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Posted by mary bluepony
on 5/21/2012, 10:13 am, in reply to "here's a good debate! handwalking on road"
71.93.164.137
You don't ride here unless you are riding with traffic!
Any and all types of horses with varying degrees of training go along the streets daily. Some well trained, some not and some a hair's breath from catastrophe.
Personally I wouldn't want to be trail riding on a horse I didn't trust to go along the road. Horses need to be handled by a knowledgable person to become trail/road safe under all circumstances.
I have no use for what passes for most ideas of 'desensitising' a horse; it usually boils down to scaring him till he gives up and THAT doesn't make them safe.
A horse, regardless of training, that doesn't obey handler's/rider's cues at all times isn't safe whether on the ground, in the arena, trail riding or roadside.
Leading the horse along the road would be better than riding it IF the rider has any question about their ability BUT someone who isn't sure of keeping ahold of the horse shouldn't be anywhere but an arena.
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