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Safest way to pass a horse

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 MG 11 Sep 2013
Just for variety:

Driving along a country lane going at a fair pace but making sure I could stop in the visible distance. Came round a corner and there was a horse rider 100m or so ahead. I essentially stopped within 50m. The horse was a bit startled and turned sideways. We then passed without problem, me at walking pace. I got a dirty look from the rider. Was I in the wrong at all?
 GrahamD 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

Horses and horse riders are unpredictable at best. Concepts of right and wrong are irrelevent.
Knitted Simian 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

squatting


whichever way, it's anal trauma
 The New NickB 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

Sounds like you did fine. I slow and pass giving as much room as I can, 3-4 metres if possible, waiting for traffic in the other direction if necessary. I usually get a nod of thanks, but horse riders are like the rest of society, some of them are dicks.
 The New NickB 11 Sep 2013
In reply to GrahamD:

No, doing the right thing is important!
 nniff 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

Slow down and announce your presence when you're 15-20 yards or so behind 'Bike coming past'. That way the horse will now you're there, but not close enough to spook it, the rider will get a grip of the horse and all will be well. Once the rider knows, the horse will know that something's going on but that the boss has got it all under control. Nothing wrong with an exchange of pleasantries to keep everything on an even keel. Don't blast past like a fierce attacky thing - silence and speed will cause problems: a horse's defence mechanism is to kick and run, so if you spark it up it's gong to end in tears.



OP MG 11 Sep 2013
In reply to nniff: Sorry, I was unclear a) I was driving and b) going the opposite direction to the horse.
aultguish 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:
Wide and slow. Don't rev your engine, turn loud thumping music down and don't stick your hands out of the window waving.
A horse can make a nasty mess of a car, it can seriously injure or kill anything around it, including itself and can go from calm to psycho in a flash.
 muppetfilter 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG: I don't know about you but around my area the Horse riders impersonate police officers wearing blue Hi-Viz jackets with "Polite" and not police written on them. I thought it was an offence to impersonate a police officer?
Obviously I try to shunt horse riders with my van and only avoid these particular individuals because I think they are the Fuzz.
Removed User 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

From my experience (usually on the bike) the lasagna driver will always blame you when the thick as shit animal freaks, irrespective of the care you take.
James Jackson 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

So nice to see some horse-rider bashing going on. In other news, all climbers are mindless pricks who ruin the outdoors for everybody else by covering it in chalk, and wearing ludicrous head-gear.

Anyway...

You'll find those that glare at you are probably in the 'happy hacker' brigade - i.e. enjoy their horse for going out and about, are scared if the horse dares look at anything (god forbid it has a brain), and spend most of their time talking about what their horse could do, rather than actually learning how to train properly.

They piss me off, especially when they ride two-abreast despite knowing other traffic is there. They are, on the whole, the ones who will glare no matter how considerately you pass. I've been known to stop my car and suggest to these kind of riders that they might want to acknowledge those who have passed considerately, as it makes like rather easier for us all in the long run.

Then there are the considerate ones. I know horses can do funny things, I don't get angry when they do, and give people a cheery wave (or a nice 'hello' if it's a bike rider, for example). The best thing on a bike is to shout a bit behind 'bike coming', or words to that effect, and then pass slowly. On a car, just give it a couple of metres and pass carefully.

Of course, there are those other road users who steam past at some silly speed, liable to wipe out horses, pedestrians and bike riders alike. They are just cocks.
James Jackson 11 Sep 2013
In reply to Removed User:
> (In reply to Removed UserMG)
>
> From my experience (usually on the bike) the lasagna driver will always blame you when the thick as shit animal freaks, irrespective of the care you take.

See above.
 steelbru 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:
People in charge of animals should only take those animals to places/situations where the animal will be comfortable with what is likely to happen, otherwise if the animal is getting stressed it is the person in charge who is in the wrong as they should be aware what the animal can cope with.

Note I am assuming "reasonable" and "normal" behaviour by others likely to be encountered eg motorists, cyclists, mountain bikers, walkers, etc.



 GrahamD 11 Sep 2013
In reply to The New NickB:

> No, doing the right thing is important!

There is a "right thing" according to most people but it doesn't necessarily translate as the same "right thing" for Felicity and Dobbin
James Jackson 11 Sep 2013
In reply to steelbru:

Which begs the question, how to get a horse used to the roads without taking them on the roads?
aultguish 11 Sep 2013
In reply to James Jackson:
That's easy, you have a 'Schoolmaster' horse on the outside, with an experienced rider on it. You put the young inexperienced horse on the inside, with an experienced rider on it and you head out two abreast.
Build the horses experience up gradually.
 John Ww 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:
> Just for variety:
>
> Driving along a country lane going at a fair pace but making sure I could stop in the visible distance. Came round a corner and there was a horse rider 100m or so ahead. I essentially stopped within 50m.

