Passing horses

[skudupnorth]

Yes. In poor light conditions, I normally have my lights on flashing, but I'll cover the front light with my hand when meeting an oncoming horse, or when passing one provided I can safely keep moving with enough gap while only having one hand properly on the handlebars. Can't do much about the rear light while in motion, unfortunately.

Don’t worry about the rear, I do the same. Like I say, the majority of us are clued up on this sort of thing but it’s doing no harm sharing our fellow vulnerable road users information

 

[Milkfloat]

@KnittyNorah I know you cannot speak for the entire horse world, but are cyclists generally welcomed or hated by horse riders on the roads? In my experience I seem to have good relationships with horse riders, but I do meet a few very frosty ones.

 

[MontyVeda]

@KnittyNorah I know you cannot speak for the entire horse world, but are cyclists generally welcomed or hated by horse riders on the roads? In my experience I seem to have good relationships with horse riders, but I do meet a few very frosty ones.

some folk are just frosty, regardless of desired transport.

 

[figbat]

I’ve ridden far more horses than I have bicycles. My approach is that it is most important that the horse knows you are there; a good rider should pick up on the horse’s awareness anyway but I have sometimes passed a horse from behind, having established that the horse has spotted me some time before but the rider is still surprised when I call out that I am there. Horses have a decent peripheral vision - as you approach from behind you may see them lift their head a little and look one way or the other - this is them seeing you and assessing the risk. They may then check on your approach very few seconds - if they are comfortable that’s as much as you’ll see. If they are nervous they may start to show signs suck as swishing tail, jogging, swinging their rear end left or right etc.

To give the horse a chance of spotting me I’ll make sure to make some low level noise, such as freewheeling a loud hub, maybe a small cough, sniff or similar, riding on some gravel etc. These are at some distance from the horse but they often sense it and once they have locked onto you they can then track your approach, rather than suddenly appearing at close quarters.

Ultimately you need to avoid surprising the horse - as prey animals their fight or flight instinct can still surface, no matter how well trained.

 

[KnittyNorah]

@KnittyNorah I know you cannot speak for the entire horse world, but are cyclists generally welcomed or hated by horse riders on the roads? In my experience I seem to have good relationships with horse riders, but I do meet a few very frosty ones.

Welcomed, very much welcomed. By me, and most of the people I know.

Most of us recognise that a cyclist has very similar interests and fears to us wrt traffic and roads; we have some different opinions about road surfaces but we each have strongly-aligned views about the dangers of potholes, slippery manhole covers, deep puddles, dodgy grids and general debris.
'Frosty' riders may well in actual fact be nervous about their horse's reaction to a cyclist - and so are doing the best they can to react in no way at all - or they might just be 'frosty' people.
I've come across cyclists like that, and other horse riders too. Especially when I used to have a mule ... hahaha! The NUMBER of silly people - cyclists, walkers and horseriders - who told me that I had to 'get off this path because that is a donkey'. I actually took legal advice and took to carrying copies of the relevant paragraphs about the law with me, dropping them off at livery stables and the like!

For several years I used to take two teenage lads with me when I took my horse out to ride different routes in the Peak District; the lads were keen mountain bikers and their parents gave me a contribution towards fuel. The abuse those boys to often had to put up with from walkers was disgraceful. Two pleasant lads riding their bikes in a considerate way on bridlepaths where they were perfectly entitled to be. I confess I probably came across to several groups of walkers as somewhat more than 'frosty' on those occasions ... even if quite often the group I came across to as 'frosty' wasn't the one causing any problems for 'my lads' at all.

There is fear and resentment about some cyclists, irresponsible MTB ers in particular. Fear because we are on a live thing who can't be mended if broken, and resentment because we (older horseriders) worked for a generation or more, post war, to reopen and maintain bridleways and reclassify old ways, we (generally) welcomed cyclists into 'the fold' as it were when the law on access was changed in 1968 - yet there has been surprisingly-little reciprocity, in fact the opposite - bridleways in some places were, in the 1990s, being 'improved' so as to be less suitable for horses. Many of us who had worked in/for bridleways were enthusiastic supporters of Sustrans when it was founded; initially it seemed they were for true multi-user access and so when Sustrans got involved with bridleways organisations in the 1970s and 80s it seemed like it could only be a good thing. We feel that Sustrans misled us and that has led, in the minds of some, to a general suspicion and resentment of cyclists. I suppose that attitudes are passed down from older to younger, and it's the old thing, people prefer to see differences and draw attention to those, rather than recognise and acknowledge similarities.

