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Conference noted::bicycle

Title: Bicycling
Notice:Bicycling for Fun
Moderator:JAMIN::WASSER
Created:Mon Apr 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3214
Total number of notes:31946

3122.0. "Equine trail etiquette" by COOKIE::HOLSINGER (It was like that when I got here) Wed Jul 17 1996 23:07

I was witness to a most unusal equestrian-MTB encounter yesterday; the details 
of which might pervent another of its kind: 

Three of us were riding a favorite single track yesterday. While at rest atop 
our bikes a on ridge we noticed four riders on horseback approaching us on the 
trail. We moved into our usual alignment at trail's edge to permit the horses 
an easy passage. I recognized the third rider and greeted her, which prompted 
the group to stop in front of us, at a comfortable distance. 

After introducing ourselves, the rider asked my fellow biker (whom she also 
knew) to pet her horse's muzzle. Still mounted, she moved a few steps closer 
to my friend who obliged her request. 

The horse moved its head to the side and when drawing back, it managed to 
catch the bicycle's bar end in its far nostril. This completely startled the 
horse, and it reared up, picking up the front of the bike until it was mostly 
verticle. The force of this action threw my friend backwards, and he bounced 
hard onto the trail. My friend still had one foot clipped in, while the horse 
continued to thrash, still impaled by the handlebar. 

He somehow unclipped his shoe from the pedal, at which point the horse was able 
pick the bike completely off the ground, and send it airborn for 15-20 feet, 
all this using a single nostril. Fortunately, the bike was launched away from 
us, and the rider was not thrown. Unfortunately, my friend sustained several 
abrasions and contusions. Also, the bike landed on a large rock and sustained 
substantial damage to the frame. 

I checked my buddy for signs of more severe or internal injuries, while the 
rider checked her horse for damage. She reported there was nothing wrong with 
the horse, aside from the "usual nasal discharge". To their credit, the riders 
were very concerned with my friend's condition, and administered topical first 
aid to him from their ample kit (Hmmmmm?). The rider also offered to help pay 
for damage to the bicycle. 

I have added nostrils to my list of places on a horse that can hurt me, and 
have sworn not to speak to equestrians passing on the trail beyond a courteous 
"Hello". 
/Paul
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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3122.1WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Jul 18 1996 09:484
That certainly is an encounter of the strange kind. Rod Serling
wasn't one of the horses' riders?

Chip