No cyclists were involved in this incident....

[thirdcrank]

... so I've posted in the Tea Shop.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... 5Emostread

Apart from the emphasis on the whipping, this could easily have been an interaction between the driver and a couple of cyclists.

[gentlegreen]

A shame the horse didn't spook and kick his vehicular lights out.

[661-Pete]

For those who don't want to give the DM any more hit points:

A horsewoman was so enraged when a teenager beeped his horn as she rode down a country lane she beat his car with her riding crop.
Jessica Mills was concerned her horse, Billie Bob, would be spooked when 18-year-old Jacob Knox sounded the horn of his £30,000 Audi A5 near the village of Mottram St Andrew in Cheshire.
After a heated exchange, the 29-year-old threw the leather crop at the vehicle, a court heard.
The teenage entrepreneur claimed the incident caused £1,700 worth of damage to the windscreen and bonnet of his new car, and told police Ms Mills had used her horse as 'a weapon' during their encounter.
Ms Mills has been forced to pay £1,500 compensation to Knox, who has three penalty points on his license for using a mobile phone while driving, after admitting criminal damage.
The waitress, who lives on a farm in Woodford said she has been made to feel like a criminal for trying to protect herself and her horse.
Macclesfield Magistrates' Court heard how the incident unfolded as the 18-year-old tried to overtake Ms Mills who was riding with a friend, Samantha Chesters, in June.
Prosecuting Debbie Byrne said: 'He drove behind them for around 30 seconds before trying to overtake.
'He then saw the horse move towards the middle of the road blocking his route. He beeped his horn to make sure the rider was aware of his presence but Mills began shouting.
'He tried to pass the horses and he saw Mills grab the whip. He accelerated as she threw her whip and shouted. The whip cracked his windscreen and bonnet.'
But, eyewitness Miss Chesters told the court: 'I knew the Audi was behind us because I could hear the engine.

etc. etc.

What puzzles me is, how does an 18-year-old come to be driving an Audi A5 (or any other Audi)? Who's footing the bill for the insurance?

And how does a leather riding crop come to inflict £1700 of damage to a car?

[kwackers]

What puzzles me is, how does an 18-year-old come to be driving an Audi A5 (or any other Audi)? Who's footing the bill for the insurance?

And how does a leather riding crop come to inflict £1700 of damage to a car?

Indeed. Sounds like viewtopic.php?f=15&t=10801 to me.

[Vorpal]

It's not so hard to inflict £1700 of damage on an Audi.

It sounds he was trying to bully them, and she wasn't having it. Of course they have no proof of that, and she did damage his car. I guess he probably had better legal advice, too.

[Keith]

Apart from the emphasis on the whipping, this could easily have been an interaction between the driver and a couple of cyclists.

Do you reckon you could do £1,700 worth of damage with a bicycle pump? With an 18 year old in an A5 up your back mudguard it might be worth a try!

[kwackers]

Indeed. Sounds like viewtopic.php?f=15&t=10801 to me.

I'm not convinced the swearing post is valid here. There's no mention of using two legitimate words, it just advices against rearranging letters, symbol substitution etc.
Definitely nothing about the use of balls and oxen.

[gaz]

Perhaps referring to horse manure would have been more appropriate .

[PH]

The court looked at the facts and made a decision. The Daily Mail reported it. I know courts sometimes get things wrong, but I wasn't there and if the only evidence that they were wrong in this case is the DM, I'm going to start with the assumption that the court was right.
Let's look at it. The horse rider is concerned that her horse will be spooked by the car, so she turns it round and rides it towards the car. Is that what you'd do?
The driver has three points from a previous conviction, why is that even being reported? He's not the one being charged. That's shocking DM manipulation of the story. Well not that shocking, it is the DM.

The teenage entrepreneur claimed the incident caused £1,700 worth of damage to the windscreen and bonnet of his new car

He claimed it? Hasn't it just been proven in court? Slightly reduced amount admittedly, but Ms Mills admitted criminal damage.
The story doesn't tell us how this 18 year old can afford a new Audi, maybe he's a rich spoilt brat, maybe he's an extremely clever hard working young man, don't assume you know which.
And just look at the photos, brilliant, you couldn't make it up. There's the sad faced horse woman looking on the edge of tears, there's the young horn blower beaming away with a pint in his hand. The DM at it's most predictable.
thirdcrank has it that this could easily have been an interaction between the driver and a couple of cyclists. Couldn't it just have easily been an interaction between the horse rider and a couple of cyclists? I wasn't there, I wouldn't know.

[thirdcrank]

thirdcrank has it that this could easily have been an interaction between the driver and a couple of cyclists. Couldn't it just have easily been an interaction between the horse rider and a couple of cyclists? I wasn't there, I wouldn't know.

I posted about this just because no cyclists were involved, so that people might look at it in a slightly more detached way than if it had involved a couple of cyclists rather than horse riders.

Bearing in mind that horse riders have generally managed to get a lot more publicity and sympathy for their campaigns eg "Pass wide and slow" than have cyclists, I find the story interesting and salutary. Certainly worth bearing in mind by those who boast about kicking door panels etc.

FWIW, I first saw the story in the Daily Telegraph, but their online version is usually a PITA and the Daily Mail generally has much more detail anyway. I suspect that the DM accurately reflects the attitudes of quite a large part of our society

As for the possibility of an interaction between cyclists and equestrians: +1. I like to think I'm a considerate sort of a chap and I certainly try to be extra considerate when approaching horses. but their riders aren't all angels on horseback, as I've posted from time to time.

[Urticaria]

Certainly worth bearing in mind by those who boast about kicking door panels etc.

What's your view on this if the conjunction of foot and door occurs whilst both vehicles are moving? Alerting the driver to your presence via percussion on the car's bodywork almost seems sensible during a close pass.

their riders aren't all angels on horseback, as I've posted from time to time.

Oysters wrapped in bacon?

[thirdcrank]

...
What's your view on this if the conjunction of foot and door occurs whilst both vehicles are moving? Alerting the driver to your presence via percussion on the car's bodywork almost seems sensible during a close pass.....

I'll suggest everything depends on the circumstances. There was a case a while ago where a rider (can't remember his username) banged on the side of a white van that was on the point of wiping him out. Thwe driver stopped, walked round the back of the van and assaulted him. All recorded on the rider's headcam. I enrolled on the other forum just to be able to express my solidarity with the rider. That doesn't alter the fact that the driver felt justified in knocking the cyclist to the ground and I know from personal experience, that that's when angry men often kick your head.

When people are posting on a forum, you never know if they are all mouth and no bibshorts, but I get the impression that some people are intentionally provocative. The line "If I can reach, they must be too close" is OK, but the implication of some comments is that riders have manoeuvred so that the offending driver's vehicle is within reach.

From a pragmatic POV, I can't see any point in risking injury. On a regular commuting route, a cyclist is going to be easily recognised by many of the same drivers, day after day. A rattled driver, with a long memory rather than a short fuse, can take their revenge served cold, if and when the opportunity arises, and these days, they don't even risk a conviction for due care. "Sorry officer, the sun was in my eyes...." etc.

[Urticaria]

Wise advice. thank you. Your are so right about the high likelihood of a repeat meeting with the same person.