Bl00dy horses

secretsam

bianchimoon wrote:

Pross wrote:

self-riteous stuff

...more self-riteous stuff...okay so you've lost a few seconds on your strava ride time, you'll live and no one else cares anyway.

I'm not the Strava type, actually. And if no-one cares, why do I have two pages of responses, including one from you?

GiantMike

Giraffoto wrote:

the problem appears to me to be that the horses are kept as pampered pets for six days and twenty hours of the week, then loaded into a horsebox and driven out to some point in the countryside for a ride - at which point, unsurprisingly, the unfamiliarity of the situation gets to them a bit.

the problem appears to be that some out-of-shape cyclists, who sit on BR for six days and twenty hours of the week, then drag their chubby @rses to the countryside for a ride - at which point, unsurprisingly, the unfamiliarity of the situation gets to them a bit.

Share the road

secretsam

I'm guessing that no-one really 'got' the underlying current of humour here.

I usually don't post much on Cake Stop, but thought it would be the place for some light-hearted banter.

Ah well, tried and failed.

PS: They don't pay road tax, either

goonz

SecretSam wrote:

I'm guessing that no-one really 'got' the underlying current of humour here.

I usually don't post much on Cake Stop.

And now you know why! :P

Giraffoto

GiantMike wrote:

Giraffoto wrote:

the problem appears to me to be that the horses are kept as pampered pets for six days and twenty hours of the week, then loaded into a horsebox and driven out to some point in the countryside for a ride - at which point, unsurprisingly, the unfamiliarity of the situation gets to them a bit.

the problem appears to be that some out-of-shape cyclists, who sit on BR for six days and twenty hours of the week, then drag their chubby @rses to the countryside for a ride - at which point, unsurprisingly, the unfamiliarity of the situation gets to them a bit.

Share the road

but I also wrote:

There are plenty of places where the horses are used to traffic, people etc., and they just plod along by the road.

So oddly enough, the answer to the problem is . . . more horse riding going on. Hold on, that reminds me of something else . . . .

Share the road indeedy. It's a good analogy - most of the "bl00dy cyclists" issues would disappear if there were more bikes about too. Hence the second bit of my post: if the horses got to spend more time out and about and less time being curry combed* by 13 year old girls**, they'd be happier in the traffic and less terrified by the world.


* A horsey grooming practise. Nothing to do with getting the creature ready to be made into curry, which doesn't happen much

** Slave labour, by the way - lots of stables get their mucking-out and grooming done by girls in exchange for a half hour ride a week

mfin

Capt Slog wrote:

And we were walking for many years before we had horses, try it down the middle of a road and see how much support you get from motorists!

However.
As much as I loath the f*cking things with a brain the size of a peanut, and the horses they ride, I do take the point that we can't as cyclists complain too much when we share a common foe.

My gripe with the horse is the complete lack of control that we all have give consideration for. Imagine if you were to bring out a self propelled vehicle with some sort of computer guidance, and you explained to the 'powers that be', that it 's likely to be under control of the driver except when it saw a paper bag blowing along road. At this point, it will eject the driver and carry on for the next two miles completely on its own, with no way of stopping it whilst causing damage and havoc. Do you reckon you'd get clearance for production and putting it on the road?

I was driving along a country lane near me the other day, ageing mum in the passenger seat so I was taking it nice and easy so she could see the scenery. I came up a hill and around a corner (the impression I want to give here is SLOW), and into the next straight 100yds away are two horse riders. The road is quite wide here, but they are coming towards me down the middle of it. The outer one started flapping her arm like she's trying to take off. I realised that she's trying to flag me down, and I was looking past her to see what the problem was; I thought there was something in the road or a serious accident further on. I opened the window and she says to me "She's likely to sit on your bonnet!". Right. So you've just admitted you have absolutely no control over the horse, then why are you on the road?

As usual, it's the actions of the few that cause the majority the problems.

Top post

simonhead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM75eXq_FQE

Old but i still like it

Pross

SecretSam wrote:

Pross wrote:

Self-riteous twaddle

Meh

Ah, I see - anyone disagreeing is self-righteous and I see you've played the 'missed my humour' card as well. Well done.

Alain Quay

Running down towards the bottom, really going like the clappers, and what do I come across? Not one, but two bl00dy cyclists, one rider being led by some daft Little Mr Neddie on another.

