Horseing around.

Bikerbaboon

Im stummped, i have a local trail that i love to ride is a well surfaced bridal path slight down hill with alot of undulation and you can see a long way down the trail so you can go at a good old lick. Thers is only one problem with this trail..... horses.

How do you get passed them with out getting grummbled at?
so far i have tryed 4 differing ways.

1) pick the widest section of track and slowly pass. did not work got smacked in the face by the riders crop.
2) find widest section of trail and wait stationary. again did not work horse rider had a go at me for goiung too fast.
3) wait the far side of the gate to hte main road. still no luck. horse sees me craps it left then backs up back out in to hte main road ( 60mph a road) hear sqeeling tyers and shouting drivers.
4) pass at a walking pace nice and wide from the horse. this one was nasty again the hose goes nuts and arse bargest me off the trail and in to a tree, im juist glad it did not kick me.

all these passes have been head on and i have tryed to be friendly on every pass. btw every time it was my fault for being in the way.

schmako

I'm not gonna go out of my way to let some snobs on horses take up all the path. But usually getting off the bike and letting them go past is the way to get the least amount of grief. Can't say i've ever been hit by a horse or rider though!

sparrowlegs78

So because i have a horse i'm a snob am i?..so i must also be a mountain biking snob!...get a grip man!

cee

stop....let them past. smile and say hello.

oh and if i get hit in the face with a crop, someone is comin off their horse.

zero303

Sounds like you've gone out of your way to be nice enough about this - your local horse riders have issues - the ones round here are perfectly happy with a slow down and wide berth...

amt27

horses are poorly designed animals, they only see things which are directly to the left or right of their heads, according to my gf who has ridden them,

so i approach slowly and don't wave, maybe a polite hello, as soon as the horse notices me, i can ride off at my own pace,

dave_hill

Bikerbaboon wrote:

1) pick the widest section of track and slowly pass. did not work got smacked in the face by the riders crop

That's common assault. You should have informed the police.

I have no problem with riders, and in general they seem to have no problem with me. If I'm approaching them from behind, I let them know in plenty of time and stay well back until I know it's safe to pass.

If they are approaching me, I stop and I more or less insist that they proceed. Even then, I let them get well past before I set off again.

benjdr

dave_hill wrote:

Bikerbaboon wrote:

1) pick the widest section of track and slowly pass. did not work got smacked in the face by the riders crop

That's common assault. You should have informed the police.

Who would do/be able to do absolutely nothing.
If someone smacked me with his whip, I would either help him dismount his horse, or he'd be riding home with one boot...

allthegearnoidea

i always like to stop and let them pass me as i find it safer for both me and the rider and all have been very appreciative about it so far!

have to say though, i agree with all the above if someone hit me with horsey equuipment!

the majority of horse riders are very good but there are the snobby lot that look down at you! (no pun intended) sadly my hopefully soon to be Ex sister inlaw used to be one of them! although she couldnt afford to keep up with the snobby lot, she certainly tried her best! (ruined her marriage, and she quit teacher training in the last month - seriously- but she didnt care because she had her horse! )

Chaka Ping

There's no point getting annoyed with horse riders.

Just stop and let them pass - content in the knowledge that your bike is by far the superior mode of transport in terms of cost, maintenance and convenience.

Have you ever tried to fit a horse in the back of a hatchback for a quick midweek ride?

Surf-Matt

allthegearnoidea wrote:

i always like to stop and let them pass me as i find it safer for both me and the rider and all have been very appreciative about it so far!

have to say though, i agree with all the above if someone hit me with horsey equuipment!

the majority of horse riders are very good but there are the snobby lot that look down at you! (no pun intended) sadly my hopefully soon to be Ex sister inlaw used to be one of them! although she couldnt afford to keep up with the snobby lot, she certainly tried her best! (ruined her marriage, and she quit teacher training in the last month - seriously- but she didnt care because she had her horse! )

You planning to assassinate here? Is she really that bad?!

Often run or MTB'd with wife when she is horseriding - great fun.

abbots_mike

any horses ive ever encountered i just slowed down for and smiled nicely. never had an issue.
same situation when ive overtaken a horse on the road, slow and wide. i find they dont get aggravated because of the relative silence of a bike vs a car.

allthegearnoidea

Surf-Matt wrote:

You planning to assassinate here? Is she really that bad?!

Funny you mention that! the thought has been had many times before!! Best mate and family are very into shooting!! 8) :shock:

schmako

sparrowlegs78 wrote:

So because i have a horse i'm a snob am i?..so i must also be a mountain biking snob!...get a grip man!

The majority of horse riders i've encountered are, i've never met you so can't say.

Milkie

1) pick the widest section of track and slowly pass. did not work got smacked in the face by the riders crop.
2) find widest section of trail and wait stationary. again did not work horse rider had a go at me for goiung too fast.
3) wait the far side of the gate to hte main road. still no luck. horse sees me craps it left then backs up back out in to hte main road ( 60mph a road) hear sqeeling tyers and shouting drivers.
4) pass at a walking pace nice and wide from the horse. this one was nasty again the hose goes nuts and ars* bargest me off the trail and in to a tree, im juist glad it did not kick me.

Sounds like you've tried everything..

Is it the same horse? I am not a horsey person at all, but surely the horse should be trained to deal with bicycles(stationary/slow moving) and the such like?

