Cyclists and horse riders

[figbat]

Last year I was doing a bit of uncharacteristic offroading when I met a man riding a big horse coming the other way down a bridleway. I pulled into the bushes to let him pass and he stopped for a (rather long) chat, and introduced me to the horse (I forget the horse's name).

Anyway, he told me he'd just been to take the horse "to see the pigs". I thought I'd found myself in some kind of kids' story ("hello Mr Pig said the horse"), but he explained that the horse was nervous about pigs so he was training it to be habituated to them. He'd take him to where the pigs were, and explain to him that they would end up as sausages soon enough. This, it seemed was to make the horse feel braver about pigs.

Anyway Mr Horse was very nice and placid. Maybe the rider realised that I needed habituating to horses, because I managed to relax a bit, having backed away into the nettles and brambles at first.

I had a horse that was terrified of a specific place on a track, every time we ride past it. I discovered that pigs used to be kept there, but hadn’t been for a while.

Another horse I rose was a classic docile riding school hack - you’d put anybody on her in the school. If she saw a tractor though…

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I have read in several places that horses are right on the edge of survival.
They are large and good to eat so they need to be alert
and have, as a result, become extremely jumpy to the slightest thing
hence their tendency is to see anything unexpected and RUN - FAST - NOW
and as they are pretty big but not armoured and have little in the way of weapons - then they have developed to run at the maximum speed possible
nothing else matters except speed
and evolution has developed that above all else
and their anatomy has become dodgy as a result - because if they are the fastest they survive and breed
a bit slower and they get caught and eaten and so don;t breed

evolution is a right bar steward at time

Here is a link to something written by a Vet student about Horse anatomy

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/791tsl/comment/doyza1f/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=usertext&utm_name=tumblr&utm_content=t1_eo8e95p

On top of which
I have read that their guts not being attached properly means it all sloshes backwards anf forwards as they gallop at speed - thsi means their lungs get compressed and expanded so they breath more air to fuel their running

but, as said above in the link, this means that the slightest problem with their guts means death
but it means they escape the lion one more time to enable them to breed - so evolutionis happy

which is why they are so jumpy

 

[Mike_P]

Or put it another the evolutionary design of a horse quickly judged itself to be a dead end and proceeded no further

 

[Alex321]

Doesn't that mean that there is no such thing as a footpath where bicycle are not allowed?

It does say that you have to dismount to pass walkers which seems strange

Anyone know if this is still valid??

It never was valid.

That clause was withdrawn, later in the debate.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Or put it another the evolutionary design of a horse quickly judged itself to be a dead end and proceeded no further

Until humans came along and thought
Oh look - bet we can make that animal better/faster/stronger/prettier

 

[cougie uk]

Until humans came along and thought
Oh look - bet we can make that animal better/faster/stronger/prettier

Or make money from them !

 

[Pedalabitslower]

I have found that horses particularly dislike recumbent cycles, especially those with flags. When nearing a horse I generally dismount and remove the flag.

 

[figbat]

I have found that horses particularly dislike recumbent cycles, especially those with flags. When nearing a horse I generally dismount and remove the flag.

This falls into the classification I mentioned above - "appearance of an unknown threat". Someone else said something that I also do - speak to the horse or rider so the horse can determine that this is a person, not a crouching predator or horse-munching machine.

I've said before on this topic, when approaching a horse from behind I can usually tell when the horse has detected me. At least if I know that the horse knows I am there then I am in a better place, regardless of whether the rider knows. On a few occasions I have been tempted to mention to a rider who has been surprised by my appearance that their horse has been trying to tell them I was there for a while.

And lets not forget, despite centuries of breeding to enhance their fragility, compared to a small squishy cyclist they are still pretty well-armed; four (usually) steel-tipped battering rams that can be deployed in most directions plus a mouthful of sharp teeth with a strong bite will leave a mark (trust me!).

 

[numbnuts]

They don't like trikes with flags

 

[rockyroller]

how terrifying for the rider. don't want to be on a horse on a highway. saw these two that got loose, one day while I was driving home from work. there was a long line of traffic stuck slowly moving behind them

 

[rockyroller]

I've shared the trail w/ several horses over the years & never any issues

 

[Dogtrousers]

My bike gets spooked by horses.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

how terrifying for the rider. don't want to be on a horse on a highway. saw these two that got loose, one day while I was driving home from work. there was a long line of traffic stuck slowly moving behind them
View attachment 684266

Few years ago on the way home from work going through a small village near Rotherham there was a horse wandering down the side of the road, the wall holding it into the field had collapsed aiding it's escape. I followed it for a mile or so trying to get past but she thwarted me each time, I eventually managed to get passed, stopped the car in the middle of the road & jumped out. I approached her talking quietly & slipped off my belt, got it around her neck, it then struck me what was I going to do next, the car was in the middle of the road, door wide open with the keys in & engine running, I was at the side of the road holding a horse. Luckily at that point the owners turned up in a car with a head collar & lead rope to take her off me, they were surprised that I'd managed to catch her as they said she doesn't normally like strangers.

 

[Drago]

Or make money from them !

Or eat them!

 

[Ajax Bay]

Having had experience of horses on bridleways, I have no hesitation in suggesting that opting to get off the bike and give way is the best course of action on a bridleway, horses are big, touchy and unpredictable. I was fortunate it was my bike that was stamped on not me:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/a-horse-stamped-on-my-bike.72984/

Still got that Whyte 901?