Ride with Us! Safety Tips

[@HappieronaHorse]

I forgot to mention! I make sure to attach my car keys, cell phone/Garmin TO MY PERSON, not my saddle, in case I get separated from my horse I have a way to call for help. 😜I know of a few people who failed to do this to their dismay lol.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oooh so nice! Very cool you can make your own!

[@heatherhinds138]

I love the saddle squeak! I also enjoy your voice. I have always enjoyed riding solo the most. Though we leased a super POA pony for a couple of years and my kids could take turns coming out with me, that was a great time .

[@HappieronaHorse]

Aw thank you very much! That sounds like an IDEAL family horse. Yeah, riding solo is great. Have a great weekend!

[@lisasmth9856]

I'm surprised at how energetic and eager the draft horse is. I expected a draft horse to be more sluggish. This is very interesting and good information. Thank you again! 💖

[@barbarawitt1049]

He is such a lovely forward horse! Great advice as well!

[@HappieronaHorse]

Thank you so much! ❤️

[@AndyTheCornbread]

...so I just got off the phone a bit ago with my best friend. His wife came off her mule Saturday evening in a freak accident. The mule stepped on a child's toy in their yard and stepped back to get it off its foot and put its butt on the electric fence. It then jumped forward and sideways. She came off and has a broken pelvis, broken ribs, and a concussion with a brain bleed. She is in the hospital and will have surgery later this week to have her pelvis pinned back together. It just goes to show that even very experienced riders can have freak accidents. You can never be too careful or too safe.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Wow so sorry to hear about your friend. Praying she makes a full and speedy recovery. 🙏🏼

[@bored2033]

Love how honest you are with the training. What a great trail too. We have to worry about sudden storms in the spring here but we do have excellent meteorologists and they can storm track like you wouldn't believe. So we pay attention to predicted weather and most of the time you are ok. I live in tornado ally, lol.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oh man tornadoes scare me! Glad you guys have accurate weather info. Happy you enjoyed the video, thanks!

[@pack9764]

i love the sound of the saddle moving on the horse idk why😅

[@connorroberts7335]

Man you can’t make enough of these videos!

[@JFS1215]

Your horse reminds me of my recently under saddle (6 months )Percheron, very forward.

[@teraloew9364]

Anna here, I use a family account so it isn’t my name. I love watching your videos. I have been following your channel since the beginning. You do such a great job explaining and showing everything. The effort you put in is amazing. I live in California as well and recently bought a horse to do trail riding with. These kinds of videos are super helpful for me. You and Fame are rockstars! Thanks for sharing with us and taking the time and effort to create great content. Would you ever consider doing another LIVE chat?

[@HappieronaHorse]

Hey Anna! Thank you so much, that means a lot. Hope to see you this afternoon on the livestream!

[@AleeraxEdwardx4eva]

Really interesting video. We are from Switzerland. There we don’t have so many trails like this. More streets, with more or less cars. My Clydesdale Mare and I will start riding in August with the help of a Trainer. I thougt about buying a Air West too, but i have chosen another West without Air, because I‘m one of those people who would forget to unlock the strap and poof… 🤷🏻‍♀️🙈 And for safety allone, I bought an Guardian Horse tracker. The tracker is conected to the horse and to my Phone that has to be in my pocket. If I would fall of and my horse runs away, it will loose conection and it will send coordinates to my contacts. And it would do so also, if we don‘t move anymore. So if she stays with me and I‘m nocket out, it will also send out coordinates. Think thats a good invention. Happy I found that. ☺️

[@HappieronaHorse]

I worry I will forget to disconnect the vest too lol. That Guardian thing sounds awesome! I will have to see if we have that here in the States. Good luck with your mare, I'm excited for you guys! PS one of my most favorite travel memories was in Lucerne - such a gorgeous country, Switzerland!

[@elizabethsakurai4253]

Wonderful video!! I know the park. Im from Southern CA. I would love to do a camping trail ride but wouldn't do it alone. Be well!!

