Cycling UK Forum

Same here, I'm very glad to see anyone who's not in a vehicle on the country lanes around here. It all helps to remind motorists that they're not the sole road users. I remember cows being taken for milking twice a day along public roads (excellent traffic-calming!), this used to be a regular sight but I can't remember the last time I encountered it.

They regularly move cows and sheep from field to field where I live. Always have to block the road off, much to dismay of non locals!

BevGreen wrote:Goodness I seem to have annoyed quite a lot of people by not staying online or not replying quickly enough to responses from my post about horses and cyclists.

Ah well, apologies if I misinterpreted your earlier post and intentions, and welcome back, and thanks for replying to this thread.

All I will say is, if someone's first post on a cycling forum contains anything critical of any cyclist or cyclists, however guarded and well-intentioned, this might well, as you say, cause some 'annoyance'. I'm sure you understand that. If you feel inclined to post about your experiences on any other cycling forum, why not start by posting a bit about yourself and/or your cycling experiences, then save your equestrian experiences for a third or fourth post? That way, your bona fides will have been established.

OK, I hope you don't have any more unpleasant encounters with cyclists. If you continue to take your spooked horse on the road, how would you warn an approaching cyclist of the problem? I'm open to any suggestions. As far as I'm concerned, I'd always call out "bike coming" when approaching, whether from behind or in front. My voice helps to put the horse at ease.

Also, do you take out this horse on its own, or in the company of other horses? The latter might help, as I'm sure you already know.

That's all I know about horses, sorry......

Hi,
My opinion is that its a pity that some riders aren't as well behaved as most of the horses I meet.
And the same could be said about car drivers too.

Horse riding is dangerous for sure.
I wonder if you compared off road - MTB, motorcross and horse riding how they would compare.

Thanks for your suggestions but I think it's worse to pretend to be something you're not. Honesty is the best policy if I get some abuse it's just to be expected on any social media site there is always someone who reads something in to what you are saying or misunderstands your intentions.I don't do Facebook Twitter or anything like that I prefer to meet folk face to face. I'd just had enough that's why I joined the forum. Completely out of character for me but a way of getting my point of view across.
Thanks for the apology.
I go out alone and in company just depends if I have the time he's no better or worse with others around. I usually just warn approaching cyclists that he's wary of them so be prepared this is when they are in hearing distance and usually after I've signalled them to slow down. I try to stand in a layby if possible but the roads round here are so very narrow and winding. Cyclists approaching me from behind are harder, quite often they have silently whizzed past before I can speak. I regularly look back but I can't do that every two seconds so I don't always clock them. Fortunately my horse isn't as bad when they pass this way it's head on he has an issue with and that's just because of his experiences from that direction.

Fortunately almost all of the bad attitude horse-riders congregate into the hunt and the bad attitude cyclists into gangs of raceclubs.

The rest of us get on very well and have enjoyable social interactions at the roadside.

I do have many friends in both racing clubs and the hunt, who act perfectly reasonably outside of those environments.
I have on occasions been in a group of cyclists who have acted badly around horses and I was amazed at their absolute ignorance on the subject, you can easily forget that to many people from cities it isnt something which they understand, they expect the horse to be controlled just like a non-sentient vehicle is.

It is also probably worth being charitable towards the horse rider who gets a bit snappy at you because their horse doesnt like you, it cant be nice trying to stay on some prancing beast with your head 10 foot above the concrete, I tried it once!
At times the actual interaction between horse-rider and cyclist is being super-imposed over a class interaction between plummy voiced, mounted gentry and the common serfs who they are literally talking down to.
Which brings me back to the hunt.

Of course all of these people are much worse when they put the bike on the rack, or the horse in the box and get behind the wheels of their motor vehicle.

Is there anybody that I havent had a poke at yet? Yes, dog owners.

meic wrote: and the bad attitude cyclists into gangs of raceclubs.

I'd include alleycats in that category (I may be prejudiced but that's my feeling). Fortunately not a species to be encountered very often on my local rural Sussex roads.....

BevGreen wrote: ... I regularly look back but I can't do that every two seconds so I don't always clock them. ....

No need to be constantly looking round for cyclists: your horse will do it for you.

I've posted more than once before that an unblinkered horse knows what's happening behind it and some equestrians immediately notice when their horse is becoming agitated by what's approaching from behind. Some don't and get make increasing efforts to stop behaving in a way they don't understand. At some point, the equestrian is surprised by the presence of the cyclist and things just deteriorate.