 

[KnittyNorah]

it is most important that the horse knows you are there;

This, always this, and in all circumstances wherever/whoever you are and wherever/whatever you are doing.

 

[figbat]

@KnittyNorah I know you cannot speak for the entire horse world, but are cyclists generally welcomed or hated by horse riders on the roads? In my experience I seem to have good relationships with horse riders, but I do meet a few very frosty ones.

I‘l speak from my fairly extensive experience of riding horses on the road, as well as cycling there too.

As a horse rider I dealt with each road user as I found them. Most cyclists were respectful and courteous - occasionally to a fault - and the same can be said of car drivers and motorbike riders. Very rarely did I encounter a genuinely malicious road user, one who deliberately close-passed or acted selfishly. Sometimes I’d come across someone who was simply ignorant or unthinking, but they usually responded quickly and apologetically to whatever situation might have developed as a consequence.

Ultimately, as stated up-thread, I’d rather not be on the road at all but sometimes it was necessary. If so I’d do my best not to get in the way, I’d pull into lay-bys or onto the verge where safe to allow traffic past and this was mostly acknowledged with a gesture of thanks. I don‘t recall any especially difficult conflicts.

As a cyclist I use my experience on horses to inform my approach and pass. This is also usually acknowledged - occasionally profusely (eg “thanks ever so much for calling out“).

 

[KnittyNorah]

I'm no horse lover, and would rather they were off the road altogether,

As a horserider and horse lover, I'd rather they be off the road altogether, too. I don't intend this to be confrontational, but where would you have us go?
Many drivers will say the same as you wrt cyclists; ask them where they should go and they don't have anything constructive to suggest.
There is nowhere else for most of us, be we riders of either horse or cycle.

 

[Jody]

One of the tips that has come in handy for me when approaching on a shared use path is to look at their ears. That can give a lot of information away as to how twitchy the beast is or when it's clocked you.

I notice the horse knows way in advance of the rider.

 

[figbat]

One of the tips that has come in handy for me when approaching on a shared use path is to look at their ears. That can give a lot of information away as to how twitchy the beast is or when it's clocked you.

I notice the horse knows way in advance of the rider.

Yep - the ears are a great mood signal for the horse. They will point them in the direction they want to get more information about. They will also use them as a warning - flat back against their head is properly p*ssed off and is the last warning before teeth or hooves get involved. Nostrils are another tell - flared nostrils along with some snorting is a sign of anxiety or heightened alert status. Swishing tail is another warning. Head in the air. They communicate a lot through their posture, as herd animals tend to - we just need to know how to read it.

 

[Peter Salt]

Whenever I see a horse on the road that classic Sean Lock quote comes to my mind: 'I've only shown my sensitive side twice. Once to my wife and the other time I slowed down for a horse' Live by those words, I say

 

[skudupnorth]

All cracking responses , I knew I was probably preaching to the converted 😆 It’s just nice to hear positive feedback

 

[Blue Hills]

They will certainly see you - or rather, your movement - from a good distance away, even when you are behind them (they have a rather unusual, to us, field of view)

How do they do that - doesn't the famous horse's arse get in the way?

 

[Dogtrousers]

All cracking responses , I knew I was probably preaching to the converted 😆 It’s just nice to hear positive feedback

Indeed. We do know that there are cyclists out there who can be less than careful. Maybe just uninformed, maybe wilfully reckless.

It's about the only time I'm tempted to roll out those phrases "give us all a bad name" and "but not all cyclists". Fortunately I'm made of sterner stuff and don't succumb to temptation.

 

[Always Cross]

When I ride my recumbent trike if the horse is coming towards me I usually stop stand up and grab hold of the flag to stop it flapping And talk to the horse as it passing. I might not need to but as far as I’m concerned the horse’s hooves are too close to my head to chance it. If I come up on them the rear I call out to let them know I’m there and see what the rider wants. On a normal upright bike i normally start singing and talk to the horse as I near it and pass slowly.