I always slow and prepare to stop when confronted by gee gees, I also make sure I’ve done my braking nice and early and either released the brake pedal (if that makes sense?) before they get near me, or if no time for that I keep the brakes applied until they pass. Sometimes they thank me, sometimes they don’t. It matters not as I have the moral highground.
I do this for two reasons; (a) it’s the right thing to do, and (b) I can’t be arsed with the paperwork any horse/lorry interface is going to generate!
Mind you, doing all the stopping and switching off malarky amounts to sod all when your fridge picks the moment they pass to fire up again!
maga:
Should have just carried on mate. Ive lived in the countryside all my life and horse riders ■■■■ me off no end. Why an unpredictable 1 ton beast that can get spooked by a floating plastic bag while being ridden by a child is allowed on the road ill never know. and as for the mess they leave behind that either goes up the side of your car or is hazard to cyclists/motorcyclists.
I could go on all day, selfish barstewards people who ride on the road IMO and the riders you encountered seem like the typical “its my right to ride here” and expect every road user to cater for their selfish needs.
I have no time for them. I’ll slow down and give them a wide berth but theres no way I’d be stopping.
No VEL, No O licence, No driving/riding licence, No insurance. My sentiments entirely.
I think I upset a horse & horse owner, it didnt look like he was having an easy time trying to settle the horse down, so I crawled past as slow as I could on the other side of the road, then out of nowhere the gearbox decided to jump down to 2nd gear and made a loud noise that startled the horse.
I think the chap with the horse thought I did it on purpose but honestly I didnt, and I was not expecting it either.
Then again, this was on an industrial estate, hardly a place to go to avoid lorries.
I come across that type of horsey person all the time, Where I walk my dog on Sat/Sun mornings, there is a few riding schools and fields of horses surrounding, I usually say “Morning” to everyone I pass, always get a “Morning” or “Hello” or something back, but when I pass one of these (9 out of 10 times, gorgeous young women) horse riders, they just look down there posh noses. I always slow down and stop on tight roads, or just slow down. Few years ago, I slowed right down to a crawl to pass a woman walking about 5 horses, she was waving her hands like mad wanting me to stop, then shouted stop!!!, I looked at the horses and none of them seemed the least bit interested in me or my car, so I crawled past anyway, looked in the mirror… No reaction from any of the horses, all I saw was her waving at the next car to stop. Think she just wanted to boss the traffic about, like she must her poor husband or she is a hypochondriac lol
the maoster:
I do this for two reasons; (a) it’s the right thing to do, and (b) I can’t be arsed with the paperwork any horse/lorry interface is going to generate!
:
and (c) a horse weighing the best part of a ton is going to make a horse shaped dint in any vehicle it collides with
most horse riders try to avoid roads where ever possible and generally it is a sat or sun when I have come across them
as animals are unpredictable then applying some common sense and doing the safest thing is the right thing to do even if that means losing a couple of minutes
+1 rog, it doesnt exactly eat up half your day just to stop for a few seconds does it, the only bugbear i have is when i have a fridge on and its rearing its head off as the horse gets level, on most occasions if i have prior warning, i will switch off the engine, and the fridge, and stand at the front of the vehicle until theyre past, i do the same on November 11th at 11o/c, regardless of where i am.
Hiya a chap i know has a son whos, pretty dam good with horses. one day some chappy come to drop of
his horse for some training. they got out of the horse box and said would you switch the fork truck
off you’ll spook the horse. this chap said the reason my lads horse,s are bomb prof is because we go
about our work and the horse fits in around us. this chap looked at us a bit odd. anyhow when he picked
his horse up after a couple of weeks he was amazed how the horse wasn’t bothered about us grinding sanding
screaming at each other. revving trucks up and all that going on.
i,ve had a few run ins with horses even got locked up on Christmas day when i got mixed up with a hunt
charging down the road thinking they owned the place…well thats another story altogether
John
Locked up on Christmas day for interfering with the hunt is a story I’d like to know more of.
Some posh old bird once stopped me in the middle of nowhere years ago and said “You’ll have to wait, the hunt is coming through” Spoke with a plum in her mouth.
