Editor’s Note: This opinion piece was submitted by reader Monica Gokey. If you’d like to submit an article, please email us at hello(at)heelsdownmedia.com.
By Monica Gokey
The state of Idaho is under a stay-at-home order to slow the spread of coronavirus, so why am I seeing riding events posted to the local meet-up group as if nothing is out of the ordinary?
I’m feeling a bit ashamed of our local equestrian community right now. And yet, another part of me is jealous. Massively. I’d love nothing more than to kick it down the trail with a four-legged friend on a glorious spring day.
I see others grappling with the same dilemma.
“Isn’t this illegal with the stay-at-home order?” one member of the Facebook group asked after a weekend event was posted.
“What do you mean?” a group admin replied. “Due to the state shut down? It also says to get out and get exercise. If we keep it to a small group, 3 or 4, we should be fine. And maintaining six-feet separation isn’t a problem on horseback.”
The statute doesn’t actually advocate for exercise, nor does it ban outdoor activity. What it does prohibit is non-essential gatherings of people. Meanwhile, state and federal land agencies are closing trailheads to try to stop this kind of non-essential recreation from happening.
The stay-at-home order asks the public to self-isolate, and only venture out to obtain or provide essential services. It’s aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus enough to prevent Idaho’s limited healthcare infrastructure from being overwhelmed.
Does going for a horseback ride with your friends count as an essential activity? I’m a hard no on that. Do I also secretly want to go? Yes. Absolutely.
It’s hard to begrudge anyone for wanting to use quarantine time for fun and play. When do adults ever get this kind of free time? Of course we want to be riding our horses with friends. But the longer we cheat our stay-at-home orders, the longer we might have to keep doing this for.
At this point in the disease’s spread, the pro-riding people in the mix are probably safe in their assessment that the potential for spread is low, especially in Idaho. But their choice to expose themselves is just that, it’s a choice (and a privileged one, I might add).
It’s not a choice for so many of our state’s low-wage workers to be exposed — like the people manning the gas station, or the tire specialist who might fix a flat on your trailer. On the other end, what about the ER doctor whose valued time you’ll use if you break an arm on the trail?
I feel a bit peevish as I write this… I’m committing another sin ubiquitous to the horse world: criticizing others online. But I feel like staying quiet is an equal trespass at this time. The stakes are real. And I get the dilemma. I want to be out there, too.
Is it selfish to go out on a literal joy ride at a time when we’re all being asked to chip in, stay home, and stop the spread of coronavirus? I think it is. But my analytical self tells me to stay home. Quarantine is temporary. And it’ll pass.