Self-Guided Tours of Towns On Trail
Excerpts from "Horses and the W&OD"
by Paige PeckHorses and Virginia have long been almost synonymous. Our state has been justly famous for breeding horses since colonial days. As suburbia and development push further and further into "horse country," however, it becomes more and more difficult for those who love horses to even catch a glimpse of them.... Thanks in part to the W&OD Trail, Northern Virginians haven't totally lost the opportunity to enjoy horseback riding, even in the midst of housing developments and shopping centers.
Those who share the W&OD trail with horses and their riders are occasionally somewhat bemused as to how to treat these large and interesting creatures. The problem: whereas horseback riders are familiar with the behavior of bikers, runners and walkers, many bikers, runners and walkers are completely in the dark as to how to deal with horses. Horses are creatures with their own intelligence. They are not dependent, as is the bike, solely on the intelligence and whims of their riders. This makes them fascinating to those who ride them, but also occasionally challenging. Horses are frequently fearful, being herd animals who instinctively take to flight when confronting something they fear. And they are afraid of many things that wouldn't frighten the most timid child.
Horseback riders have a very real obligation to train their horses well and accustom them to the type of sights they will encounter on the W&OD trail before they use the trail. Unfortunately not every rider does this. And just as no dog owner can be absolutely certain that his dog is going to obey his every command every time, neither can a horseback rider. How many dogs, when all is said and done, are really well trained? And horses who behave impeccably around bikers and runners and children at home may decide that they are afraid of a particular bike on the W&OD on a particular occasion. Bikers and runners and people with dogs should be alert to the behavior of horses in order to safely share the trail.
Most horses on the W&OD will not present a problem. One can pass them with ease, always giving them a wide berth. Once in a while a horse will be suspicious of an approaching biker, runner or dog. The horse will indicate fear by stopping, pointing his ears at the suspicious object and by dancing nervously or even by trying to spin around and run away. Sometimes the approach of a frightening object from the rear will cause a horse to take off for parts unknown-but-undoubtedly-safer. The horse's fear will be increased by sudden, fast appearances rather than slow, gradual appearances. In the mind of the horse, it is better to take off and ask questions later.
Horses present few dangers to other trail users because their instinct is to run away, not attack. The danger is to the horse's rider, who may be unseated and fall off....In an attempt to prevent this situation, the rider may request the bicyclist to stop....All trail users need to realize that uncontrolled dogs are a danger to both horseback riders and bicycle riders. Horseback riders need to give bicycle riders space to pass. Just as bicyclists need to understand the behavior of horses, horseback riders need to realize that the heavy use of the trail will expose their horses to the unexpected....Let's be sure that horses continue to be a part of the Northern Virginia heritage for generations to come, and that suburban children don't forget what a horse looks like.
This page last updated Dec. 6, 2000.
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