Absolutley Fuming ... Could punch somone right now!

Horseback Rider

Horseback Rider

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Rode my horse out this morning just a walk and a trot. Riding back along the road to the yard, next to the road is a rtack which the hunt use. Some idiot came galloping up behind me on this track I hadn't seen him and neither had my horse so it made me jump and really spooked my horse sending him flying across the road!

The idiot carried on galloping along the whole way, while he could see my horse turning him self inside out along the road.

Luckily for me I wasn't to far from yard but I had no choice but to dismount and try and lead him along the side of the road while a police that had come along followed slowly behind.

Thank goodness all the drivers I came across where very condsiderate and gave me lot's of room.

My horse is 100% heavy traffic and normally fine with other horses. However I woudl normally have expected the other rider to have shouted to get my attention before he came past me ( The eyes in the back of my head where obscured by my riding hat ) or to just slow down which is what I would have done had it been the other way round !
 
Nasty experience for you, hope you're both ok.

Maybe the other rider didn't see you until it was too late? Also wouldn't have been much point in slowing down afterwards, would there? By the time you can pull up from a gallop... I can't really see that that would help you regain control, but maybe I'm being a bit thick.

Might be worth a letter to the hunt or racetrack advising them of the near miss (mentioning the police's involvement may add some weight) and asking them to keep an eye out for hackers on the road next to it :)
 
Thanks but he saw me alright!well befoer I saw him my horse had a florecent yellow exercise sheet on and he made eye contact quite a few times.

The track goes up and down little hills and runs parralel to the road so he was beside me for most of it. I would have shouted at him but I was quite scared about what my horse was goign to do next that I didn't really think about till afterwards.

What if I had been taking a hack out and some novices with me ????
 
maybe you need to discuss with them- is there a rule that they have to walk when they see another rider on the other side of the road? if its a race track it might be a bit difficult to impose? i know how you feel tho- i once had a riding school hack gallop past me on a wide verge whilst i was hacking on the road. i wrote a letter to the riding school complaining
 
I'm really surprised your horse didn't sense the other one coming up behind. I don't think the other rider should have done what he did, but when I rode in Windsor Great Park this was very common. Usual practice just stay relaxed and either let yours trot on in a forward going way, or turn it round, and trot on again. Trying to hold it in walk will never work - could horse have been picking up on your vibes?
 
that sounds like a horrible experience - and thankfully you weren't hurt (and hopefully your horse will be okay on future hacks). Only thing I would possibly consider is maybe this other rider was in a hurry for a good reason (ie someone else hurt and in need of urgent care). He could have shouted ahead to let you know he was coming at speed - and that was inconsiderate for him not to. But hopefully this wasn't a regular activity for the rider and it was an emergency IYKWIM....
 
Some teenage girls did this to me. I was riding down a road & saw them at the end of the road, then watched them go on to the field that ran besides it (that they are not allowed on!) and proceeded to gallop up it. I saw them, so how did they not see me? Oh wait, they did :-/ The 3 of them came flying past me, my boy quite rightly turned himself inside out and tried to run away, took a while to walk him back home after that fright. I shouted at them, but they didn't care.

Some people have no common sense.

I've always seen it as the done thing that you check the coast is clear before you up the gear (and that includes trotting up behind another horse on the road, grrrrr).
 
Disgusting!!! :eek: Years ago we were taught that good horsemanship meant having very good manners and watching out for other riders at all times as horses were unpredictable and could be dangerous. No way is it acceptable to gallop past another horse and yes he should have pulled up and walked as him continuing to gallop is why your horse wouldnt settle. Even my bombproof old boy would have reacted to that. Mind you we were also taught that good drivers were gentlemen of the road,road rage was unheard of, not much sign of that these days!!!
 
What an idiot! :eek: I suppose he may have lost control? But as someone else said he could have shouted to you. :rolleyes:

Glad you got back safe.
 
Very bad behaviour on his behalf and also very dangerous to everyone else. As you where on the road and in a vunerable position he should have had the sense to slow down to a walk and stayed well behind you. If he is unable to control his horse then he should not be riding it.
 
Thanks all have calmed down now. If I was in a field on a track etc I wouldn't have minded so much it's just that even the car drivers looked scared!

As as some of you said in "old style horsemanship" it would have been polite and the right thing to do to slow down, and this is how I will continue to behave as I will not go down to his level ;-)
 
Sorry-a racetrack is there to be galloped on.. Why not go use it yourself to get rid of some of your horses energy?
I think you should avoid hacking on that route on the future if your horse is not reliably controlled. Most eventing competition horses are used to the idea of others galloping around/past them and tbh if he's galloping I don't see how he was 'beside you most of the way'..
 
I had very similar happen when i was riding my just broken 3 yr old, took her out to see the hunt off and do the first bit, told everyone she was young and green. Stayed at the back but due to some prat not being able to get her horse over a jump instead of goinf round a few riders went back to give her a lead.
They then ended up behind me on a very wide track, galloped down and went straight into the back of my mare, whom prompty bolted straigh fowards a busy road, lucky for me there were no cars coming as i only managed to get control at the road.
I did complain to the MFH and he had words with the riders, but it took alot of work before my mare would let another horse come up behind her without kicking out
 
OP didn't say it was a racetrack I don't think. Also she was on the way home so was probably warming her horse down if they were on a fast hack, or maybe she was doing some road fittening work, what does that matter? It was a pretty dangerous thing to do, particularly given that they were on the road.
You would think that he would have slowed up when he saw the reaction of your horse unless of course he was being run away with and couldn't stop.
 