Hmmm, now I'm not suggesting you were, but "at a fair pace" could be interpreted as "giving it some stick", and "essentially stopped within 50m" could also read as "I slammed all on an screeched to a halt in a fog of burning tyre rubber". If so, perhaps the dirty look may have been justified?
 steev 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

In my experience, giving them room and going slowly is a good idea, as is chatting to the horse riders about the weather/how nice their horse looks etc. A horseist once told me that they're less likely to get spooked if they can tell you're a human and your voice helps them do this.

Only ever had one angry horse rider, but I suspect she would have been angry with ANYONE who dared to try and share HER bridleway.
OP MG 11 Sep 2013
In reply to John Ww: Nothing so dramatic but certainly firm braking. Had it been say a tree down it wouldn't have been so firm but I was trying to leave space for the horse, not just avoid hitting it! So I don't think I was overdoing it from the point of view of avoiding a collision just that horses don't like things appearing suddenly.
KevinD 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

tis impossible to say whether in wrong or not without the exact scenario as JohnW says it depends on the exact speed.
If its likely to have horses around I would tend to keep the speed down not least because i wouldnt want to go round a corner and find one 20m ahead.
James Jackson 11 Sep 2013
In reply to aultguish:

It was a rhetorical question - I've broken in and bought on many a horse.

The problem with what you say there is that then the motorists will complain about riding two abreast (you can also get issues with young horses getting nappy when going out on their own).

I get them used to cars / JCBs / tractors / trailers on the yard, and then just pop on a little road loop by themselves, gradually increasing time on the road.
James Jackson 11 Sep 2013
In reply to steev:
> A horseist once told me that they're less likely to get spooked if they can tell you're a human and your voice helps them do this.

Very true - if you let them (horse + rider) know with a cursory 'bike passing', it does make a big difference.

Part of it, as well, as catching out the rider... They can tense up, which makes the horse tense, which makes it f*ck off.
Knitted Simian 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

Sounds like you were driving too fast because you took a corner without knowing what on the other side. You had to brake hard and stopped only 50m away. The horse could have been pedestrians / cyclists / a badger with a limp and Radley handbag.
OP MG 11 Sep 2013
In reply to Knitted Simian:
> (In reply to MG)
>
> Sounds like you were driving too fast

Possibly.

because you took a corner without knowing what on the other side. You had to brake hard and stopped only 50m away.


Is "only 50m" too close in your view.

The horse could have been pedestrians / cyclists / a badger with a limp and Radley handbag.

All of which would have been fine.


In reply to James Jackson:

Depending on what the road is like I'll slow down or maybe even stop, i.e. if I've just gone round a blind corner then I'll be more likely to slow down than stop. Also if the rider looks inexperienced then I'll take more care.

On a bike if approaching from behind then a warning call from distance and maybe again when closer if it's windy or if I don't think the rider has heard me. I'll talk to the horse as for reasons above. A while ago when out on my bike I stopped to let a pony with a young child being led by an adult past - it looked skittish. The adult said it was used to cars and motorbikes but not pedal cycles.

No one overriding rule other than being aware really.

ALC
 deepsoup 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:
Here's a short primer on everything non-horsey people need to know about horses:
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/horses-weird-2013061772460
 kedvenc72 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG: I'm a horse rider, have been for years. 50m sounds like a long way off to stop to me i.e. plenty of room. Yes, horses spook. So what, that surely has to be accepted risk if you want to ride horses and arguably the skill of being a good rider is dealing with the natural instincts of horses. I'm not condoning roaring past etc but sometimes they will spook when you least expect it even.

My main horse doesn't care about cars, trucks, tractors etc but wheely bins..... now they need to be given a wide birth.

Cyclists tend to spook horses because they don't hear (or i guess with a rider on their back see them) coming. Not sure what I'd do when out cycling if I was behind a horse rider. Slow down I guess and try to warn them vocally.

Sounds to me like you were doing everything right. Like any activity your always gonna come across someone acting like a numpty/having a bad day
 Hat Dude 11 Sep 2013
In reply to a lakeland climber:

That's pretty much my method; it's always a good idea to assess how the nag is behaving
Sensible to remember they're flight animals and get nervous about anything behind them; that's why blinkers are used on some racehorses or when they're in harness.

