Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

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fullfathom5
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Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by fullfathom5 »

Does anybody have any advice regarding the best way to pass horse riders as I understand horses can be spooked by trikes - particularly those with flags? Saturday was my first encounter with horse riders and even though my flag wasn't fitted (I'd forgotten it!) on both occasions the horses seemed nervous. Thanks
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Talk - talk to the horse (and maybe the rider a bit).
If they are really spooked then stand up if you can.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Psamathe
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by Psamathe »

I'm still pretty new to Recumbent Trikes but there a lot of horses around my locality and the few I've passed have shown no signs of being spooked but I have been talking.

I've only ridden horses a couple of times so certainly no rider but from 2-wheel DF cycling I think I'm fairly sensitive to detecting a horse showing signs of concern.

Whenever I come across a horse I tend to call out to the rider as soon as I can without shouting but normally the horse has already noticed me. On my bent, horse has been fine but rider a lot less certain as in I say "say if you want me to stop, unsure if I might upset him" rider replies "he's never seen one of those before" and rider is talking and patting horse.

Noting my lack of bent experience I just go slow and talk and be ready to stop.

I agree about the flag risk as when I first restarted 2-wheel DF cycling I'd sometimes wore a Hi-Viz waistcoat but open and thus fluttering and talking to riders quickly learnt to use one hand to hold it in when around any horses (as one rider I know socially said the fluttering Hi-Viz would upset horses).

Ian
Jdsk
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by Jdsk »

Recent discussion:
viewtopic.php?p=1642182#p1642182

Jonathan
fullfathom5
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by fullfathom5 »

Jdsk wrote: 25 Oct 2021, 2:08pm Recent discussion:
viewtopic.php?p=1642182#p1642182

Jonathan
Thanks - I hadn't spotted that!
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pjclinch
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by pjclinch »

I approach horses the same on my recumbent bike as any other bike: slowly, carefully, making sure the rider knows I'm there (practically always quiet and rural so this isn't hard IME).

What I would add is that I think flags are more of a cultural expectation than a genuinely useful visibility device. Recumbents, even the low ones, stick out like a sore thumb with their "What The Hell Is That Thing!" vibe. I lent my 'bent to a friend once as he was having a spot of back trouble on his upwrong, and his usual riding pals decided he had to have a flag to be seen, so it came back with a flag. I took it off. The only close calls I've had on the 'bent were the same as on the upwrongs: people not looking, and I know they weren't looking because I watched them not doing it.
Another occasion, in a car park talking literally at matched eye-level with a driver and it went something like this...
"You must feel vulnerable down there"
"Down where? I'm at the same level as you"
"But you're so low"
"I'm at the same level as you"
"But it must be dangerous!" (etc.)

So use a flag if you like your flag, but don't feel you're invisible and extra-vulnerable without it.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
mattsccm
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by mattsccm »

Same old thing. I'd love a recumbant and the only reason I can see for a flag is that they can't always be seen in front of another car thus allowing the less observant not to spot them.
Psamathe
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by Psamathe »

Re: Flag: I wonder if it being useful vs ineffective depends on the roads you ride. In my area quite a lot of the single lane country track roads are below field level - you are sort of riding along the bottom of a ditch (tarmac). One road (there are probably quite a few) on many of my rides has open fields both sides about ≈4 ft above road level and a reasonable curve so whilst a car stands above field level and can be seen by an approaching car across field, a low recumbent can't and maybe the flag stands above field level and provides something for an approaching driver to see before they get into direct line of sight.

Of course car drivers should be at a safe speed and relying on only avoiding hazards high enough to stand above the field level is not safe - but that is what drivers often seem to do and I'd rather not be the one under their bonnet demonstrating the point to them.

That said, my bent is moderately low and the flag attached to the seat so whilst it has some height, maybe not as much as others with a more vertical seat. Plus it's a hi-vis yellow which I regard as less effective in rural areas (does not stand out so well against a green background and is perfect campflage against oil rape seed fields).

Ian
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by [XAP]Bob »

My issue with flags in general is that they are actually quite hard to see from behind, aligning as they do with the wind. And I'm not entirely convinced that sideways visibility is as big an issue as people make out.

I used to run one when my commute run through a section of road which was pretty shallow, but relatively rapid, rolling lumps. It made sure there was at least something visible over the hill behind me.
To be fair I actually ran kite streamers, a cluster of rainbow coloured 2" wide 6' long streamers is quite eye catching from most angles (though dead ahead and behind are the least effective directions).
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Ride out this afternoon rather freaked a horse - I was very prepared for that, I was coasting and very ready to brake.

Looked like it was going to be good, then the horse panicked... rider got control fairly fast (though now facing the wrong way) and walked over to a farm entrance - stopped a little way back from the road. I then slowly rode past, talking to the horse (as I usually do - I expect the rider to recognise that talking to the horse is more likely to be useful than talking to them).

So it turns out that a velo has much the same potential to scare a horse as a naked trike...
Given that the weather was nice and dry I didn't have the roof on, I wonder if that would be different.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Psamathe
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by Psamathe »

Yesterday I noticed that some dogs just leap around excited because it's something moving (and probably lightens their dull existence) but yesterday (not 1st time), dog leaping around excited by a walker on other side of road but when I arrived he just sat their looking puzzled not quite sure what I was or what to do. Owner commented "he's never seen one of them before" (which just shows how rarely the dog is taken out as there happens to be another long term recumbent trike enthusiast in the same village living half a mile from where I passed the dog!).

Ian
Stradageek
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by Stradageek »

I've never used a flag, I find the 'what the **** is that factor' makes recumbents more than visible. I have far more trouble being ignored, or not seen, when riding upright bikes.

As for 'you're too low!' comments, I always point out that I'm over a metre higher than the white lines the driver is following.

With horses, the advice above is perfect. Talk, be prepared to stop. As one rider fighting to control a horse that bolted as soon as it caught sight of me said "They're bloody stupid animals".
belgiangoth
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by belgiangoth »

I think the “being so low” idea comes from the driver arms race where they are all getting bigger and bigger cars to be higher and higher on the road.
I don’t have enough time on the trike to form an opinion, but I suspect that my attitude on wider more open roads would be different than on my more local roads that have a hedge of cars on both sides, right up to the corners/crossings. For me the issue is more that I can’t see around the corner over the cars, but then not sure a flag would help with that.
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
Jdsk
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by Jdsk »

belgiangoth wrote: 8 Jan 2022, 11:57am... but I suspect that my attitude on wider more open roads would be different than on my more local roads that have a hedge of cars on both sides, right up to the corners/crossings.
My concerns about being low are predominantly in close-packed traffic, as above. And the slower the worse.

Jonathan
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Passing horse riders on a recumbent trike

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Not too bad if it's genuinely slow and you aren't trying to filter...

But yes, filtering in slow traffic on a bent requires extreme caution because you can't see over/through as many vehicles as you can when you are on an upwrong. Similarly emerging from T junctions is a bit like doing so in a Jag E type or other similar vehicle, you are quite a long way back when you start to emerge, so don't necessarily have the best view.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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