Cyclist / Horse Rider Tips

Baby Trek

I am both horse rider and road cyclist (expensive!) and just thought I would post some 'hopefully' helpful tips on the best way to pass a horse rider on your bike, so as to avoid upsetting horse and rider!
Along with being on this forum, I visit horse based forums too and get disheartened by the number of complaints about cyclists being a nuisance to horse riders as they are silent and scare the horses as they go past.
So in order to be a proactive, here are some tips that we could all take on board to keep the peace!
- Your bike and you are silent and creep up on the horse until the horse sees you and gets a shock and then gets worked up and starts prancing about.
- This is upsetting for the rider too as they fear falling off!
- As you approach a horse and rider, try to take the edge out of your speed and just shout that you are coming behind on a bike.
- This alerts the rider so that they can prepare their horse and reassure them when you go past that you are not a monster that has suddenly appeared to eat it!
- It also alerts the horse...who sometimes, being lazy creatures, has more or less dozed off as it plods around the lanes and then gets a shock when you appear...because you have rudely awoken it!
- I appreciate that this won't always work and some horses are just flighty, silly creatures...but it helps alert the rider, who can do something about it.

This post is meant in the best intentions so that we can all enjoy our relative sports without winding each other up!
Cheers and thanks for reading.

drlodge

Good points. I try and shout "behind you" as I approach the rider to give them some warning.

markhewitt1978

No different to approaching pedestrians really. Even when approaching from the front and the riders sees me in plenty of time, if the road is narrow it's good practice to slow right down and go past slowly, horse riders are usually quite appreciative of this.

zx6man

I do that now, as I passed a horse once, quite slow and wide berth but it didn't hear me and proper got spooked. Now I do make myself heard before hand.

drlodge

The other day I was approaching a horse and single rider cart/trap thingy, shouted "behind you" as I approached the old guy and I swear the old guy sh@t his pants.

zx6man

drlodge wrote:

The other day I was approaching a horse and single rider cart/trap thingy, shouted "behind you" as I approached the old guy and I swear the old guy sh@t his pants.

but did you go right up to his ear though and do it :-)

markhewitt1978

I bet he did it in his best Voldemort whispering voice.

drlodge

Its a careful balance - too far away and they won't hear you. Too close and you just startle them anyway. I do have a "clear" voice and it was an otherwise peaceful evening, With the clatter of horse hoofs there's no way he could have heard me otherwise. I think he had nodded off (as had the horse!)

surrey_commuter

drlodge wrote:

The other day I was approaching a horse and single rider cart/trap thingy, shouted "behind you" as I approached the old guy and I swear the old guy sh@t his pants.

to balance the equation I had a lady cross a road with a horse (she saw us and did it anyway) as we were whizzing down the back of Box Hill. I think our domestique did sh1t himself, he certainly disappeared off the front.

Whilst "what do you get if you cross a road with a horse" sounds like the start of a joke it did get me wondering if you would die if you broadsided a horse at 40mph. As somebody who commutes 20 miles each way across London it felt like an almost ironic way to go

chris_bass

drlodge wrote:

The other day I was approaching a horse and single rider cart/trap thingy, shouted "behind you" as I approached the old guy and I swear the old guy sh@t his pants.

maybe he had a flashback to his pantomime days?

Mikey23

Had exactly this situation last night... Guy in front approaching horse from the rear, gave a wide berth but did not communicate or slow down. Result was that horse was edgy and rider struggled to keep control. I followed 100 m behind, gave wide berth, slowed down and announced my presence. Result happy horse and rider... Simples

cougie

I always shout hello and come past wide and slower. Nobody wants a spooked horse.

I've also had to stand behind a tree as my colourful jersey was upsetting one horse !

You do get cyclists who don't understand horses, and also the odd horse rider can be a bit arsey too. If we pull over to let you past - its nice to say thanks.

ktuludays

i always shout passing to your right followed by a cheery hello and if it's a female rider a quick ogle!

Bozman

What do you do when come round a bend and come face to face with a couple of horses plodding along towards you in the middle of the road?
Regular occurrence and you usually end up with a stack of abuse "it's not a bloody race track" etc, why the hell don't they keep left on country lanes because if I'd been a car or a motorbike ........ Which has happened within the last 18 months close to where I live and resulted in the car being written off but luckily no one was seriously hurt.

You could say that it's similar to bikes but there's a major difference in pace and the amount of road covered by two horses riding side by side.

dilatory

I never know what to do. I slow right down and yell out "Excuse me, is your horse okay with bikes?" as I come around. Usually get a friendly response and a thank you. Don't know what else to yell without feeling a prat.

littledove44

I ride occasionally as well as cycle, but I really feel that the day when horses should be allowed on our roads has passed. It's just quaint old custom that makes if still legal. The argument that the roads were originally for horses has worn out. Yes, we had cart paths before roads, but all the construction that has gone into the rads was not meant to make things better for horses.

If horses were a new thing can you just imagine then conversation with the DVLA.