Living as I do in Bucks, I can honestly say that it never ceases to amaze me how these infernal, selfish toys are treated with such loving respect, yet ordinary folk in cars - far more numerous - are treated like a nuisance, like they don't belong. People who wouldn't dream of giving even an extra inch to a car driver will slow to a crawl and almost disappear into the opposite gutter when passing these lyra-ed ponces (don't start me on that...).

And then they'll put one of those prissy little "I pay road tax " stickers on their bike. ME? I'd like a "I don't brake for cyclists" sticker, or - in a more positive vein - how about a "Give cars room" or "I slow down for cars (and don't give a f*** about bikes)" sticker?

I mean, who are these over-privileged people that ride them? I don't know any. They all seem to be men, certainly, and fall into two categories: either a) 20-30 and way too serious, all ruddy-faced and buck-toothed or b) 50+ year old and Prince Charles clones.

Seriously, put them all in a bl00dy mincer and make some real use out of them. Maybe I should start a campaign on this - call it (say) "turn carbon fibre bikes into tennis raquets"

Any thoughts?

mustol

Can't agree with any of your rants on this subject. Really like horses, one of the things I love about riding in the countryside, riders generally thank you for slowing down and are mainly friendly (and yes - they're usually female and often pretty fit!). I certainly meet more friendly riders than I do cyclists to be honest.

ddraver

The trouble in the UK is that Horse riders think they need an animal so tightly wound that it could win the grand National just for a Sunday Plod down the country road. As we discussed in the MTB equivalent (have a look, i'm not writing it all out again) if you come to Holland or Denmark (which were the 2 we covered) you can rattle past a horse like the clappers and the things barely blink.

The riders are equally fit and I'd bet are having just as good a time as their UK equivalent is on their frustrated firecracker

alihisgreat

SecretSam wrote:

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

Kingston hill is a cracking hill to go down, I've been pushing 50mph+ the last few times puts a big grin on my face every time


Horses are annoying though.. more so when I'm on the bike than when I'm driving I find.

50+??? I've not had the bottle to go that fast yet

Have you done Kop Hill nr Risborough? That's pretty quick and dead straight, picked up my all-time V-max there. No horses, either

The road surface is a bit dodgy down Kingston but its fine - not as bad as Watlington for example. I do have to hit the top with some decent speed to get up to 50 though.

Haven't been over to Risborough yet, might have to give it a go! Strava says its super steep at the top :shock:

rodgers73

pinarello001 wrote:

Horses for courses really. Come up here. There's this blonde thing in jodphurs who rides a horse with her sticky out bum... oh and that rocking movement - she's gorgeous and very polite and always says hello - I don't always respond as I am usually in a deep stupified trance when I 'bump' into her. I always slow right down.
(why is there no dribbling icon?).

Kieran_Burns wrote:

rodgers73 wrote:

simonhead wrote:

...female in their 20's and 30's...look damn hot in jodhpurs....

This is why I always slow down for horses. And chat to the person riding it. I must be the friendliest cyclist most riders have ever met

Oh, like this you mean?

You heroes...

bartimaeus

Horses = bridle paths = routes for mountain biking. So in the spirit of CrudcatcherI have to say that I like horses.

morstar

ddraver wrote:

The trouble in the UK is that Horse riders think they need an animal so tightly wound that it could win the grand National just for a Sunday Plod down the country road. As we discussed in the MTB equivalent (have a look, i'm not writing it all out again) if you come to Holland or Denmark (which were the 2 we covered) you can rattle past a horse like the clappers and the things barely blink.

The riders are equally fit and I'd bet are having just as good a time as their UK equivalent is on their frustrated firecracker

So they're riding the wrong sorts of horses!?
I suppose extending the theme of exchanging horse and bike to car and bike. Next time some Lycra clad mamil takes a tumble or has a mechanical the motorist could apply the same logic and query why we have specialist road racing bikes and not sit up and begs with racks and baskets. They're far more practical and robust.

daviesee

morstar wrote:

So they're riding the wrong sorts of horses!?
I suppose extending the theme of exchanging horse and bike to car and bike. Next time some Lycra clad mamil takes a tumble or has a mechanical the motorist could apply the same logic and query why we have specialist road racing bikes and not sit up and begs with racks and baskets. They're far more practical and robust.