Similar happened to me a couple of years ago, I was taking my boy for a quiet hack when he was recovering from his check ligament injury. Bunch of kids from the yard galloped through a field they weren't even allowed to be riding in, he saw them and started broncing like a mad beast! I thought I was off more than once, and was terrified he was going to screw his leg. I told the YM and had a quiet word with the eldest one who'd been out (she was 16 and I was only 20, I wasn't terrorising a 10 year old or anything!)
 
I am not with any of the people that think that the galloping rider exhibited acceptable behaviour. Sure he can ride but he is no horseman! He is a selfish prat.
You could have been in any situation: injured yourself, horse recovering, youngster, disabled rider (in any tiny respect - hearing problems, arthritis), recovering from illness/injury yourself, spooky horse etc.
This happens a lot on fun rides and I never stop fuming about it. There is an unwritten rule - ask if you can pass, pass at the trot or walk and give a wide berth.
The last time this happened to me was at the Malpas Fun Ride last year (yes middle aged riders of bay (female) and coloured cob (male) if you are reading this - I mean you! Couldn't possibly wait for what they obviously thought was a kid on a pony (on my own) to go up a very steep bank with a narrow path. Asked patronisingly if I wouldn't mind them passing. Get my SNAIL out of the way like! I tried to get to one side (not easy on this sort of path - my pony was on such a steep slope I almost came off the back) they came past at the canter and the coloured cob bucked straight into our face!
My pony wouldn't stand for this and tore up after them only to find them walking sedately on the very flat field at the top of the bank. So what was their point? That would have made a great gallop - lovely and flat and super ground that day.
For some time after they were just under my feet and my boy very hard to hold together - he was so irate! - so I took the earliest opportunity and galloped past them. I gave them an extremely wide berth but I think they were shocked to see a pony ridden by an adult (OMG - so not allowed!. Let's face it - in some people's view) if you still ride a pony when you are over 14 you must be a rubbish rider!
If I were you I would find out where this geezer is based and write to the yard owner to complain. You may not be the only one and it therefore may be effective.
 
Happened to me just after I got Picasso to help me with my confidence issues.Id been to a "Spook Bustin" session in the village and decided to take the long way home.We were on a very narrow enclosed stoney bridlepath with barbed wire fencing on one side and low branches (Bramble scraping your legs,you know the sort of thing!)and suddenly two girls came galloping past on the other side of the hedge.As they were on a farmers newly ploughed and scuffled field I had not heard them and the hedge bared all view until they came in line.
Old Picasso suddenly upped his head "Ill have some of what their having,no B*** horse is passing ME!" and took off.Now try doing a one rein stop on a path that's only a couple of feet wide,but I managed it and once we reached a slightly wider bit I dismounted while he stopped jogging on the spot,walked him a few hundred yards and remounted.He was still a bit spooky all the way home but fortunately we didnt have to go on any roads...love that old mule didnt know he could move so fast,no excuses after that :D
 
Sorry-a racetrack is there to be galloped on.. Why not go use it yourself to get rid of some of your horses energy?
I think you should avoid hacking on that route on the future if your horse is not reliably controlled. Most eventing competition horses are used to the idea of others galloping around/past them and tbh if he's galloping I don't see how he was 'beside you most of the way'..
SusieT - It is not a gallop /or anything similar. It is a track with the cliffs on one side and the other side of it is the road it is not normally passable as over grown with hedgrow but the hunt cut it back when they decide to use it in their route. I would like to point out that the Hunt would even have beeen courteous enough to slow down in that situation And I certainly won't be avoiding that route as it leads back to my yard. My horse is reliably controlled thanks and if I am reading your post correctly you seem to have the same sort of attitude as the bloke who came up behind me.

For the record if he had made it clear what he wanted to do I would have considered making a detour so he could. My horse is reliable and controlled but I think this was unfair on him and I am pretty sure lot's of horses would have reacted in the same manner as most of us don't have "Eventing competition horses"
 
PeterNatt said:
If he is unable to control his horse then he should not be riding it.
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Oh come on, everyone has moments where something happens and they lose control. Horses are unpredictable and even the most sane, reliable and calm mount can turn into a lunatic unexpectedly. I guess you are just one of the lucky people who have a robotic horse :rolleyes:
 
SusieT said:
Sorry-a racetrack is there to be galloped on.. Why not go use it yourself to get rid of some of your horses energy?
I think you should avoid hacking on that route on the future if your horse is not reliably controlled. Most eventing competition horses are used to the idea of others galloping around/past them and tbh if he's galloping I don't see how he was 'beside you most of the way'..
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I am gobsmacked by this reply, what an indictment on people's behaviour today that you assume everyone else's horse is ok with disgustingly rude and dangerous behaviour. For goodness sake, is nobody polite and courteous anymore? I was always taught to walk past a horse you meet on the road, track, field etc if that is the pace they are doing, you don't just do what the hell you like and assume every other horse can cope with it, what arrogance!!
 
Hollyberry said:
I am gobsmacked by this reply, what an indictment on people's behaviour today that you assume everyone else's horse is ok with disgustingly rude and dangerous behaviour. For goodness sake, is nobody polite and courteous anymore? I was always taught to walk past a horse you meet on the road, track, field etc if that is the pace they are doing, you don't just do what the hell you like and assume every other horse can cope with it, what arrogance!!
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My thoughts exactly ! and yes me & horse had hi viz on
 
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