Cycling UK Forum

BevGreen wrote:Arenas are wonderful things to have. That is where we educate our horse on a safe level area.

Bit like velodromes. I can't understand why cyclists go out on the road, either

Heltor I don't think you can improve your technique just let us know in some way that you are there. A friendly hello even a shout and yes a bell is generally ok as long as it isn't when you have already "snook" up on us
I'd rather my horse jumped at the bell, than took flight as you whizzed past us! (Not that is sounds as if this is something you would do but others can be so naïve).

drossall wrote:

BevGreen wrote:Arenas are wonderful things to have. That is where we educate our horse on a safe level area.

Bit like velodromes. I can't understand why cyclists go out on the road, either

Wisdom [emoji6]

Adventure, discovery, new places, new people, new landscapes. Why leave the comfort of your sitting room?

I've lived in the U.K. for half my life. Access rights for horses are disappointingly poor. Near me, they are banned on large sections of the NCN 24 making getting to decent bridal paths and lanes a right royal pain. I feel for horse riders.

Don't even get me started on canoeing.

Heltor Chasca wrote:

drossall wrote:

BevGreen wrote:Arenas are wonderful things to have. That is where we educate our horse on a safe level area.

Bit like velodromes. I can't understand why cyclists go out on the road, either

Wisdom

Adventure, discovery, new places, new people, new landscapes. Why leave the comfort of your sitting room?

I've lived in the U.K. for half my life. Access rights for horses are disappointingly poor. Near me, they are banned on large sections of the NCN 24 making getting to decent bridal paths and lanes a right royal pain. I feel for horse riders.

Don't even get me started on canoeing.

You can also do it indoors with your horse, shirley?

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=hor ... &FORM=IGRE

The prey animals thing seems to really kick in with 'bents.

I've had horses do all sorts of bat crazy things when I've been on the road. I've radically changed my approach as a result of those encounters..

The best (most memorable) was on my old commute:
https://goo.gl/maps/AWvceopbck72

I was travelling this way, and the horse was coming the other. I slowed (as I have always done, car or bike, for a horse) an stayed left.
The horse was clearly getting spooked, and I slowed further, coming to a standstill..
At this point the horse was only a few yards ahead of me, but on the very far side of the road, clearly having issues - the rider was doing very well to maintain control IMHO.
The horse swung round, such that it stayed facing me, with front legs *just* still on the road, it's back end sweeping across the pavement - then it went sideways until it was past me, and the rider managed to straighten it up again and we could all continue safely.

Occasionally I'll come across horses faster than would be ideal - generally coming round a bend in the road - but I now stop, stand and talk (to the horse, the rider can normally work it out themselves )

To put this in perspective, and to remind ourselves we are up against a lot of the same problems that horse riders are, read this, then imagine what would have happened if it had been you on the receiving end whilst out on your bike.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/hor ... ent-543305

To explain details to non-riders, a horse that is 16.2hh is 5' 6" tall (as in, the height of the horse's shoulder, just in front of the saddle). That's a few inches short of the height of a shire horse. And the driver drove straight into it from behind on a straight road in the middle of the afternoon in June.

A horse that size will weigh close to half a ton. It was thrown, along with the rider, over the bonnet, over the car, and ended up on the opposite side of the road behind the car; the horse ended up with two smashed hips from the impact, and had to be euthanised. The rider ended up with a broken ankle and fractures to her spine.

Flinders wrote:To put this in perspective, and to remind ourselves we are up against a lot of the same problems that horse riders are, read this, then imagine what would have happened if it had been you on the receiving end whilst out on your bike.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/hor ... ent-543305

To explain details to non-riders, a horse that is 16.2hh is 5' 6" tall (as in, the height of the horse's shoulder, just in front of the saddle). That's a few inches short of the height of a shire horse. And the driver drove straight into it from behind on a straight road in the middle of the afternoon in June.

A horse that size will weigh close to half a ton. It was thrown, along with the rider, over the bonnet, over the car, and ended up on the opposite side of the road behind the car; the horse ended up with two smashed hips from the impact, and had to be euthanised. The rider ended up with a broken ankle and fractures to her spine.

That's an awful incident indeed, but if one thinks about the physics involved in a crash like that, the energy/speed required for the horse to go over a car isn't very great, I suspect - large object, high CofG, being undercut by a vehicle in that way. Sobering

Heltor Chasca wrote:... Access rights for horses are disappointingly poor. Near me, they are banned on large sections of the NCN 24 making getting to decent bridal paths and lanes a right royal pain. I feel for horse riders.

Don't even get me started on canoeing.

You've taken a canoe on NCN 24? While getting married?

drossall wrote:

Heltor Chasca wrote:... Access rights for horses are disappointingly poor. Near me, they are banned on large sections of the NCN 24 making getting to decent bridal paths and lanes a right royal pain. I feel for horse riders.

Don't even get me started on canoeing.

You've taken a canoe on NCN 24? While getting married?

[emoji23] Blinkin' pedants! Sorry: bridle.

I have actually followed the Wellow Brook along the NCN24 and Avon along the NCN4 from Bath to Bristol and up to Devizes another time in my canoe.

Brief fantasies about towing the lot behind my bike. Bike in canoe is easy but towing an 18 foot boat is wrought with tracking problems.

Thread drift. Sorry. Lucky I didn't get started on marriage [emoji6]

[XAP]Bob wrote:The prey animals thing seems to really kick in with 'bents.

I've had horses do all sorts of bat crazy things when I've been on the road. I've radically changed my approach as a result of those encounters..