Eh, road bikes for the road?
A better comparison would be - Why do people use mountain bikes on the road?

rodgers73

Stop steering this discussion away from horse riders arses please.

ddraver

morstar wrote:

ddraver wrote:

The trouble in the UK is that Horse riders think they need an animal so tightly wound that it could win the grand National just for a Sunday Plod down the country road. As we discussed in the MTB equivalent (have a look, i'm not writing it all out again) if you come to Holland or Denmark (which were the 2 we covered) you can rattle past a horse like the clappers and the things barely blink.

The riders are equally fit and I'd bet are having just as good a time as their UK equivalent is on their frustrated firecracker

So they're riding the wrong sorts of horses!?
I suppose extending the theme of exchanging horse and bike to car and bike. Next time some Lycra clad mamil takes a tumble or has a mechanical the motorist could apply the same logic and query why we have specialist road racing bikes and not sit up and begs with racks and baskets. They're far more practical and robust.

Reductio ad absurdum much?

Whatever bike you ride, pull on the brake levers and it will stop.This is true of any bike from 500 to 50000.

If a horse disagrees with you pulling on the reins there is sweet FA you can do about it, whether you stay on it or not. There are people who believe that they need a horse who is bred specifically to be on the edge of control when all they do is ride it up and down the back lane. They do not.

Yes, they re riding the wrong horses!

secretsam

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

The road surface is a bit dodgy down Kingston but its fine - not as bad as Watlington for example. I do have to hit the top with some decent speed to get up to 50 though.

Haven't been over to Risborough yet, might have to give it a go! Strava says its super steep at the top :shock:

Super steep? It just drops, it's one of those hills that as you start going down, you can't actually see the road ahead

Dead straight as well

Never seen any bl00dy horses there, either, which is a bonus

markhewitt1978

The worst part about horses is that local authorities use them as justification for not tarmaccing NCN routes!

mr_goo

Possibly one of the most moronic and selfish original posts I have ever read on here. There does seem to be an undercurrent of road cyclists on here that have a superiority complex when it comes to road use.

I live and cycle in the New Forest. Plenty of ponies and horse riders in the area plus livestock. They have the right of way in the New Forest not vehicles or cyclists, and as a resident you have to respect that. However there is a selfish attitude of a growing minority of road cyclists who treat the New Forest area as a private training ground. They race past the NF ponies and verbally abuse the horse riders. This has ruined the reputation of those cyclists that have respect for ALL road users, resulting in the Sportives in the area now being targeted and sabotaged.
Well Done!

mamba80

Agree 100% with you there Mr Goo - every time you shout at a car driver or horse rider or whatever to FO or any other form of abuse, you just create more bad feeling that some other poor sod further down the chain gets.

morstar

ddraver wrote:

morstar wrote:

ddraver wrote:

The trouble in the UK is that Horse riders think they need an animal so tightly wound that it could win the grand National just for a Sunday Plod down the country road. As we discussed in the MTB equivalent (have a look, i'm not writing it all out again) if you come to Holland or Denmark (which were the 2 we covered) you can rattle past a horse like the clappers and the things barely blink.

The riders are equally fit and I'd bet are having just as good a time as their UK equivalent is on their frustrated firecracker

So they're riding the wrong sorts of horses!?
I suppose extending the theme of exchanging horse and bike to car and bike. Next time some Lycra clad mamil takes a tumble or has a mechanical the motorist could apply the same logic and query why we have specialist road racing bikes and not sit up and begs with racks and baskets. They're far more practical and robust.

Reductio ad absurdum much?

Whatever bike you ride, pull on the brake levers and it will stop.This is true of any bike from 500 to 50000.

If a horse disagrees with you pulling on the reins there is sweet FA you can do about it, whether you stay on it or not. There are people who believe that they need a horse who is bred specifically to be on the edge of control when all they do is ride it up and down the back lane. They do not.

Yes, they re riding the wrong horses!

But in the absence of any evidence (other than anecdotal) to suggest that there is a problem with rogue horses dumping their riders and causing mayhem, how big a problem is it? I completely accept it is a potential hazard that a horse can be bloody minded but the likelihood of it being a hazard is dependent on rider ability. IMHO the perceived problem is related to riders having a horse beyond their abilities, not the horse per se.

So why have a 'flighty' horse?

