BEFORE YOU GO

• Whenever possible, ride with a partner. But if you end up riding alone---and many people do---carry your essentials on your person or, at the very least, if you’re riding in a more residential area, your cell phone.

• Have a plan of who you will contact if you lose your horse.

• Consider carrying a satellite messenger device, such as a Garmin Spot, on your person---some will allow you to send messages out in non-lifethreatening emergencies.

• Equip your horse with ID in the form of a fetlock ID band or neck collar.