1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 October Voice | Page 32

GENERAL RULES FOR
TRAIL RIDING AS
OUTLINED BY THE
CALIFORNIA STATE
PARK COMMISSION
The following is a continuation
of an article by West Coast corres­
pondent Virginia Lamb, which
was started in last month’s issue.
Rules for State Trail Use—
California Riding and Hiking
Trails
1. Smoke only in designated
areas.
2. No fires to be built except in
areas provided and marked for that
purpose.
3. No loaded fire arms shall be
carried on trail, and no fire arms
whatsoever where or when prohib­
ited by county ordinance.
4. No person shall ride any sad­
dle animal in a manner that might
endanger life or limb of any other
person or animal. And no person
shall allow his animal to stand
improperly attended or improperly
tied.
5. All persons using the trail
shall respect the rights of property
owners along the trail and shall not
trespass on their property or priv­
acy in any way.
6. Any person noticing a fire
along or adjacent to trail shall
immediately make this fire his
whole concern and promptly take
action to see that the proper au­
thorities are notified and then take
action to extinguish the fire or vice
versa, as the conditions require.
7. All persons opening a closed
gate shall close same after passing
through it.
8. All riders and hikers shall lim­
it their use of the trail to the pre­
pared surface and the overnight
rest areas.
9. The lope or canter should be
done on relatively flat ground or
slight incline, then only after the
entire group has been given the
signal.
10. Do not let your horse graze
or snatch bites, during the ride, as
32
this will cause riders to pile up
behind.
11. When in brush or low limbs,
don’t hold them as you pass. Others
in rear could get a serious injury
when you release your hold. You
should call back any trail hazards
such as low branch — hole — wire
— glass — etc.
12. Climb (walk) down into hole
or ditches with steep inclines.
Never lunge or gallop into them. If
you go into such a place immediate­
ly climb out.
13. When watering on the trail
let your horse have only a few sips
at a time. The first in line should
go to the lowest position down
stream, so as to not make the water
muddy for those following him.
14. After watering, cross stream
and wait on the other side (if a
crossing is planned). If you have
crossed, then wait until all riders
are across, as some horses will not
drink if group is moving on.
15. Take care of the trail, don’t
cut corners, if going up a hill, zig
zag a course to save the hill and
your horse. Close every gate you
find closed.
16. Don’t throw papers or trash
along the trail and if camp has
been made, stuff all papers or
trash under stones, logs or cover
with dirt so they will rot. Leave
a clean camp and dead fire where
a fire is used.
The above sixteen rules and reg­
ulations are adopted by the Cali­
fornia State Park Commission as
amended July 8, 1949.
There are a few more rules of
safety that should be remembered
by anyone riding on an unorgan­
ized trail ride or riding alone.
1. Never gallop up behind an
unsuspecting rider or horse sud­
denly. You could cause the horse
to bolt, or perhaps run away with
the rider, possibly causing injury
to the horse, rider, or both.
2. Stop and render aid to any
horse or rider that is having diffi­
culty or has been injured. If you
cannot help, then find someone
who can.
3. Make sure that your horse is
conditioned before taking on any
trail ride.
4. If heading for high country,
let your horse become accustomed
to the difference in altitude before
beginning your ride, and be sure
to rest him often, so that his breath­
ing is not impaired.
5. Always take a horse blanket
with you if camping over night
at high altitudes as it is generally
cold at night. This may prevent
pneumonia.
6. If your horse appears to be
going lame, stop, get off, and find
out why. It may be a rock, piece
of glass, etc., in his hoof that could
cause serious injury. Remove it
carefully. Do not try to continue
your ride if lameness persists. It is
usually best to lead your mount
back to camp.
7. Never push your horse beyond
his capacity or over heat him. This
could very well cause your horse
to founder and may render him
useless.
If you read and study all of these
rules carefully, abide by them, and
do not say to yourself “Hah! I’ve
been riding trails for years and I
know all there is to know. Why
should I bother?” you will probably
be a much happier trail rider. So
many riders, through lack of
knowledge or with an “I don’t care
attitude” have spoiled it for other
riders by tromping over or ignor­
ing these rules. Many property
owners will not allow riders to pass
over their property now. If you
show these owners respect for their
privacy and property, then they in
turn will show you the same.
SACRAMENTO COUNTY
TRAILS TO HAVE
MOUNTED PATROLS
Just recently a volunteer group
of men, headed by Sheriff John
Misterly, have joined together to
protect the riding and hiking trails
of Sacramento from being overrun
with motorcycle enthusiasts, who
not only ruin the trails with their
cycles, but are a very dangerous
element to both the horseman and
the horse. This has been needed
for quite some time and I feel it is
something that could be worked
out in other counties. The follow­
ing article is taken from a recent
issue of the Sacramento Bee.
“Ten horsemen have volunteered
for a program to police the new
(Continued on Page 34)
VOICE of The Tennessee Walking Horse