[@HappieronaHorse]

Thank you! And so cool you know Coe! 👍🏼

[@barrybracegirdle2931]

Cindy speaking ( Barry's wife ) Everything you talked about in this video all made perfect sense. All good information to know. Thank you for sharing. Have a great weekend and ride. From PEI Canada

[@HappieronaHorse]

Thank you Cindy! Glad you found it helpful! ❤️

[@beauvandenieuwegiessen5226]

I really like watching your videos. I have a Haflinger 21and a Brabant trekpaard 13(I am currently teaching to ride).

[@HappieronaHorse]

Two breeds I ADORE! I wish we had more Brabants in the US. Cheers!

[@JFS1215]

In general, your helmet is considered compromised in the event of a fall. So if you have a fall, buy a new one. The case for safety vests ( air bags) is not so clear: in Europe studies show MORE injuries with safety vests. The reason is still not clear. One theory is that safety vest users are more likely to engage in risky behavior, knowing that they have a vest..

[@JFS1215]

How do you deal with egressive dogs? I’ve learned to keep the dog in front of the horse. That way the horse doesn’t panic. Some riders also will chase the aggressive dog. It teaches the dog ( and the owner) to keep distance.

[@Dannydumal]

would you be able to do more horse ride with helmet cam tours please

[@TheLunita333]

Norco gets really windy (sometimes up to 80 mph winds) so I never ride when it feels drafty as the wind can pick up and the trees on the trail are dying (a huge tree actually fell on my husband's truck). Also hot dry days can cause a fire in the riverbed.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oooh yes fire and wind. I’m not a fan of windy days either. 😬

[@lisasmth9856]

What trail is this? Are you going to make more vids of other trails? I'm looking for a nice long virtual ride for a few hours, and I'd like to see various trails. I haven't been able to find any vids like that.

[@chrislorck5463]

could you do a video on what you bring for your horses diet when you are camping? i love your channel and you have helped me so much with my horse revon.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Thank you so much, love the name Revon! For camping we bring a bale of grass and alfalfa, same as what he eats at home. I also bring hay pellets in case he prefers those. He tends to eat less when we camp.

[@MostMarvelousMOCs]

Great tips thanks!

[@HappieronaHorse]

You bet!

[@just_joc]

Excellent content as always Stephanie! I share your frustration with the ubiquitous poison oak in Bay Area trails. Btw, I read the Equestrian Access Guidelines published by the Mid Peninsula Regional Open Space which states that all trail users, including hikers, bicyclists, and visitors with dogs, should always yield to equestrians. However most trail users are not aware of this so it's always good to be prudent and assume that they are not aware of the rules. I was curious how you plan your trail rides. Do you consult a trail map to determine your route or do you use the all trails app? Do you plan out where you park your trailer and what time you go? Thanks again for the safety talk.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Hey Jocelyn! I will look that up, we haven't been to many MidPen properties yet, thanks! Same is true for county parks....SO agree about people not knowing to yield. I feel like that triangle sign is so confusing and unclear. 🤦🏻‍♀️Like you, I just assume nobody knows better lol. I plan out with AllTrails desktop first and I like visiting in advance without a horse to see what the staging area and drive are like. Would make a good video, maybe. 🤔Thanks for your comment, hope you and your horse are well. ❤️

[@just_joc]

@@HappieronaHorse Good idea checking out the staging area in the trails without a horse first! There are so many MidPen trails that are horse-friendly btw. If you give their office a call they will send you free maps in the mail. Since I'm just leasing a horse unfortunately I can't take him off the property. When I had my own horse we used to roam all over Purisima Creek trails and Woodside trails. Hope to meet you someday as a hiker!

[@form49b]

You can download all the MidPen maps in one bundle in the Avenza Maps app and then see your location on those maps. I hiked a new-to-me preserve the other day and it was very helpful.

[@form49b]

Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship created a set of trail etiquette cartoons that they posted on their IG page (@santacruztrails as #trailtips). I’m checking to see if there’s an easy place to access all of them. It’s one way MTB advocates are trying to reinforce good behavior. Please be sure to tell MTB riders how you would like them to handle crossings. We don’t always get it right but most of us want to do the right thing.

