Coming anti-clock round the M25 this afternoon, just before Reigate hill, there were 2 horses with ladies aboard crossing a bridleway bridge when the idiot overtaking me decided to give a blast on his air horns as he went under the bridge. No reason, he was just being a lunatic trying to scare the horses!!
One horse ignored the blast and just carried on, but the other reared up and bolted ejecting the rider who ended up straddling the safety rail with one leg hanging over the M25!!! Another 6 inches and she would have landed in front of my truck and at 56mph there would have been no chance of me stopping…
The truck was a plain white Scania pulling a plain white reefer, no number plate on the trailer but it appeared to be RHD so I guess it was British.
I pulled over, along with another truck and a van, to make sure the girl was OK. (Not much we could have done but at least we slowed the traffic for a few minutes) A car driver that saw the incident also stopped but shouted that he was going to try an catch the truck and get his number so he could report him. I hope he succeeded!!
As it happens the girl and the horse were OK, but it could have been very much worse. But how often do you see kids on bridges trying to get you to blast your horns, maybe not such a good idea…!!!
Plain stupidity on the drivers behalf without a doubt, but talking about horses and riders, I go home from the office each night using a road in Sunniside Gateshead, I’m use to seeing young kids on horses but why do they have to straddle the lane in pairs ?
This is one of the country type roads with bad bends and a pretty busy road as it cuts out the Lobbley Hill to Eighton Lodge section of the A1 for the likes of myself travelling up towards the East Gateshead area.
There are even kids at a very young age 9 or 10 yrs old out on horses on the roads, and a long stretch of this road is country lane type with no houses other than the odd one dotted along it but even then in a 3 mile stretch there will only be a total of about 7 houses, why are they not accompanied by and Adult?
(I’ve deleted the Road Name just incase it puts the kids at risk by unscrupulous individuals)
Surely common sense would tell the adults that kids should not be out on roads during rush hour and more so on their own on these desolate roads.
jammymutt:
Not pointing the blame at anyone but i got to agree with Alex what the [zb] are they doing riding horses over the M25?, thats just asking for trouble.
Agree totally - not many roads are safe to ride on nowadays - I often see them riding over the motorways and cringe every time.
jessicas dad:
what a [zb] thats another member of the i hate truck brigade.
Was that aimed at me■■?
If so absolutely not - I am in the business and also have my own HGV. All family are HGV drivers.
I wasn’t actually aiming it at lorry drivers - most of the idiots are car drivers.
Possibly you picked up the wrong end of the stick there mate!
calm down it wasnt aimmed at you it was meant to say that the women riding the horse who very nearly chucked off a motorway bridge is now a member ive the " i hate truck brigaide " after a so called experianced driver decided to blast her horse with his air horns.
jessicas dad:
what a [zb] thats another member of the i hate truck brigade.
Was that aimed at me■■?
If so absolutely not - I am in the business and also have my own HGV. All family are HGV drivers.
I wasn’t actually aiming it at lorry drivers - most of the idiots are car drivers.
Possibly you picked up the wrong end of the stick there mate!
calm down it wasnt aimmed at you it was meant to say that the women riding the horse who very nearly chucked off a motorway bridge is now a member ive the " i hate truck brigaide " after a so called experianced driver decided to blast her horse with his air horns.
Sorry - just a close one to the heart there - will get off my ‘high horse’
the question isnt why were people riding horses over the M25 … lets not forget this is a free country and the M25 just because it circumfrences the smoke is in places the outskirts of the countryside …
the question is why did duck nuts blast his air horn and nearly get one girl killed , a possible truck driver killed and possible drivers behind that if the girl had come over the bridge …
i hope he does get caught and his livelyhood licence duly taken off him …
sounds a bit harsh doesnt it … not as harsh as scraping flesh and metal off the M25 all morning for the services and clean up crews …
IMO you can say the horse rider has a responsibilty to avoid motorways, I mean what if the truck needed to genuinely blast his horn to prevent a traffic accident? However in this case there was no excuse and seeing as it came close to certain fatalities losing his licence would not be too harsh.
Are some of the bridges over the M25 not footpaths, bridalways etc that have been there hundreds of years and had to be re-routed over the motorway when it was built? Seems they have every right to use these bridges but in the light of this I would suggest that higher fencing is needed to prevent riders falling onto the motorway when either idiots pull a stunt like this or someone has to use their horn. Even fencing you can’t see through and hide the riders would be an idea to remove the temptation for other idiots to pull the same trick.
Coffeeholic:
Are some of the bridges over the M25 not footpaths, bridalways etc that have been there hundreds of years and had to be re-routed over the motorway when it was built? Seems they have every right to use these bridges but in the light of this I would suggest that higher fencing is needed to prevent riders falling onto the motorway when either idiots pull a stunt like this or someone has to use their horn. Even fencing you can’t see through and hide the riders would be an idea to remove the temptation for other idiots to pull the same trick.
I agree Coffee, a fence would also act as a sound barrier further damping traffic noise and any horn blast, ligit or not!
As an after thought a high fence would also prevent the little darlings from lobbing bricks off too!
Sorry i am with Justdrivers on this one. Why do idiots think it is fun to scare a horse? Why should horses stay off the road just so some idiot can make free and easy with his air horns. Coffee is dead right. That probably was actually a bridlepath before motorways were thought of. When new roads are built the highways bods have a responsibility to reroute the bridleway or make crossing provisions. The British Horse Society have campaigned for years for bridleway crossings to have fences at a minimum of 8’ high aqnd preferably cages but like everything else it is always done on the cheap!!! Davey the reason they ride in pairs on the road is because drivers rarely give a single horse enough room and will try to squeeze two cars past whereas two together will as a rule prevent this boys racers permitting.
Not 12 months ago my friend and her husband were at a junction in a sleepy village when a lorry driver got so impatient becuase he could not tear out of the junction he actually drove the truck into the horse!!! Now this horse was so sane he could have been ridden down the M1 and all he did was move forward. My friend rang the company involved and the manager was most apologetic but said what do you want me to do. My mate said just reprimand him I would have not been happy until he was sacked. That could have been a kid And before I get slagged off as a truck driver hater remember i am one. And the next horse you see on the road may be ridden by me…
When I used to deliver to farms a few years ago with a low-loader, I always used to stop and turn the engine off if I saw horses .
Some horses would be a bit nervous passing an artic, even stationary, but it was better than tearing past them and causing panic.
This is a tip for all you boys and girls delivering to ‘the sticks’.
Normally, the rider will say ‘thank you’ as they pass by.
It might hold you up for a few minutes, but the damage that a 2 or 3 ton horse can do does not bear thinking about. Not only to itself but to the rider.
If you are un-sure, and horses are travelling towards you in a confined space, pull over, turn the engine off and wait for them to pass.
And as for what Nessa said, 100% agree, and I wouldn’t dare upset Nessa on a horse
I don’t ride horses, but I love the big flipping creatures, never mind mans inhumanity to man, what about mans inhumanity to animals.
Another human can fight back, our domesticated animals can’t, they would be put down for that.
Mind you, I remember one horse rider telling me that horse don’t bite, he had changed his mind when he came into my medical centre after a horse bit off his finger
I would have not been happy until he was sacked. That could have been a kid 
And before I get slagged off as a truck driver hater remember i am one. And the next horse you see on the road may be ridden by me…
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