cutting across switchbacks can damage the surrounding plants and promote that erosion.
It's not clever to cut across switchbacks or to ride outside the existing trail - the former will create new "trails" that will promote damage and erosion, and the latter will create wider and wider trails, which... will promote damage and erosion. If you'll make a habit of protecting the trail and the areas around the trail, and help other people learn how and why to do the same thing, you'll be doing a good thing for the environment, for other people who enjoy the trails, and for yourself. Someday in the future, you may want to introduce your own children to the joys of responsible trail-riding. If you help take care of the trails and their surroundings NOW, those trails could be there forever, just waiting for you to show your own family how much fun trail-riding can be.
If you and others cut across switchbacks and make your own "trails", there's no limit to the damage you can cause.
If you're lucky enough to live in an area where you can ride on hills and follow interesting trails, please USE those trails - that will be your way of helping to preserve the surrounding environment.
It's always best to ride with someone else, but if you must ride alone, be sure to "file a flight plan" so that someone knows where you were going and when you expected to be back. At the very least, your parents should know where you are. If anything happens to you or your horse, someone will have an idea of where to begin the search. Horses often find their way home after losing their riders, but unfortunately, horses aren't very good at explaining just where they were when the rider came off.
Alone or in company, trail etiquette matters a lot - here are just a few reminders you may find useful.
Remember to greet other riders - or anyone else you meet. Remember that walkers, joggers, hikers, and people packing llamas (i.e., anyone on foot) should yield to anyone riding or leading a horse or mule - and that if you're the person on the horse, you should slow down, smile, and say "Hello" and "Thank you". The reason that everyone else should yield to a horse isn't because people riding horses are better than other people, it's simply because whoever can most easily step off the trail and do the least damage should be the one to yield, and horses generally do the most damage! Remember that in steep areas, downhill traffic should yield to uphill traffic - which means that hikers/bikers should take the downhill side and yield to horses. Considerate riders are welcome everywhere - and part of being a considerate rider is taking some thought for the environment, and riding in a way that causes the least amount of damage. You didn't understand why the man you met was angry with you, but now that you DO understand it, I'm sure you'll never let that happen again.
If you love riding the trails and enjoy riding your horse up and down hills, there are better and safer ways to go about it. For instance, you might want to get involved with the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), or the North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC). You'll learn how to condition your horse so that it can make big efforts up and down hills with less damage to its feet, legs, and joints. You'll also meet a lot of people who have the same interests you do, and have the opportunity to compete. There's no limit to how far you can go in the sport - remember, endurance riding is an Olympic event!
Jessica
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