[@bethje30]

Hi Stephanie, Fame reminds me so much of my Irish Cob mare. She is very forward too which I didn't expect. The owner sold me a Barefoot Saddle with her which suits her well. What do you think about them and them not having a tree. Are they ok for long distance? Also I have lots of experience but lost my confidence due to a few scary experiences. I am quite nervous even if my mare is very reliable...but forward. I am starting on short outings with her just around the farm. This goes well but she is not quite sure yet and has these moments that she wants to return home as fast as possible. I can slow her down but it stresses me out a little bit. I will watch you videos, I find it makes me feel better about taking my time and be carefull.

[@HappieronaHorse]

I personally haven't used a treeless saddle and I hear mixed things about them. I'm glad the videos make you feel better! You got this, good luck!

[@EviesHangout]

What another fun ride! I really enjoyed your train of thought topics about safety and riding in a group. It’s getting closer and closer to the time when I’ll hopefully have access to riding again, so the subjects you talked about were very helpful. Totally random (and sorry if this is gross), but on public trails like these, is there any etiquette associated with picking up your horse’s droppings if it lands on the main path? I’ve always wondered about that but never asked lol 😅 Thanks again for sharing and I’m definitely going to go back to watch the video to count Fame’s snorts like you did in the last trail 🤣

[@HappieronaHorse]

So so glad this was helpful, thanks for the feedback! Around here, there's no requirement to pick up after your horse, just your dog lol. And thank goodness! I can't imagine what a PITA that would be haha! But I find Fame chooses to poop off the side of the trail sometimes, and I suppose it doesn't hurt to make the effort when possible to poop on the "shoulder" but we don't worry about it. Best of luck to you getting riding time again soon!!

[@PhanglyPhish]

Do you know anyone that uses a GPS tag on their horse (on tack or braded in?) in the event that they get separated? That is always my biggest fear when we are out in the boonies :)

[@HappieronaHorse]

Have not but it’s a great idea! I’m sure the product is out there. 👍🏼

[@rosemary19921]

I have a Cleveland bay named fame 🥰

[@HappieronaHorse]

Awesome!!! 🤩

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

Is he nervous when you change the direction he was going in or he's simply forward? I saw whenever you instruct a change he speeds up.

[@HappieronaHorse]

He’s pretty forward. He might have been a bit nervous/hot too. We haven’t gotten out a lot in the past couple months. 🤪

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

@@HappieronaHorse aww poor guy. I've got a 13 yo Gray Shire ex-broodmare to train for the trail. She's a forward one, lead mare until her daughter showed up at the ranch but so calm and collected around me.

[@HappieronaHorse]

@@Nordic_Mechanic Sounds like you guys are already off to a great start, she likes your energy. Good luck!

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

@@HappieronaHorse Yeah although shes a shire so only ever did harness work, never saddle. And even there, mostlyparaded in shows, she's impressive

[@loripeaceandlove6391]

Omygosh! I live in Livermore, Ca - are from Gilroy? PeaceAndLove Lori

[@HappieronaHorse]

Howdy neighbor!! 🤠👍🏼

[@Vicksen80]

I am from Denmark. And the mtb’s here allways yell “from behind” i Think thats better than the Bell. Ding Ding. But how Long is your trails ?! I only ride for like 1 or 1,5 🥰

[@HappieronaHorse]

I appreciate the yelling too! 🤠 some MTBs here ride with bells constantly jingling which would drive me bananas lol. We usually ride 1-2 hrs but we have lots of trails that could be 4+ hrs if you did bigger loops. Wow Denmark! I hope to visit someday! 😍

[@Vicksen80]

@@HappieronaHorse u r welcome to visit. I ride icelandic horses. I have my own and he has been barefoot for almost 2 years. And he is 21. I usually ride for an hour and i hit like 6 km. I want to ride longere and more, but my work gets my tired. And i lack off motivation. But i love him so much and i promised him to keep him for the rest off his life. I look forward to see more off your vids 🥰

[@HappieronaHorse]

@@Vicksen80 Riding an Icelandic is on my bucket list! I watched a documentary about them and was hooked. That tolt! He sounds like he is very well taken care of :). So grateful to have you joining us.

[@Vicksen80]

@@HappieronaHorse you Can find him on insta the_journey_of_garri