"bent/pony interface with unfortunate consequences.

[betty swollocks]

Bowling along a country road when up ahead I see silhouettes of horses and riders in the shadow under trees,
As I get nearer and slow down and the horses emerge from the dark, I see it's kids on ponies being led by an adult woman walking by the side of the leading pony and a line of cars behind.
I immediately stop, still some thirty yards away and stand up astride 'bent, but it's too late.
The leading pony shies, knocks over the woman and bolts back the way it came. The other two ponies follow suit.
All three, with their riders hanging on for dear life, skitter down the road for a few yards and then stop.
I run towards woman.
She is assisted up by me but bleeding from the elbow. Small child hitherto unseen but by her side, starts screaming.
Motorists get out of their cars and come over. One produces kitchen towel for the woman to dress her wound.
Woman comforts small child.
I hide 'bent in verge.
Kids on the ponies that bolted come up.
Motorist with kitchen towel offers woman lift. She declines, as her stables is just down the road.
Mwkt drives off. Other motorists too.
I suggest to woman she gets an tetanus jab.
She gathers her riders on ponies and small child still screaming and walks off (I assume towards her stables) clutching kitchen towel to elbow, but with blood drlpping down her forearm.
I rescue 'bent from verge climb on, pedal off.
Feel guilty.

 

[DavieB]

Why do you feel guilty?

 

[betty swollocks]

Why do you feel guilty?

I dunno: silly really.
I suppose I might have identified the potential danger earlier and dismounted and stood up earlier, before the ponies had a chance to bolt.
Bolting is a known reaction from equines when they see 'bents. A prey species acting on instinct when they see something they've never seen before. Standing up indentifies you as a human.

 

[benb]

Standing up indentifies you as a human.

Not in your case.

 

[DavieB]

Should the stables not have their pony's trained better that they don't bolt from something 30 yards from them?

You got up made your self big, and the pony's still bolted, and with kids on the back. Im not a horsey person but seeing how a horse can bolt from that sort of thing puts me off getting my daughters riding lessons.

Makes you appreciate how good a job police stables do training the horses for crowd control.

 

[betty swollocks]

Should the stables not have their pony's trained better that they don't bolt from something 30 yards from them?

You got up made your self big, and the pony's still bolted, and with kids on the back. Im not a horsey person but seeing how a horse can bolt from that sort of thing puts me off getting my daughters riding lessons.

Makes you appreciate how good a job police stables do training the horses for crowd control.

Agreed!

 

[DavieB]

Agreed!

Guilt gone now?

 

[betty swollocks]

Guilt gone now?

Yes mostly: thanks for your interest

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

You callous b*stard, Betty.... hiding your beloved bent in the undergrowth. Shame on you!

Seriously though, don't think you could have done any more. If the horses are that skittish they shouldn't be on public roads, or at the very least are led there to get used to such things but without the young inexperienced riders on them.

 

[wafflycat]

I dunno: silly really.
I suppose I might have identified the potential danger earlier and dismounted and stood up earlier, before the ponies had a chance to bolt.
Bolting is a known reaction from equines when they see 'bents. A prey species acting on instinct when they see something they've never seen before. Standing up indentifies you as a human.

Talking: the human voice identifies you much better than standing up.

 

[betty swollocks]

Talking: the human voice identifies you much better than standing up.

From thirty yards away? I'd have to shout.

 

[benb]

From thirty yards away? I'd have to shout.

Haha, I've got an image of you shouting "I'm human" at the top of your voice.

 

[wafflycat]

From thirty yards away? I'd have to shout.

I've been known to initially call out from that distance - it alerts the rider to your presence. Then just talk to horse & rider: pass the time of day. It works and I've had horse riders thank me for it saying that it identifies me as human and a non-threat to the horse. Give it a try.

 

[betty swollocks]

I've been known to initially call out from that distance - it alerts the rider to your presence. Then just talk to horse & rider: pass the time of day. It works and I've had horse riders thank me for it saying that it identifies me as human and a non-threat to the horse. Give it a try.

I'm an experienced rider in the countryside and have often encountered horse riders. When approaching from behind, I always call out to alert them of my presence and pass slowly and giving as wide a berth as possible. My experience is that the riders can be as unpredictable as their mounts: some thank you others are less courteous.
When approaching from in front and when on a normal bike, my protocol is to slow down and ensure I have eye contact (with the rider). Often a greeting or nod of the head is exchanged. I am much more wary when on my 'bent. Being that, in this instance i was approaching from in front, I'm sure that riders and ponies would have seen me long before they would have heard me. I was not in the shade.

 

[Arch]

From thirty yards away? I'd have to shout.

That's always my dilemma - esp coming up from behind. I want to alert the rider, and the horse, but don't want to make too sudden a noise.

I tend to talk rather than stand up. I talk to the horse (after an initial 'hello!') - I generally say "Hello horse, don't worry, aren't I a funny thing? I'm just a person, honest." and so on. Tends to make the rider laugh too.... That's if I'm coming up from behind - because I'll have to get past at some point. I slow down, and give them plenty of room, of course. Meeting them head on, I'm more likely to stand up (and talk), I think.

DavieB - you can always arrange lessons that are in the school only. I had lessons for a couple of years and the vast majority were in the school, mostly indoors, some outdoors in the outdoor ring. We did sometimes hack, but actually I didn't really enjoy it - too nervous (me, not the horses, the ones we rode were often far too lazy to think about bolting). Also the horses tend to be more lively outside on a hack, so a pony I could happily canter on indoors felt a bit too scary out on a hack. Indoors, many of them could barely be bothered!

If your daughters want to give it a try, why not ask around a few schools and see if they can stipulate indoor/outside ring lessons only, at least to start with.