I had forgotten about this man,Scott,but when I viewed his website,I remembered reading an article that he had written for one of the horse magazines and he is a very good teacher.

Once again,and I want to stress the point that I certainly am NOT anti-gun or for gun control as most of us view gun control folks,I say that for the average rider,especially women,having a gun in our saddlebag or on our person/horse is one thing,and pulling it to kill somebody on the trail is another entirely different matter.

It takes a lot of "something from way down someplace" in most of us to actually see the power in our hands jump from there with the certain means to kill a person.If I were in my home in mortal danger,or out in my car on a lonely road broken down,and a stranger were to be breaking in on me,I know their intent is more than likely to kill me.I would be compelled at the last minute to shoot.

But from my saddle on the trail? How am I going to judge if I am actually in mortal danger or not? I am sure that until the very last split second,Meredith Emerson and others were suckered by Gary Hilton into thinking,"gee,what a friendly outdoors loving guy with his dog." Had they had any inkling what was going to happen,they would have never gotten themselves that close to him to start.Legally it could ALWAYS be argued by a clever attorney for a family that "he was only out for a hike/ATVride/hunting when he came across this horse and rider who just shot him!" there are a lot of "ifs ands and buts" that would come out in a trial,and the burden of proof would be on the rider,especially if there was no witness .

We think now in the safety of our surroundings that it would be easy to do it,were we faced with it.But it wouldn't be.Many women don't even like being around or handling guns.I've never ridden with a gun on my horse,I've handled and shot firearms since a young girl,so I'm not afraid of them.But I've just never really considered having one on a trail with me.Maybe if I rode alone a lot,yes,perhaps.But I'd darn well better be prepared to use it and back myself up later,and be prepared for the follow up after  shooting an individual.

Would a gun have helped Meredith Emerson? I doubt it.The element of surprise was what went against her,and in Gary Hilton's favor.And that is the same element that will work for or against us as riders on the trail.I know it is not really advisable to yell at everyone we come across on a trail,but as I've said,and others have said,the gut instincts usually won't lie.It's our Maker's way of letting us know that we are about to be in great danger and to take heed.If we sense someone just "isn't right" that we've encountered,it's time to cut it short even if it means looking unfriendly or rude,and ride away,at a gallop if need be.

Most of us that ride aren't law enforcement or trained in those arts.But we don't have to be in order to survive.Common sense and planning ahead so we'll keep our cool and our lives can make the difference.

Yahoo US News just posted a story that can be read by doing a search on Yahoo US News and the topic "Drifter Guilty in Ga.Hiker's Murder." The link itself is too long and I wasn't able to copy and paste it here.

Gary Michael Hilton was given a life sentence at age 61.Video can be seen on the website of wsb-tv Atlanta.