I always give a "thanks" to the rider as I pass after alerting them; it seems less agressive than just calling out as you approach.

aultguish 11 Sep 2013
In reply to James Jackson:
Which is why I said build the horses experience up gradually, which meant yard work etc I didn't want to go into lots of detail, fat fingers and iphones are good reasons for meeping things brief. I'll admit that I was having a slight dig at you because I didn't like your initial post, it was too arrogant and black and white, although elements of truth in there
I too, have and still do, back, bring on and train horses, even older horses with loading, vehicle, scary bush, clippers etc etc etc issues.

For those folks who are mentioning that they get grumpy because a rider doesn't acknowledge them, a possible reason could be that the rider and horse have already had to deal with a few cyclists, a dog, a motorbike on the path, oodles of cars, joggers, so it's been a busy old time for them dealing with the good and the bad. Cut us a little slack if we forget to acknowledge you, we may have our hands on the reigns and our eyes fixed on something in the bushes, like a pigeon that is gonna jump out with it's huge scary claws and teeth and (as far as the horse is concerned) eat us
aultguish 11 Sep 2013
In reply to aultguish:
Here's one for you all, a previous horse of mine hated dark sun glasses! He would go vertical on me because I wouldn't let him run away, yet that same horse could walk through the middle of Urmston high street on a Saturday afternoon with no issues........feckin hairy freaks
OP MG 11 Sep 2013
In reply to aultguish: Alright. My grandmother had a pink coat she wore in the garden. One day she was doing some weeding on hands and knees wearing this coat. A horse went by, then stopped and went beserk went it saw my grandmother. When things had calmed down, the rider explained it had thought my mother was a pig (pink, on all fours etc) and it didn't like pigs!
 kedvenc72 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG: Horses tend to be pretty scared of pigs. An instinct from when wild boars gored them I believe. A bit much saying your granny looked like a pig though.
 coinneach 11 Sep 2013
In reply to kedvenc72:

A few years ago we followed a couple of horse riders along a very narrow road.

We drove very slowly about 30 yards behind them until they could pull into a layby and let us pass.

As we passed one of the riders gave us an enormous "Thank you" wave, over stretched and fell off his horse.

Unfortunately for him his foot got jammed in the stirrup and the beast took off like Red fekin Rum dragging him down the lane behind it.
 Trangia 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:
> Just for variety:
>
> Driving along a country lane going at a fair pace but making sure I could stop in the visible distance. Came round a corner and there was a horse rider 100m or so ahead. I essentially stopped within 50m. The horse was a bit startled and turned sideways.

It sounds as though the horse was shying. If this happens stop and wait for the rider to get it calmed. If in doubt stay stopped. A considerate rider will appeciate this and either attempt to pass you (you being stationary) or wave you through once he/she has control.

As has been said horses are unpredictable, easily spooked and often play up, particularly in the hands of an inexperienced rider who is not firm with them.
 The New NickB 11 Sep 2013
In reply to GrahamD:
> (In reply to The New NickB)
>
> [...]
>
> There is a "right thing" according to most people but it doesn't necessarily translate as the same "right thing" for Felicity and Dobbin

It's still the right thing.
In reply to aultguish:

My dad grew up with working farm horses: there was one that they could calmly hitch to the plough and basically leave it to plough the field by itself but they couldn't hitch it up to a cart!

They're animals, they're individuals, they spook.

ALC
aultguish 11 Sep 2013
In reply to a lakeland climber:
Strange buggers arent they? Another horse I had used to sit down like a dog if you upset him! It wouldn't normally matter but quite a few times this was in the showjumping arena. I had his back checked out by the vets, physio and osteo. Saddles changed, spurs on, spurs off etc but it was just his thing, if he didn't want to do what you asked him, he would plonk his arse on the ground :-/
In reply to aultguish:

Just remembered another couple from my dad's days: one would take a lump out of your a**se if you turned your back to him - cured by a visit to the blacksmith's and an incident with a hot horseshoe! Another would apparently stand on your foot and lean over if he didn't like you. I think everyone wore toughened boots

ALC
James Jackson 11 Sep 2013
In reply to aultguish:

Aye, I was being deliberately antagonistic, but in my experience it's pretty close to the truth

At the end of the day, it's all about having many tricks up your sleeve - no one prescription works for any one horse. And being able to stay on and laugh at the same time if a horse does decide to dick around. As my instructor said to me years ago when I started breaking horses in: "Young horses have a big sense of humour. Yours needs to be bigger!"
James Jackson 11 Sep 2013
In reply to aultguish:

