A horse stamped on my bike!

[PK99]

Oh B*****r!

Out on a trail near Epsom Downs yesterday and my Marin nail trail was stamped on by a horse - we had hopped over a fence to let the horses past but one spooked and stamped! Riders went off giving us a mouthful and i can't trace them!

Verdict from my LBS is that the bike is dead - the very nasty dents and creases in the frame are not a pretty sight.

So, I'm in the market for a new bike and the collective wisdom of the panel is invited!

I do tracks and trails, no adrenaline junkie stuff, and the occasional off road tour like the trans Cambrian mtb route

The LBS pointed me in the direction of a Whyte 901 - which is the price point i am looking for. Reviews seem good, but what else should i be looking at?

 

[david1701]

if you can get hold of the riders they should have an insurance company to claim on, ours are covered third party independantly of their health cover

don't know much about mountain bikes though

 

[skudupnorth]

Horses hurt ! I got thrown off one many years ago and then the bugger decided it was OK to stand on my knee.Luckily no real damage to the squishy bits and i still like horses.

 

[Mr Crash]

Unlucky.

 

[3narf]

Report the incident to the police.

 

[AuraTodd]

Horses hurt ! I got thrown off one many years ago and then the bugger decided it was OK to stand on my knee.Luckily no real damage to the squishy bits and i still like horses.

I accidently bumped against my aunt's horse who nipped me on the bum, serves me right I suppose. I still like horses too.

 

[Shrim]

I once got bitten by a horse while on a bike ride. I leant against a fence while having a break and it nipped me on my elbow, hurt like hell and drew blood. Then on the same ride I got bit by a horse fly and funnily enough this was even more painful. My knee swelled up to double the size and I couldn't bend my leg.

After this I do not like anythin Horsey whatsoever!

 

[mightyquin]

I've never been bitten by a horse but I have bitten one, horse steak, very yummy!

 

[PpPete]

Once saw a sign on a fence in Scotland....Do NOT park here, the horses will eat your car.
Some clever moton had thought this was a wind-up and parked there while he went for a walk in the hills. When we went past there were huge deep gouges the length of the bonnet. The horses had indeed set their teeth into the car with something of a vengeance. Oh how we laughed !

 

[Lisa21]

Horses hurt ! I got thrown off one many years ago and then the bugger decided it was OK to stand on my knee.Luckily no real damage to the squishy bits and i still like horses.

Dont know where it is now but I posted on here a while ago about some numpty opening a car door on me as I rode past, and my horse, a gypsy vanner with hooves like bin lids, showed his disaproval by almost taking the door off with one kick

 

[billflat12]

Most cyclists just don,t know how to take horses, know if your car gets trashed insurance company loss adjusters will just argue you where too close, also if a horse spooks you may have caused the horse to spook unknowingly if you were out of sight and the horse suddenly spotted or heard you , "ie. horse unsure and panicked" Main reason to give horses extra space on a road is the sight of just a piece of discarded litter in a hedge or any environmental changes could cause alarm . ( like a bike left unattended near a familiar path.)
Thankfully no one was injured only your wallet.

 

[I like Skol]

Most cyclists just don,t know how to take horses, know if your car gets trashed insurance company loss adjusters will just argue you where too close, also if a horse spooks you may have caused the horse to spook unknowingly if you were out of sight and the horse suddenly spotted or heard you , "ie. horse unsure and panicked" Main reason to give horses extra space on a road is the sight of just a piece of discarded litter in a hedge or any environmental changes could cause alarm . ( like a bike left unattended near a familiar path.)
Thankfully no one was injured only your wallet.

WHAT???? Am I reading this right? Are you saying that we should steer well clear of horses because if they spook it is our fault?

I would say it is more the owners/riders responsibility if they take a nervous, flighty horse out in a public place and it lashes out at something for no understandable reason. Heaven forbid such a horse should come across a group of noisy restless children. If a horse started going nuts and damaged me, my family or my property I know exactly which direction I would be looking in for recourse.

Having said that, I do experience a good number of horses in my pass times MTB riding and to a much greater extent 4x4 driving on unsurfaced vehicular rights of way and almost without fail these horses are well controlled and well behaved. You do occasionally get one that is a bit skittish and these are typically being ridden by nervous looking teenage girls that appear to lack the confidence to exert their will on the horse and I am sure the horses know this!

 

[tightwad]

They will be from a stable nearby more than likely, if you can remember what the horse and rider vaguely looked like it would be worth asking around at local yards. Police will do F.A. not worth the effort. If you can get hold of the local farrier ask them if they know the horse. Do not let them simply get away with it.

 

[billflat12]

WHAT???? Am I reading this right? Are you saying that we should steer well clear of horses because if they spook it is our fault?

I would say it is more the owners/riders responsibility if they take a nervous, flighty horse out in a public place and it lashes out at something for no understandable reason. Heaven forbid such a horse should come across a group of noisy restless children. If a horse started going nuts and damaged me, my family or my property I know exactly which direction I would be looking in for recourse.

Having said that, I do experience a good number of horses in my pass times MTB riding and to a much greater extent 4x4 driving on unsurfaced vehicular rights of way and almost without fail these horses are well controlled and well behaved. You do occasionally get one that is a bit skittish and these are typically being ridden by nervous looking teenage girls that appear to lack the confidence to exert their will on the horse and I am sure the horses know this!

I think you fail to see the understandable reason that horses are powerful naturally flighty creatures, not mechanical like your bike and should be regarded similar to an unpredictable frightened child , Horses are not naturally aggressive & sadly in my experience nervous & aggressive horses are a by-product of past experiences from irresponsible owners, motorists, dog owners, and yes cyclists !! who simply don,t give a damn or understand how to act around them . If you do intend going off on a witch hunt to seek the riders i would suggest first you try to understand why they reacted angrily at the time, if you do trace them then a little diplomacy would defiantly help bear any fruit in your situation. In respect of any horse causing damage or injury any court would rightly need to establish any proportion of blame from all parties, say for example a loose dog jumps out at a horse, or your brakes squeal behind a horse that then spooks and injures someone (usually the rider) who,s to blame ? ( ignorance is no excuse in law) , I would say the dog owner for not controlling their pet , or the speedy cyclist braking suddenly too close to a horse would carry a large proportion of blame !!

unfortunately much the same as your group of unsupervised noisy restless children in a public place ie, a public highway then rest full blame on a motorist if things go wrong.

 

[I like Skol]

I think you fail to see the...... reason that horses ..... should be regarded similar to an unpredictable frightened child

This is all about being responsible. If you are supervising a child that may run into the road then you hold their hand. If you have a dog that you suspect will bite someone without much provocation you would put a muzzle on it. If you have a nervous horse that is likely to lash out at someone or something with little or no warning then should you really be taking it on a public highway where you are highly likely to encounter the conditions that will trigger the problem?

unfortunately much the same as your group of unsupervised noisy restless children in a public place ie, a public highway then rest full blame on a motorist if things go wrong.

Who said anything about unsupervised? Don't try to twist my words to favour your argument.

OK, young children do randomly run out in front of cars, everyone knows this so a responsible driver would not drive at 50mph past a school in a 30mph zone at chucking out time. Likewise, a responsible horse owner should not take a nervous horse into a public place without being prepared to accept the consequences (i.e making good damages caused such as trampled bikes).

By the sounds of it the original poster did everything reasonably possible to give the horse and rider a clear passage but the horse still lashed out. If this is the true picture then I can see clearly where fault lies!