Many horse riders would not just want to hack around on a steady plod in exactly the same way many cyclist choose bikes that are say, "lively" or "responsive" to quote the marketing hype and we don't ride sit up and begs. It enhances our / their enjoyment!

This forum is full of threads regarding crashes and clipless moments. This is all because we are using equipment geared up to racing cyclists depsite the fact that, as a group, we are bimbling around the countryside with many tubby bellies at decidedly slow speeds. Arguably we are all over equipped!

I'm sure many motorists would use that as suitable justification for restricting our choice of activity and the equipment we use. Most beginner cyslists have their clipless moments on the public highway. Most horse riders fall off or get tanked off with when doing off-road activities such as jumping.

ddraver

It's not difficult mate - if we fall off the bike lies on the ground and does not move. (I cannot believe I have to say this but) A bike cannot bolt or throw it's rider.

There is no link between flighty horses and racing bikes - none!

The problem is riders that cannot control their horses riding them where they can do some harm, then the expectation that everyone else has to stop what they re doing as a result.

daviesee

ddraver wrote:

It's not difficult mate - if we fall off the bike lies on the ground and does not move. (I cannot believe I have to say this but) A bike cannot bolt or throw it's rider.

There is no link between flighty horses and racing bikes - none!

The problem is riders that cannot control their bikes riding them where they can do some harm, then the expectation that everyone else has to stop what they re doing as a result.

FTFY from a driver's point of view.
Playing devil's advocate.

morstar

ddraver wrote:

then the expectation that everyone else has to stop what they re doing as a result.

So, less danger to others but the inconvenience is no different to a crash or a clipless moment in the carriageway.

And to avoid debating this minor point ad infinitum, how big a problem is this?

Does it warrant one group of road users dictating how another group are allowed to indulge their hobby? Or is something that is a very small risk and a rare event that life could throw in your face if you were unlucky. Therefore not worth worrying about beyond amending behaviour to accomodate the possibility when passing horses. There aren't that many out there! I saw around 100 cyclists for every horse on my Sunday run.

ddraver

@davisee - If someone is stupid enough to think that becasue an expensive flighty horse is more likley to bolt than a cheaper slower one then therefore a Cervelo S5 is more likley to erm....bolt than a Halfords Special then they are not worthy to talk to. I seriously cannot see how anyone can make such an assumption between and animal and an inanimate object (I suspect that part of the problem is that it somewhat destroys their argument)

@Morstar - Both parties should help each other out, neither should dictate to the other, - but what i tend to see is that the horse riders expect everyone to bow down to their needs rather than being aware that taking a horse that can bolt "if it doesnt like bikes/cars/paper bags" on to a public road is not being very helpful either. Same with people who RLJ.

Human error in both cases (ie clipless moments or falling off the horse) is unavoidable. The difference between bikes (of any sort, even ones with Di2) and horses is that there is a second brain in a horse that works in a very different way to ours and can take control at any moment.

Davisee's bikes may also have this but personally I ve yet to see one...

morstar

ddraver wrote:

what i tend to see is that the horse riders expect everyone to bow down to their needs.

But isn't that just an inevitable outcome of getting on your high horse?

I guess that makes it get my coat time!

Seriously, I understand your point but I guess I either haven't made mine very well or you're simply not for being persuaded.
I think it comes down to the fact that we gain enjoyment from risk and excitement to varying degrees. A stress free hack works for some while others enjoy something a little more exciting. I don't see this as any different to the way we choose our bike and how/where we ride it. I'm drilling into the human psyche rather than absolute risk. Unquestionably, a horse represents considerably more risk than any bike, but I objected to the assertion that every horse rider should be content with a bomb proof cart horse while we choose the ride we like. If somebody quantifies the real danger horses represent on our highways then maybe I'd vote for banning the so and so's if they proved to be a real menace. I'll await the Daily Mail expose.

Hope to god that doesn't come across like a lecture but that's me done. Tractors next! Do you remember when they were just a bit bigger than a car? I'm surprised they even fit down most country lanes these days.

ddraver

The rider should be able to control the horse is all...

daviesee

I will leave this with 2 points.

1. The respect by car drivers is down to fear of damage. As I said in my first post on page 1.
2. Cyclists getting uppity about other road users is hypocritical. Anecdotal evidence clearly but I will wager that most see the same - On any drive or cycle you will see 10 times more inconsiderate riding by cyclists than you will by horse riders.