Never underestimate a horse.

That is Scot Hansen's advice. Hansen believes that if an equestrian sticks to it, both horse and rider can get out of some pretty hairy situations.

``When people are attacked on the trail, they want to fight off that person with their own hands or feet,'' he said.

``When they do that, they are losing the ability of this magnificent animal.''

Hansen will give a self-defense clinic for horse riders Saturday and Sunday in Carnation. The clinic will show riders of all ages how they can protect themselves and their horses from unsavory elements they might encounter along a secluded trail.

Although the days of having to worry about injury during a cavalry charge or a jousting match are long past, Hansen said there remains a danger for equestrians who often ride alone and in the wilderness. Hansen said the clinic is especially relevant for the Snoqualmie Valley as urbanization encroaches on the area's trails.

``This clinic was born out of people coming up to me and asking me what to do if they got into trouble on the trail,'' he said. ``They have had moments out on the trail when they have come across someone scary or there is someone hanging around back at their trailer.''

If someone were to come up to a rider and grab the reins of the horse in an effort to wrestle control away, Hansen said, most riders wouldn't know what to do. Many initial reactions can actually work to the attacker's advantage and might even cause the horse to do the opposite of what the rider wants it to do.

``Your thought process may be correct, but what you get your horse to do may be different,'' he said.

Hansen's knowledge of how horses think has been garnered from a youth filled with riding horses and careers in both the Seattle Police Department's mounted patrols and in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He lives in Canada and does clinics all over North America, but comes to the valley often to give clinics at a horse farm he owns near Carnation.

Hansen's self-defense clinics are based on the belief that horses are teachable and intelligent. He said his methods address how horses think and instinctively react to various situations.

Hansen warns students never to underestimate the intelligence and capabilities of a horse: Horses are very smart and can be aware of the danger they are in.

Hansen said his clinics are especially helpful to the growing number of beginning riders, but have a lot of good advice for veteran riders as well.

``It was definitely worth it,'' said Jane Hansen (no relation), a farrier from North Bend who has ridden horses for 37 years and enrolled in the self-defense class last September. ``Everyone can get something out of it.''

For information about Scot Hansen's clinics, call Sandy Heisey at 425-830-6260 or visit www.horsethink.com.