Outriders:
The outrider is the person that usually rides to the side of the group moving his way (generally) up and down the outside. This role may be one of communication, relaying conditions, and/or needs of the free riders, forward or backwards. It is also a free flowing rider position that can evaluate the conditions of horse, tack, and rider at a closer level. They can also act as a transitory rider for other positions in the case of a group separation or incident. At times they may be called on as a forward rider to check on conditions on the trail before the group gets committed to a certain course. This may happen due to rain or other circumstance since the last time the trail was checked. In many cases, at the trail Boss’s discretion, he/she may be asked to lead someone on a short cut back to the staging/finishing area or to replace the drag rider doing so. Its usually left up to the outrider to make sure the drag rider is still within sight of the group.
Many groups may choose to allow designated riders to change positions to allow a change for the horse or rider. Such as allowing a drag rider a chance to stretch out a faster horse held at a slower speed before he gets dopey, lazy or comatose, or allow an outrider a chance to rest or relax their horse (or themselves) from fatigue or over excitement. At times an outrider may replace the trail boss position for short periods of time for the same reasons or just to give the trail boss a chance to look the group over.
A lot of these conditions, of course, depend on the size of the group but in general many of the principles apply to any size group. In general, the larger the groups, the more outriders that may be needed or even doubling up on drag riders. On longer trips even the lead may change because of one rider knowing a particular part of the trail better. Usually, the more experience the designated riders have with each other the better the working symmetry, and the more enjoyable the trail ride.
Trail Riding
Written by Gordon Wiks
11/24/07