Maybe the rider/horse only has a problem with you, if that is the case I would ask him how you can solve the problem and that you don't mind taking time to help. To me its the same as a dog, if it has a problem, you try and sort it, you don't avoid the situations, thats when things get worse. (sorry horsey ppl for comparing a horse to a dog! lol)

I'm sure you don't want to be kicked by a horse, and I expect the rider doesn't want that to happen either. Explain that you don't mind trying to help the horse get over the situation.

I would also ask some other horse riders that you see, and ask if they know of the horse & rider and that there is a problem and explain what has happened.. They might know of the rider/horse/problem or at least be able to help you with the situation.

Since I started talking to a couple of the riders as they ride past while I'm stationary, their faces have changed from frowning faces, to smiles and chatter.. I've been asked a couple of times to ride my bike near a couple of horses, as they have never met a cyclist and they need to be trained. Felt a bit weird talking to a horse, yet I talk to my cats and dogs all the time! :?

Sorry for the long post!

dave_hill

benjdr wrote:

Who would do/be able to do absolutely nothing.

And it's because of apathy like that, that this country is going to the dogs.

benjdr

dave_hill wrote:

benjdr wrote:

Who would do/be able to do absolutely nothing.

And it's because of apathy like that, that this country is going to the dogs.

Dave for PM.

sparrowlegs78

Schmako wrote:

sparrowlegs78 wrote:

So because i have a horse i'm a snob am i?..so i must also be a mountain biking snob!...get a grip man!

The majority of horse riders i've encountered are, i've never met you so can't say.

Ask Sonic what i'm like...he'll put you straight lol

Anonymous

There's a guy who lives (mostly) up the road, who trains horses for doing film stunts.
His horses do not get startled by gunshots, explosions, cars, loud noises or anything.

However, most horses you encounter that are actually being ridden on public roads for chrissakes get startled by the smallest movement or noise. So much so that they become a danger to themselves, their riders, and anyone else nearby.

Are they just badly trained horses? Should these horses be allowed on public roads or bridleways if they're so easily scared?

strodey

Legally you only have to give way on bridleways, that said horses are big so i tend to stop and let them pass, depending on if it looks like a plodder or a racer!

Lovely morning for a ride what what what, snort snort.

Anonymous

Strodey, your sig should read,

Don't brake, Don't brake, Don't brake. BREAK broken

big-hitter

when i was into cross county and my gf was a horsey person we would go out together. me on my stumpy and her on her horse. the first few rides were scary but the horse got used to me. now we can ride wenever and no bike scare the horse, we even race sometimes!

Surf-Matt

I honestly think most of you have no idea about horses.

Like big hitter, I've often MTB'd or run XC with my wife riding a horse - it's great fun as, unlike a bike, a horse actually responds and gets excited by having fun.
The horse really enjoys chasing me but also likes being ahead (on flat bits) and likes being out with someone else.

My running shoes and MTB never ever get excited - they just wear out, get muddy and don't give any feedback...

robmanic1

Surf-Matt wrote:

I honestly think most of you have no idea about horses.

Like big hitter, I've often MTB'd or run XC with my wife riding a horse - it's great fun as, unlike a bike, a horse actually responds and gets excited by having fun.
The horse really enjoys chasing me but also likes being ahead (on flat bits) and likes being out with someone else.

My running shoes and MTB never ever get excited - they just wear out, get muddy and don't give any feedback...

If the horse enjoys it so much, why do they always have such long faces?

(.......... the voices made me do it!)

Anonymous

i have encountered a similar problem a couple of times whilst out on my bike, luckily i am dead hard so i just knock the horse out in one punch and carry on.

schmako

Are you Conan? (Oh wait, that was a camel!)

Mancunianfightingcat

Robmanic1 wrote:

If the horse enjoys it so much, why do they always have such long faces?

(.......... the voices made me do it!)

Thanks for that, you just made me smile!

Surf-Matt

Robmanic1 wrote:

Surf-Matt wrote:

I honestly think most of you have no idea about horses.

Like big hitter, I've often MTB'd or run XC with my wife riding a horse - it's great fun as, unlike a bike, a horse actually responds and gets excited by having fun.
The horse really enjoys chasing me but also likes being ahead (on flat bits) and likes being out with someone else.

My running shoes and MTB never ever get excited - they just wear out, get muddy and don't give any feedback...

If the horse enjoys it so much, why do they always have such long faces?

(.......... the voices made me do it!)

If a horse is unhappy it will put it's ears back.

batch78

Think you've just been unlucky mate, most horses and riders will be more than appreciative if you slow early, give as wide a berth as possible and stop if neccessary. Only time I've had a problem was coming round a steep downhill corner, two horses in middle of path, attempted to slow quickly, maybe too quickly, front wheel washed out and ended up sliding to within three foot of them on my chest and face, one rider went berserk, the other nearly fell off laughing. :oops: Neither horse gave a sh!t and continued to swish flies away and munch on grass whilst I picked myself up.

ride_whenever

They're like ramblers, horses, some of them are easy going, some of them are a bit skittish!

But they are all (ramblers included) unpredictable and should be treated as such.

Anonymous

are there any rules about who has right of way on a bridle path? where are these rules laid out and who polices them?

as an english man surely i can go any where i like in england on public land and pretty much do as i please?