"I would like permission to ride a very large, partly trained, unpredictable, animal on a public road at a speed that will ensure all other road users are inconvenienced. But it will be a magnificent looking beast"

"And occasionally it will leave a large steaming pile behind it that I of course expect someone else to clear up, and not be fined in that silly way you do with dog owners."

Yeah, right!

Brakeless

littledove44 wrote:

I ride occasionally as well as cycle, but I really feel that the day when horses should be allowed on our roads has passed. It's just quaint old custom that makes if still legal. The argument that the roads were originally for horses has worn out. Yes, we had cart paths before roads, but all the construction that has gone into the rads was not meant to make things better for horses.

If horses were a new thing can you just imagine then conversation with the DVLA.

"I would like permission to ride a very large, partly trained, unpredictable, animal on a public road at a speed that will ensure all other road users are inconvenienced. But it will be a magnificent looking beast"

"And occasionally it will leave a large steaming pile behind it that I of course expect someone else to clear up, and not be fined in that silly way you do with dog owners."

Yeah, right!

There's plenty of people who say bikes should not be on the road for more or less the same reasons, except the steaming pile obviously.

Horses might hold up other traffic for a few minutes - big deal, Cyclists might hold up other traffic for a few minutes - big deal.

I reckon I get 'held up' by horses or bikes for about 20 minutes a year whilst driving about 20,000 miles. And then I'm not really held up as I soon have to slow down for a junction, traffic lights, a slower car or several other reasons.

Motorists moaning about other non motorised traffic on 'thier' roads can go f*5k themselves as far as I'm concerned.

dilatory

All the holding up traffic arguments aside, there's lots of horse shite on the roads and someone needs to clean it up. There's lots of pony trekking where I live and there's so much. It stinks. It's hazardous to me as a cyclist. It messes up the roads and looks unsightly. It can't possibly be hygienic.

Druidor

Give horses a wide berth in the same way I would when driving. Will also slow down before reaching the horse

curto80

The key is to say something so the horse hears you.

chippyk

I always think that coming through a corner into a pile or horseshit would end in me scraping the stuff out of my road rash.

Buckie2k5

surely if the horse gets spooked easily and is unpredictable it shouldnt be allowed on the road? You wouldnt let your dog walk down the road unleashed if it was unpredictable.

bananasbrah

some horses are just flighty, silly creatures...

If we're talking about silly creatures I'd be more inclined to look towards the 'rider'. Once an animal has been raised for profit; bought and sold as property; broken – please, think about the connotations of that word for a moment before talking about horses 'wanting' to be ridden; had steel shoes nailed into their feet; a shiny metal bit shoved in the back of their mouth; tied up in what can only be described as light leather bondage gear in an attempt to be kept under control; and finally plonked on top of by a likely overweight, bigoted neofascist with either spurs or a whip as more means of control, and forced to trot around on tarmac or concrete alongside cars, lorries, and understandably unsure and skittish cyclists, for the very simple pleasure and enjoyment of one person, I think it's safe to say horses have every right to be 'flighty' and nervous.

Personally I take the time to slow down and enquire to the rider whether or not they are aware it is now the 21st century, and there are in fact methods of transportation available which don't require the exploitation of another being.
I don't know, a bike perhaps?

awavey

Buckie2k5 wrote:

surely if the horse gets spooked easily and is unpredictable it shouldnt be allowed on the road? You wouldnt let your dog walk down the road unleashed if it was unpredictable.

and yet surprisingly large amounts of people do still do that with their dogs

not all breeds of horses are easily spooked,the problem is the nice friendly relaxed ones arent the ones people like to ride because they are slow and plod along, so they end up riding the more highly strung horses which are abit quicker, but come with that more panicky temperament thats harder to control

the horse panics whether you shout from behind or just overtake it, all shouting early does is really prepare the rider to hopefully calm the horse enough that its not a problem.

dilatory

bananasbrah wrote:

some horses are just flighty, silly creatures...

If we're talking about silly creatures I'd be more inclined to look towards the 'rider'. Once an animal has been raised for profit; bought and sold as property; broken – please, think about the connotations of that word for a moment before talking about horses 'wanting' to be ridden; had steel shoes nailed into their feet; a shiny metal bit shoved in the back of their mouth; tied up in what can only be described as light leather bondage gear in an attempt to be kept under control; and finally plonked on top of by a likely overweight, bigoted neofascist with either spurs or a whip as more means of control, and forced to trot around on tarmac or concrete alongside cars, lorries, and understandably unsure and skittish cyclists, for the very simple pleasure and enjoyment of one person, I think it's safe to say horses have every right to be 'flighty' and nervous.

Personally I take the time to slow down and enquire to the rider whether or not they are aware it is now the 21st century, and there are in fact methods of transportation available which don't require the exploitation of another being.
I don't know, a bike perhaps?

Crikey, after all that I think your mung beans will have gotten cold!