The best (most memorable) was on my old commute:
https://goo.gl/maps/AWvceopbck72

I was travelling this way, and the horse was coming the other. I slowed (as I have always done, car or bike, for a horse) an stayed left.
The horse was clearly getting spooked, and I slowed further, coming to a standstill..
At this point the horse was only a few yards ahead of me, but on the very far side of the road, clearly having issues - the rider was doing very well to maintain control IMHO.
The horse swung round, such that it stayed facing me, with front legs *just* still on the road, it's back end sweeping across the pavement - then it went sideways until it was past me, and the rider managed to straighten it up again and we could all continue safely.

Occasionally I'll come across horses faster than would be ideal - generally coming round a bend in the road - but I now stop, stand and talk (to the horse, the rider can normally work it out themselves )

I get this. There is something quite predatory about 'bents. It's the stealth and leopard-like shape. Like horses, I too am fascinated. I would love to have a spin on one.

I used to walk the dog wearing a Snugpak poncho which sent a couple of local horses nuts. I had to gather it in to normalise my shape so they calmed down. I don't wear it much anymore.

If you're ever near me then you're welcome to have a spin - Warwickshire...

Bonefishblues wrote:

Flinders wrote:To put this in perspective, and to remind ourselves we are up against a lot of the same problems that horse riders are, read this, then imagine what would have happened if it had been you on the receiving end whilst out on your bike.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/hor ... ent-543305

To explain details to non-riders, a horse that is 16.2hh is 5' 6" tall (as in, the height of the horse's shoulder, just in front of the saddle). That's a few inches short of the height of a shire horse. And the driver drove straight into it from behind on a straight road in the middle of the afternoon in June.

A horse that size will weigh close to half a ton. It was thrown, along with the rider, over the bonnet, over the car, and ended up on the opposite side of the road behind the car; the horse ended up with two smashed hips from the impact, and had to be euthanised. The rider ended up with a broken ankle and fractures to her spine.

That's an awful incident indeed, but if one thinks about the physics involved in a crash like that, the energy/speed required for the horse to go over a car isn't very great, I suspect - large object, high CofG, being undercut by a vehicle in that way. Sobering

certainly sobering....I'd agree about the physics up to a point, but the horse was hit from behind rather than the side, and a horse's CoG laterally when seen from the side is well forward - just in front of the saddle, even with a rider I suspect it would still be about the centre or front of where the saddle is, so I'd say for it to be lifted back up and right over the car there would have to have been a fair amount of speed on the car's part.

Flinders wrote:

Bonefishblues wrote:

Flinders wrote:To put this in perspective, and to remind ourselves we are up against a lot of the same problems that horse riders are, read this, then imagine what would have happened if it had been you on the receiving end whilst out on your bike.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/hor ... ent-543305

To explain details to non-riders, a horse that is 16.2hh is 5' 6" tall (as in, the height of the horse's shoulder, just in front of the saddle). That's a few inches short of the height of a shire horse. And the driver drove straight into it from behind on a straight road in the middle of the afternoon in June.

A horse that size will weigh close to half a ton. It was thrown, along with the rider, over the bonnet, over the car, and ended up on the opposite side of the road behind the car; the horse ended up with two smashed hips from the impact, and had to be euthanised. The rider ended up with a broken ankle and fractures to her spine.

That's an awful incident indeed, but if one thinks about the physics involved in a crash like that, the energy/speed required for the horse to go over a car isn't very great, I suspect - large object, high CofG, being undercut by a vehicle in that way. Sobering

certainly sobering....I'd agree about the physics up to a point, but the horse was hit from behind rather than the side, and a horse's CoG laterally when seen from the side is well forward - just in front of the saddle, even with a rider I suspect it would still be about the centre or front of where the saddle is, so I'd say for it to be lifted back up and right over the car there would have to have been a fair amount of speed on the car's part.

It doesn't have to be lifted back, the car just goes under it...

It's hideous, and criminal, but if the car doesn't stop before it's passed the horse then the horse is thrown 'backwards' over the car. It's not, it's just moving forward less than the car is...

[XAP]Bob wrote:

Flinders wrote:

Bonefishblues wrote:That's an awful incident indeed, but if one thinks about the physics involved in a crash like that, the energy/speed required for the horse to go over a car isn't very great, I suspect - large object, high CofG, being undercut by a vehicle in that way. Sobering

certainly sobering....I'd agree about the physics up to a point, but the horse was hit from behind rather than the side, and a horse's CoG laterally when seen from the side is well forward - just in front of the saddle, even with a rider I suspect it would still be about the centre or front of where the saddle is, so I'd say for it to be lifted back up and right over the car there would have to have been a fair amount of speed on the car's part.

It doesn't have to be lifted back, the car just goes under it...

It's hideous, and criminal, but if the car doesn't stop before it's passed the horse then the horse is thrown 'backwards' over the car. It's not, it's just moving forward less than the car is...

Is exactly the point I was making, yes.

I once went on a Right of Way training event that was attended mainly by Ramblers and members of the BHS, and I was the only regular cyclist. A few of the BHS people were not keen on cyclists, but the majority saw cyclists as potential allies. That was and still is my feeling. Walkers, horse riders and cyclists are all people who like to get out in the fresh air, getting closer to nature. We all see getting away from the car as a good thing. We all want lanes to be safe. When I meet a horse rider or a walker on a lane I see them as someone who probably has an appreciation of the countryside that is very close to my own. And around here I find horse riders to be very friendly towards me when I'm on the bike. The only hostile horse rider I can think of was a lady I encountered about 20 years ago, who objected to my yellow jacket that bothered her horse. That was a long time ago, and I've had no hostility from horse riders since.

I am sure there are cyclists out there who don't act considerately around horses, and I regret that. Sadly, I doubt they visit this Forum.