My reply, “listen love, there are only 2 people with authority to stop traffic, Police and lollipop ladies. Since you’re neither I suggest you shift because I’m not waiting for any hunt”
She huffed and puffed as I drove off. She did ring my gaffer, the phone number is on the side of our trucks. My gaffer stuck up for me, and said I was technically correct.
Don’t care for hunting much but I care a lot less for pompous toffs who think they can order me about.
I’m sure that most of them would rather not ride on the road, but is a neccessary evil. I always slow down and give them plenty of space, switch the auto box to manual and turn the radio off.
Usually get a wave, nod or smile but it does ■■■■ me off when they can’t even be bothered to do that. Yes technically they were on the roads first but times change and they are causing a nuisance / impedance to the greater masses. Same goes for cyclists, I’ll wait ages to safely pass one as I know when I ride mine it’s nice when someone gives you space. Doesn’t take much to acknowledge their efforts.
lankyphil:
Little while back I was driving up the A56 in Manchester, past Old Trafford when United were playing at home. Passed a police horse so slowed right down, just as I got level with it, the fridge motor started up…
Got the dirtiest look off the woman riding it but, what can you do
I say i say i say.
What is the only animal with a ■■■■ halfway up its back ? . . . a police horse.
Ba dum tish.
I can’t stand those things with a leg in each corner rather than wheels. Apart from the snooties, it’s the trotting ‘fraternity’ that really hack me off. Practically every other evening as it’s getting dusk or even darker, there they are with the whip and the nag, but not a glimmer of any lights - not even the ones who are racing each other. I did see one once where the poor nag had a bit of wheelspin climbing a steep hill. The fat git in the buggy just kept on whipping it rather than getting off. I did wonder whether the reason might have been the amount of lead from the Church roof stashed away in the buggy!
I will slow down… but only to have a good old perv at the riders who are often quite fit. However any wearing “POLITE NOTICE” hiviz vests can ■■■■ right off and I’ll go past them in 2nd gear as fast as I can leaving a trail of burnt rubber and cloud of smoke.
You did right by turning off the engine until they had passed.
I have spent many years with horses & livestock, & still say there is no excuse for the lack of curtousy some of the riders / handlers show in return for somebody else’s kindly / helpful act .
Why do they still insist on taking horses on roads? there are plenty of fields around for them to loiter on. At the end of the day they are serving no useful purpose by being on the roads so they should be banned from using them. Its generally just a load of fat heifers getting themselves off on going for an afternoon ride on the horse as a hobby, nothing more.
Horses were our transport, in war ,agriculture, pest control, making of medicine, emergency services, industry.
They have more right to be on the roads than any motorised vehicle, they helped shape our country.
However times have changed, horses still need exercise & education for many reasons, & it is not always possible to do this on fields, & their education needs to progress to face many different circumstances head on.
Bonnie Lass I agree that horses have as much right to use the roads as anyone else, to say that as they were here first gives them more right is not correct though. Roads exist because of motor vehicles, if not for them we’d only need unpaved tracks instead of concrete and tarmac.
Horses and pedestrians (and, dare I say, cyclists) use the roads by right. Everyone else needs a licence .
I must say I’m quite depressed by some of the attitudes displayed on this thread. I’d always be ready to stop for a horse if the rider appeared uncomfortable.
Rhythm Thief:
I must say I’m quite depressed by some of the attitudes displayed on this thread. I’d always be ready to stop for a horse if the rider appeared uncomfortable.
Thankfully, most of it is just that… attitude. Same people who bore you to death in RDC’s with their bull-dust… they’re all mouth and trousers but think if they talk tough folk will respect them more.
the maoster:
Bonnie Lass I agree that horses have as much right to use the roads as anyone else, to say that as they were here first gives them more right is not correct though. Roads exist because of motor vehicles, if not for them we’d only need unpaved tracks instead of concrete and tarmac.
I suspect the Romans may beg to differ…
[Monty Python Voice] What have the Romans ever done for us ?[/Monty Python Voice]
Well they built paved roads to make it easier for said 'orses to pull carts
.