The worst feeling in the world is having to make the call that a ride is cancelled. It has to be one of the worst aspects of the business, and one we try to do sparingly.
It is always a safety issue. That’s the only reason we’ve ever cancelled. And weather is usually the culprit.
There’s an old saying in the Tri-Cities — “the wind doesn’t blow here, it sucks!” I remember as a kid when the wind picked up and sometimes half my classmates would be gone from school, helping their parents put tires on their roofs to keep them from blowing off. We lost the roof to our barn one year, and our well-house nearly ended up in West Richland a couple of times.
When the wind picks up to about 15 mph, we start to get a little fuzzed up about doing the trail rides. The howling wind makes it impossible for guests to hear the guides (and vice versa), removing a very important aspect of safety. As guides, we rely on being able to hear the footsteps and little noises of the horses in the string. Is a horse lame? Is a horse slowing down? Speeding up? Flopping its feet down hard, indicating back pain? Are all the horses still with us?
We also are listening to guests — are they repeatedly telling the horse “no!” or trying to coax the horse into compliance in some way? That means there’s a problem.
And, of course, we need to communicate with our guests and if they can’t hear us, we can’t help.
The other aspect of the wind is that it makes the horses a little “fresh” sometimes. This isn’t quite as big a deal, the horses are pretty solid and comfortable and know their job. But, the wind might kick up an old plastic bag or tumbleweed (or trampoline?) into our path and give the horses a little start.
Spring and fall are the toughest seasons, the weather can change from one minute to the next. Probably the most aggravating thing is when we cancel a ride, and then the wind stops. That’s the worst!
We always offer the ability to reschedule or refund when we cancel a ride.
And so, this morning the wind is blowing, I had to cancel a ride, and am looking forward to calmer, longer days in the saddle.
