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Fall nights, with cool temperatures and a full harvest moon, seem to beckon trail riders to get outside after dark. Nighttime trail riding can be fun if safety is a prime consideration in the planning phase. Remember to follow these guidelines if you’re going out with horses at night:

  • Stay on familiar trails. You want to know what obstacles and hazards you’ll meet, and you also need to be sure you can find your way back to the barn at the end of the ride.
  • Don’t ride on or beside roads. Pavement is slippery, and cars won’t be able to see you soon enough to slow down as they pass.
  • Keep horses to a walk or slow trot, especially in areas of low visibility. Even if you know the trail is clear ahead, it will be hard to see fallen branches or other debris.
  • Horses and their riders should be experienced in daytime trail riding before venturing out at night. Young horses and green riders are less likely to stay calm and handle unexpected events such as a deer jumping across the trail in front of the group.
  • If you plan to ride a horse that’s been stalled all day, arrange for him to be turned out for an hour or so in late afternoon or early evening. This will allow him to run off any excess energy before you head out on the trail.
  • The best nights for trail rides are those with a bright moon for visibility, dry ground to prevent slipping, and little or no wind to minimize spooky rustling noises along the trail.
  • Avoid riding at night during hunting season, regardless of regulations that may prohibit hunting after dark.
  • Use common sense about clothing. It might be fun to dress up like a ghost or the headless horseman, but wearing a flapping costume and restricting vision with a mask are bad ideas when light is limited.  >
  • Have responsible and experienced riders at the front and end of the line. Keep the group together for the entire ride. If someone wants to turn around earlier than planned, have the whole group do the same thing.
  • Carry cell phones, flashlights or headlamps, and basic first aid supplies. Let someone know where you are going and when you will return, and tell this person whom to contact if you don’t get back at the expected time.
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