Ugh!
From time to time folks will ask us if they can bring their horses out and ride. We appreciate people asking, but once in awhile they’ll get an attitude about it and my normally happy-go-lucky nature turns dark and resentful. I hate to say no, but “no” should be sufficient, we don’t have to explain NOT allowing folks to bring their horses out on our property or during our rides.
But, heck. Let’s talk about it.
Insurance
People use “insurance” as a canned response to say “no” to folks. In our case, it’s true that insurance is a major factor in our decision. The first question from our insurance company when we add an activity is, “Do you own the horses?” Followed by, “are horses that you don’t own allowed on your tours?”
We could get a different insurance policy, but I’m quite on board with the notion of hedging the bets in our favor. We go with horses we know, to places we know are safe, with staff who are certified in CPR and First Aid. We have as many controls in place as we possibly can in order to ensure a safe and fun tour for our guests and ourselves.
Herd Health and Dynamics
It’s hard to prove a horse has been vaccinated, unlike with humans. When we introduce a new horse to the herd we quarantine them, vaccinate them, and slowly integrate them into the herd. It’s a process, one that is unlikely to occur with horses and owners who we don’t know.
In the past 3 months there has been an outbreak of a deadly equine virus in Washington state, killing more than a half-dozen horses. Those outbreaks are hard to predict (even occurring in vaccinated horses), and have a terrible outcome. We try to keep tight controls on the horses we introduce to our herd.
And herd dynamics. Oh my gosh. Herd hierarchy is complex and hugely important to the herd. Our herd has it sorted out (though they do frequently still challenge each other). But, introduce a new horse to the herd and all of the mares go into heat, something I’d prefer our guests not have to contend with when they really just want a relaxing tour.
We Can’t Give Permission to What Isn’t Ours
The property where we ride is all privately owned. We have permission to go certain places and not others. Vineyard managers call us and let us know where there are activities like trenching or trellis wires being strung or spraying or anything else that is potentially hazardous to us (or where they don’t want us to be underfoot).
We encourage anyone interested in riding out here on their own horses to contact the property owners directly. They’ll let you know if it’s okay, and where you can and can’t ride and when. We can’t.
Riding through Ciel du Cheval
Seriously, You Don’t Want to Ride With Us
If you’re a horse-owner looking for a place to ride, you probably won’t like riding with us. We walk. We have specific horses we take out together, for specific reasons. If you’re on your own horse you’ll want to gallop, or trot, or intermingle in the string. You won’t like it when we tell you not to do any of those things. You could gallop off and one of our horses takes off to follow, against the wishes and comfort level of our guests.
But Not MY Horse!
You might be absolutely right, your horse is a complete gem. It’s not a judgement against you or your horse that we don’t allow others to join us or ride out here, not at all. It doesn’t mean we don’t want you to enjoy your horse or the beauty of the Tri-Cities, some of the best riding there is.
