Sheesh - I thought it was a trick question...
Any horse is unpredictable in my books so wouldn't actually make any difference to my manouvre if it was in training or not.
Me too...
Wouldn't make any diff to me either - sneak up real slow, then bags of revs, wiv a quick blast ont horn fer good measure!
(No, not really DC)
Well actually, you would be surprised XK! We were going up the main road the other day and a 4x4 thought it would be a good idea to get as close as possbile behind us. Young un was worried but was good...driver shouted out of the window that we shouldnt be riding 2 abreast...wtf??? He then passed so close i could have kicked his wing mirror clean off. To say i was mad was an understatement. I mean how am i supposed to train the young un in traffic if he doesnt experience it? Its not like i didnt make it obvious what we were doing. I darent take him out now as i dont want to frighten him and put him off forever...grrrrrr
i had a bad experiance in Wales when out riding with my Dad [ex horse artillery ]where my horse put its head out to the right and a very fast pick up van clipped its head with a metal rod sticking up from the back! blood every where screeming horse luckily me dad was in charge an sorted things the fnig welsh farmer driving the pick up was a right pillock! an jus shouted anti English abuse at us! Horse was ok in the end with a few stitches to its cheek! then going to a pub asking for aspirin the landlord said we dont get headaches in Wale's, to this day i dont really like the Welsh
The reason i lead the young un out with the big un is because he is really calm and it helps the young un come to terms with it. I would have less control if i were to walk him up the road as he has nothing to set an example to him. I see it as a vital learning curve for him. He's at the age where he learns his behaviour from other horses. Most riders/trainers wouldnt do anything until he was 4, which in my opinion is too late, he's learnt bad habits by then. I dont expect things to be easy, cos they never are, but i would have hoped that by spelling things out to everyone, then they might have had a little consideration. Next time, i'll boot the wing mirror off and he can sue me
nah he's good!jus a bad memory! ive done weddings for welsh folk an had a good laugh! but do notice adverts for the welsh tourist board you dont hear a welsh accent!
Hey tango thats an awful example of self righteous nasty bast***s who have just no respect for animals or any other road user in there own land.........makes you want to take the law into your own hands.....
that's right he showed no compassion at all for the horse! jus shoutin at us!! i know my dad would have thumped him had he not had his hands full controllin two horses ,as a after thought my sister's horse was as cool as a cucumber!!
I am always amused when you see the letters from horse riders in bike mags commenting on how considerate bike riders are of horses. While I am sure we are all reasonable, considerate people and many of us are animal lovers we are also perched on top of two wheels and rightly nervous at the propect of a very large horse which may decide to barge into us if its frightened.
It does make a nice change to receive positive press even if it isn't completely justified.
On the whole prof bikers are the most considerate....I'll even quote something i wrote a while back on another forum -
I have a car, bike and 2 horses, one has been there got the t-shirt, the other is a baby. Having spent 30 years out on the roads on horseback, bikers are, to be fair, the most considerate of drivers/riders, and i thank you all.
On a more serious note, like others have said, horses have a mind of their own, and they have off days, like humans do. My old boy will deal with most things the roads have to offer, but on the odd occasion, nothing i do or beat into him will make him behave. I cant say when this phenomenon will occur, but whenever it does, i am powerless to stop it. I have had 2 serious incidents, which could have resulted in serious injury to myself, him or the occupants of the vehicle, but thankfully neither did. One was all four feet on the bonnet of an XR2 and the other ended up in us being inside a transit van via the side without the door. Had it been a bike involved, i dread to think of the carnage.
I do appreciate the views of those that think horses shouldnt be allowed on roads, and in some ways i would agree with you, but at the end of the day, the horse was here before the mechanised vehicle . I for one would much rather spend my day riding off road, but bridleways are being taken away to be replaced with dual carriageways or housing developments. To enjoy our hobby, we are forced more and more onto busy roads. Yes horse sh*t is a hazard to bikers, but its generally found in the 12ins into the gutter and if you are riding there, you need you're head feeling! Until someone develops a 'horse nappy' then, learn to live with it.
Having now got a baby horse that needs introducing to roads and traffic, in order to prepare him for things he might encounter, i now spend hours lingering at roadsides and see some shocking displays of observation. Double decker buses flying past, cars and bikes doing well over the speed limits etc but so far so good am pleased to say. From experience, cutting the engine makes no difference. Its the visible aspect of things. Horses are mainly sound/sight animals. They hear the noise, stop to listen and work out what it is. They then look at the object(they can also see behind themselves), and put the two together. If its something that doesnt match, they freak. Putting it simply, if they hear the noise of a bike, they expect to see a bike.
Cutting the engine confuses them, as its suddenly gone silent, then this 'thing' appears from nowhere. See where i'm coming from? Its best to slow down, in a relatively high gear, give a wide berth and carry on as normal in my opinion. The element of surprise, whether in front or behind, can create a worse situation. Agreed some riders dont help themselves by making themselves as invisible as possible, but then neither do some bikers/drivers.
HTH from an experienced horseriders pov
That's a shocking tale from both DC and TM.
A young horse in training sign being worn should have spelled the situation out clearly. I see young rider in training or words to that effect and in that situation I'd expect it be an inexperienced rider on an experienced horse but what ever the combination of horse and rider (or cart/trap/carriage) on the road, I give them a wide berth, slow right down and don't suddenly speed off again the minute I've passed them.
Although I'm no horsewoman and can't ride I have spent quite a lot of time around horses so have a little more understanding of them than someone who hasn't but anyone with half a brain should realise it's a horse, it's a big powerful animal and as such can be unpredictable.
Never ceases to amaze me when out and I come across a rider whose horse is behaving erractically and the rider is attempting to maintain control of their mount and get them settled again and some pillock can't be patient and wait for this to happen and be signalled to pass.
A horse can be spooked at any time but to pass one that's in the middle of having a paddy = asking for trouble if you ask me.
Have you got any piccies of your black beauties DC, would love to see Guiseley and Rhys. Just checked your profile - lovely!
Unfortunately you get irresponsible horse riders as well as any other means of transport. When I stay at my brothers just outside Windsor he has horses and ponies regularly passing in front of his place. I watched one day and was amazed at the number of young girls on the phone whilst they were riding!! I would like to think it was them ringing back to the stables to let them know they just safely negotiated a busy road crossing but I somehow doubt it... surely a case of needing both hands on the reigns?
BTW DC - thanks for the info on the sight and sound thing... I regularly encounter horses on my rides and am impressed that they don't get spooked by my short-cut pipes (completely throttled down) and what you say makes perfect sense now.
TM an DC, they are horric situations, thankfully all of you were relatively ok, but must have been very frightening tho.
Ive spent a lot of time round horses, and have a lot of respect for both horses and riders.
There's a winding lane near me that has stables half way along it on a bad bend. There are always young children out on horses, but there are also some erratic drivers that like to use it as a rally track. Most people know that road like the back of their hands, and will treat it with respect, but there's some that wont, I shudder to think.
My son was driving down there in the early hours, returning form a gig, yeh ok he may look the typical 'boy racer' small hatch, baseball cap, hoody, but as he came to the stables there was a horse in the middle of the road on a bend. Luckily he had seen it in time, and was driving slowly. He and his cousin pulled over and led the horse up to the stables, could have been so much worse if they weren't locals.
Theres been at least 3 cases over recent years where horses have escaped from various fields around here, and there could have been disastrous consequences.
Just be aware wherever horses may be, with rider or not. You never know what may be around the next corner.
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