From: Cheyenne

Subject: switchbacks on trails

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

Hi Cheyenne! Lucky you to have such interesting trails in a hilly

area - I'll bet the views are wonderful.

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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