Horse riders

[Pale Rider]

Seems to me too many horse riders have a poor attitude towards cyclists.

It was chucking it down today, so I rode with front and rear lights illuminated.

As I approached a horse rider coming towards me on a shared path, I was ticked off thus: "Your front light is on and it's distracting."

My reply was that it's meant to distracting, before I accelerated sooner after passing a horse than I would normally do.

A few weeks ago, my group was told by a horse rider "He (the horse) is no good around cyclists, so you'd better be careful."

If the sodding thing is no good around cyclists, the rider has no business taking it on to a shared path until such time as its behaviour is modified.

But oh no, it's the cyclists who need to look out.

There are horse riders who thank me/my group for slowing, but too many have a high and mighty attitude.

What are your experiences of horse riders?

 

[Bollo]

Honestly, pretty good.

All I know about horses is cooked right they're very tasty and when approaching on a bike from behind it's usually a good idea to warn the rider(s) that you're there using your voice. Approaching from the front, I usually ease off and see whether the horse and rider look comfortable before riding on at ramming speed. Almost without exception the riders are appreciative and you get a smile and a thanks.

Attitudes can vary though. My area of operations usually takes in a few local stables and heads up towards Newbury, where it gets very horsey, and I've had no issues whatsoever. I'm lead to understand that it gets a lot more sectarian around the New Forest, where horse riders tend to think they own the joint. I tend to avoid the NF in anything other than deep winter though, so it's only the ponies I usually see. They seriously don't give a daffodil.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

Why is it the police can take these animals into riots, etc, and don't suffer with nervous horses. Yet, "pet" ones, are nervous on roads? It says to me this is a behaviour that can be trained out of the animal, and if that is the case, then surely they shouldn't be on the roads or shared paths unless able to cope? It is no different to having a dog out of control in public due to poor training.

 

[Rasmus]

Pretty much all my horse interactions are on road. Never had an issue - slow down, pass wide, make your presence known, say "good morning" to the rider, move on.

 

[Bollo]

[QUOTE 4319852, member: 9609"]Loads of horse riders around here probably see as many on horses as bikes, "The Borders is horse country". As @Bollo said, give a shout when approaching from behind so as the horse knows you are there. As far as I'm concerned just good people out enjoying the countryside like us.

However, venture down into Northumberland where the wealthy still think there is some archaic class hierarchy and you may very well meet some upper class twit on a horse who will talk to you as if you are something she has just stood in. Odd place.[/QUOTE]
Wow - I thought things would have changed by now. I did growing up near Alnwick (Fitha Bollo was posted to RAF Boulmer) so know exactly what you mean.

 

[growingvegetables]

Why is it the police can take these animals into riots, etc, and don't suffer with nervous horses. Yet, "pet" ones, are nervous on roads? It says to me this is a behaviour that can be trained out of the animal, and if that is the case, then surely they shouldn't be on the roads or shared paths unless able to cope? It is no different to having a dog out of control in public due to poor training.

Sorry - but that is rubbish . Do you similarly exclude nervous and learning cyclists and drivers from the road? Children on bikes from the road?

Plus - you don't know horses very well?

The police select horses with "appropriate personalities". They reject all the many animals that are nervous or can't settle in an urban environment. Remember Brian?

And nobody yet has managed to train out the horse's genetic memory of the sabre-toothed tiger on the steppes of Siberia. You know - that low, sleek, silent, brightly coloured streak, coming up fast on the poor beast's flank, ready to sink its teeth into the neck? The way a horse's eyes are placed, according to one lovely rider I talked to, means they very easily fail to recognise a cyclist coming up fast behind them as human, and .... "over-react".

 

[DRHysted]

Whilst cycling on the roads of the New Forest I have only come across one stroppy horse rider.
Whilst walking across the open forest they treat you as if you're encroaching their garden.

 

[toffee]

Most meeting are OK. Annoying when you see horses and riders at the bottom of a hill and cannot use the speed built up to go pass.

Had one rider make motions for use to slow down and got annoyed when we didn't. We we actually going slower than the cars were going past.

Derek

 

[Dave 123]

I rode near the Wimpole Estate yesterday. There was a cross country equestrian event on. All of the marshals and riders were polite, smiley and grateful for us slowing down /holding back. I suppose when they're in an event like that there is a code of conduct that they have to obey.

You're right though @Pale Rider , some horse riders can be up themselves and grumpy. A lot depends on who has cut them up etc already that day.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Never had a problem with them. I always say hi and give a big smile.
They're on the bullies' "get off my road" list too, so we should get on.

 

[John the Monkey]

What are your experiences of horse riders?

Overwhelmingly positive.

If approaching from the back, I slow down and ask if it's OK to pass. Meeting them head on, I slow and give as much room as I can.

The riders here always say good morning, at the very least - the ones I met yesterday also shared a joke about how mad we were (equestrians and cyclists both) to be out in the rain.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

Sorry - but that is rubbish . Do you similarly exclude nervous and learning cyclists and drivers from the road? Children on bikes from the road?

Plus - you don't know horses very well?

The police select horses with "appropriate personalities". They reject all the many animals that are nervous or can't settle in an urban environment. Remember Brian?

And nobody yet has managed to train out the horse's genetic memory of the sabre-toothed tiger on the steppes of Siberia. You know - that low, sleek, silent, brightly coloured streak, coming up fast on the poor beast's flank, ready to sink its teeth into the neck? The way a horse's eyes are placed, according to one lovely rider I talked to, means they very easily fail to recognise a cyclist coming up fast behind them as human, and .... "over-react".

Fair enough. I'm not overly familiar with horses and was a genuine question I had that may incorrectly prejudice my views so I am grateful for the explanation.

I've never had a bad experience with horse riders on the road either so may be a little bit of devils advocate with this bit but.......

How would you react if passing a dog walker on a canal path. And the owner says "go past him slow and wide he gets nervous and has a tendency to bite if you startle him"?

 

[Drago]

I got told off by a horsey rider.last year because my fluorescent top was flapping in the breeze as I cycled, and disturbing her horse.

I just grinned inanely and ignored her, but it did make me wonder that if her horse is the easily spooked then it shouldn't really be ridden in public.

Generally speaking though I try to be considerate and cheerful around horses, and their riders usually reciprocate.

 

[Nibor]

No issues with the riders but I wish they would at least sweep the humongous piles of shoot to the side rather than leaving them in the middle of a shared path

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Never had an issue - I pass a fair few in the course of a month's riding and the horses all seem calm and the riders very friendly.