I've just found this news in the Daily Torygraph and when I've searched online, this was the first hit with the same story (and a bit less nudge-nudge-wink-wink.)

Bra issues causing women horse riders pain

http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/breaking- ... 893d2dc992

This is the relevant bit for a thread like this one:

A correctly fitting supportive bra would be of benefit not just to the rider, the authors believe. A previous study has shown that horse heart rate increases as a direct response to tension in the handler or rider. (My emphasis.)

I'd not defend inconsiderate road users of any type, but I fancy that a check of all the horse-related threads on this forum - and similar correspondence in the CTC Gazette before it - would show that the great majority began with concerned cyclists asking the best way to alert an equestrian to their presence without being accused of startling the horse. I'd suggest that implies that the typical CTC-type tries to do their best in these circumstances. Unfortunately, especially on a straight road, the horse will spot a cyclist long before a cyclist is within the equestrian's earshot.

(I've used the term 'equestrian' to stress that this applies also to people leading horses. Also whether on a bike or a horse, we are all riders.)

Actually one hunt I know of (not a huge / posh / fashionable one) goes out of its way to be as polite as possible; I have (in the course of my work) seen their literature emphasising the need for courtesy to the public at all times, and they make a point of actually forbidding their members to park anywhere that may possibly obstruct or inconvenience other road users.

Like most things, it depends on the specific club/oragnisation involved. Not all hunts are perfect, not all cycling clubs are perfect. And individuals can get a club which is otherwise doing its best a bad name.

There are 2 large stables in my village so hardly ever get out of the village without passing horses , here are a few point and observations

This week I was cycling up the very narrow lane I live in , the local potato farmer had left water from the sprinkler feeder flow straight down the lane so there was a 1/2 mile muddy stream . I approached 2 riders and one started dancing around the rider said it was the noise of my wheel in the stream

Getting passed horses on very narrow lanes with high hedges can be very daunting when they get skittish

Horse rider don't like you using a bell , but pedestrian insist on it

Too many women riding side by side chatting completely unaware of the silent cyclist , sometimes even after you have shouted cyclist coming through , The chat must be far more interesting. You can normally notice by the horses ears that they have noticed you

I wish the average motorist was as considerate to cyclists as they are to horse riders. If we wore big horse shoes and kicked the odd car perhaps that would help

Every time I put the bike in the car I am glad I am not into horses as a horse would not fit.

Quite a number of horse riders are not at all considerate to cyclists when using horse boxes or lorries on small lanes to move there hosses. The worst are those trailers where the rear wheels stick out they get the front past you and forget about the trailer wheels

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
My opinion is that its a pity that some riders (that's horse) aren't as well behaved as most of the horses I meet.
And the same could be said about car drivers too.

Horse riding is dangerous for sure.
I wonder if you compared off road - MTB, motorcross and horse riding how they would compare.

Seems that Horse Racing is there so is MotoX - Mainstream? http://www.thesportster.com/entertainme ... am-sports/

And then - http://www.thetoptens.com/most-dangerous-sports/

BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8339097.stm

"In his paper earlier this year, Prof Nutt noted that riding in the UK was associated with 10 deaths and 100 traffic accidents a year. He coined the tongue-in-cheek "equine addiction syndrome" or "equasy" when suggesting it might be more harmful than ecstasy. "

"The British Horse Society says there are no centrally collated figures on horse riding injuries. There is no obligation to notify the society about any incident.
And of course, to fans of the sport, many of whom regard it as as much of a way of life as it is a mere hobby, any recognition of the dangers must be tempered by the positives of the sport. "

Any one see the air bags inflate in the Olympics when a horse rolled over a rider Rider seemed OK.

Edited - https://www.reference.com/sports-active ... 0bef2decb#
Fishing apparently.........

A horse is at heart a prey animal, so if you encounter one that is going a bit crazy I would stop and dismount, and if that doesn't work then turn around / back off.

RE. FRIGHTENING HORSES
I have come very late to this post .. I thought you where looking for ways of frightening horses ..... shame..

I used to own horses, Fell ponies.
Here is my horse ownership simulator;
Stand naked in a field in the depths of winter, in the rain, dropping house bricks on your bare feet whilst setting fire to £20 notes.

That just about sums it up..
Now has anyone got a TESCO lasagne ...