While you raise interesting points, I think tarring all horse riders as "overweight, bigoted neofascists" likely devalues any point you try to make. Besides, we're all just light jumping, non-helmet wearing, segment chasing, reckless cyclists, eh. Who are we to comment.

ju5t1n

bananasbrah wrote:

some horses are just flighty, silly creatures...

If we're talking about silly creatures I'd be more inclined to look towards the 'rider'. Once an animal has been raised for profit; bought and sold as property; broken – please, think about the connotations of that word for a moment before talking about horses 'wanting' to be ridden; had steel shoes nailed into their feet; a shiny metal bit shoved in the back of their mouth; tied up in what can only be described as light leather bondage gear in an attempt to be kept under control; and finally plonked on top of by a likely overweight, bigoted neofascist with either spurs or a whip as more means of control, and forced to trot around on tarmac or concrete alongside cars, lorries, and understandably unsure and skittish cyclists, for the very simple pleasure and enjoyment of one person, I think it's safe to say horses have every right to be 'flighty' and nervous.

Personally I take the time to slow down and enquire to the rider whether or not they are aware it is now the 21st century, and there are in fact methods of transportation available which don't require the exploitation of another being.
I don't know, a bike perhaps?

I was with you right up til the "bigoted neofascist" bit

bananasbrah

Sorry lads I must have forgotten about all of the liberal and working class people trotting round the lanes on 10 grand stallions. Obviously it's only a tiny, tiny percentage of horse riders who fund their traditional upper class activities with inherited wealth and reactionary views on life. People who choose to ride horses generally just want a better society for everyone, don't they? Why would they want to preserve their status? Most of them probably saddle up to go down the Jobcentre every week, thinking about it.


Absolutely no similarities there either clearly, dressing up in big shiny leather boots and outfits from the 1800s is perfectly rational and reeks of a hugely progressive outlook, I know I always feel very welcome in areas where the stables are bigger than my house.

cougie

FFS - I know a few people who have horses - they are all normal people with average jobs. Its just a hobby. If you're looking to take horses off the roads then cyclists would be next.

dag_on_a_bike

Whether we like it or not, we all owe a duty of care to other road users – pedestrians, horse riders, cyclists and motorists. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees and too many road users (of all types) think that they can behave as if they are the only one entitled to be on the road.

I am lucky enough to live in a part of rural north Hampshire and I can enjoy quiet back roads for my cycling. On many rides I will often encounter more horse riders and/or cyclists than I do motorists. Generally, the majority are considerate of other road users, and that includes 'white van man'.

I have ridden horses myself and spent many years around them with my daughter who has ridden for over 15 years. Horses can be spooked by the strangest things, from rabbits to stationary carrier bags abandoned in the verge. To be confronted with a cyclist appearing out of nowhere can cause a horse alarm.

If I encounter a horse rider while I am out on a ride I do call out a friendly greeting, something along the lines of 'bike behind' (which hopefully is not misheard as 'nice and behind'). The greeting is as much for the benefit of the horse, to alert it to the presence of a person before I suddenly appear, as it is for the rider. After all, the horse rider is more likely to understand the temperament and behaviour of the horse when spooked and can take steps to control it if the rider considers it necessary.

As for the deposits left in the road by the horse, I find them sometimes useful – if they are still steaming there is a good chance that the horse is only slightly ahead of me, but perhaps out of my vision round a bend. I consider the deposit from the horse less objectionable than the gel wrappers that all too many cyclists seem to consider it entirely reasonable to throw away while out on a ride.

Ultimately cyclists and horses and their riders, as well as pedestrians, are all vulnerable road users. A little consideration costs nothing and after all, being kicked by a horse is going to hurt you more than it does the horse.

bananasbrah

I think tarring all horse riders as "overweight, bigoted neofascists" likely devalues any point you try to make. Besides, we're all just light jumping, non-helmet wearing, segment chasing, reckless cyclists, eh. Who are we to comment.

A point maintains value no matter what other connotations come with it, I'm afraid. Certain aspects of Hitler's economics cannot be ignored as things that actually made sense, despite everything else 'devaluing' anything he did.
I think as cyclists we have every right to seek the best in everything around us, after all by the mere act of riding a bike we naturally oppose a large amount of the problems which are endemic in the western world. Lack of exercise, a large environmental footprint, roads owned by motorists, general misery not remedied by simple natural pleasures. Even if you drive your Range Rover 50 miles to the start of every ride, hate environmentalists, go home and eat 3 Big Macs and spend all week bitching about Strava, you've still made a positive impact by the mere fact you were the example of an active cyclist in a world which is not optimised or lenient toward such things. If you rode a bicycle today, you promoted a healthier, more environmental way of living, no matter what you may believe in.
For the same reason we are unlikely to see a fairer world when all power lies with the same select group of Eton-educated snobs and decisions are made on seats of brown leather and dark wood, riding horses and everything that it entails stinks of backwards, selfish negativity.

dilatory

Your second post went straight to Hitler. Haha. You've got to try harder.