I competed an eventer who, when annoyed, would stretch out his right foreleg, bow and simultaneously paw at the ground. Tres amusing!
 Dr.S at work 11 Sep 2013
In reply to aultguish:
> (In reply to James Jackson)
I didn't like your initial post, it was too arrogant and black and white, although elements of truth in there

Thats the cavalry for you, although I thought you James wore cherry pickers?
James Jackson 11 Sep 2013
In reply to Dr.S at work:

Nooo, certainly no crimson trews here.
 timjones 11 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

I never pass when I'm offered horse. It's a delicious meat
 Dr.S at work 11 Sep 2013
In reply to James Jackson:
> (In reply to Dr.S at work)
>
> Nooo, certainly no crimson trews here.

shame, I think Georgie would approve of them.
James Jackson 12 Sep 2013
In reply to Dr.S at work:

Quite the contrary - she was very vocal in her dislike of the possibility!
Footsore_Susie 12 Sep 2013
In reply to MG: You were in the wrong I'm afraid. There is a very old law, which still stands, which stipulates that horses have the right of way over all other road users.

Need to remember, a horse's natural instincts for survival are to kick out and then run - matter of life preservation when you are the hunted!

Most riders won't take their horses on roads which they know the horse won't behave, but even the quietest horse can suddenly take fright, always give a horse a wide birth and pass extremely slowly - no horns, or screeching tyres.

 The New NickB 12 Sep 2013
In reply to Footsore_Susie:
> (In reply to MG) You were in the wrong I'm afraid. There is a very old law, which still stands, which stipulates that horses have the right of way over all other road users.
>
> always give a horse a wide birth and pass extremely slowly - no horns, or screeching tyres.

This appears to be exactly what he did, how is he in the wrong?
 The New NickB 12 Sep 2013
In reply to Footsore_Susie:
> (In reply to MG) You were in the wrong I'm afraid. There is a very old law, which still stands, which stipulates that horses have the right of way over all other road users.
>
So you have a reference for this?
OP MG 12 Sep 2013
In reply to Footsore_Susie:
> (In reply to MG) You were in the wrong I'm afraid.

So what should I have done differently?
In reply to The New NickB:

The only thing I can find in the Highway Code is this:

214
Animals. When passing animals, drive slowly. Give them plenty of room and be ready to stop. Do not scare animals by sounding your horn, revving your engine or accelerating rapidly once you have passed them. Look out for animals being led, driven or ridden on the road and take extra care. Keep your speed down at bends and on narrow country roads. If a road is blocked by a herd of animals, stop and switch off your engine until they have left the road. Watch out for animals on unfenced roads.

215
Horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles. Be particularly careful of horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles especially when overtaking. Always pass wide and slowly. Horse riders are often children, so take extra care and remember riders may ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced horse or rider. Look out for horse riders’ and horse drivers’ signals and heed a request to slow down or stop. Take great care and treat all horses as a potential hazard.


ALC
James Jackson 12 Sep 2013
In reply to MG:

If it was 50m away, and not stretched in your imagination from 5m, then absolutely nothing. Sometimes horses do funny things, and shitty riders (don't tar us all with the same brush) will glare as if it's all your fault.

See threads bitching between cyclists and motorists ad infinitum for further examples of unreasonable people (on both sides) on the roads.
 Rampikino 12 Sep 2013
In reply to Footsore_Susie:

I call MYTH on this one.

Could you point me to something that proves this? I've had a peek and there are plenty of horsey forums that smugly make this claim but have nothing to back it up, nothing that lays it out in fact.

Living in a very horsey part of Cheshire I can say that the majority of experiences I have had as a road user have been fine - pass wide and slow and your journey is very rarely held up by more than a minute. My two poor experiences have come while out running and both appear to have been the result the dismal and arrogant attitudes of the riders rather than the temperament of the horses. In fact, the horse has been the innocent in every case

I'm afraid SOME of the horsey set seem to have a few tired old lines imprinted in their brains that suggest they have an automatic right to tell everybody else on the road what to do. This "There is a very old law..." nonsense sounds like one of them.

I'm happy to point out that this is only SOME horsey folk btw.
James Jackson 12 Sep 2013
In reply to Rampikino:

> I'm afraid SOME of the horsey set seem to have a few tired old lines imprinted in their brains that suggest they have an automatic right to tell everybody else on the road what to do. This "There is a very old law..." nonsense sounds like one of them.
>
> I'm happy to point out that this is only SOME horsey folk btw.

Yep, and they piss off the 'horsey folk' who don't subscribe to that mentality too.
 toad 12 Sep 2013
In reply to MG: Wouldn't they all be safer if they had personal locator beacons?

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