Another type of rude rider...

Honey08

Honey08

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Went to a Xmas equestrian carol service at the weekend. About 50 horses turned up, lovely. Most people rode home along the bridleway alongside. One girl (we know) asked if she could ride with us. We waited five minutes for her to finish talking to someone, then let her go in front as her pony was jogging and going sideways, then waited again as she had to get off and lead it past something it was spooking at, then wait again for a good five minutes while she tried to get back on from various logs, banks and benches (with another couple of horses and a group of mountain bikers waiting behind us too). I vaguely knew the other riders, so had a little chat to them, then let them go ahead (fizzy pony was in front of them still pratting about). five minutes later the bridle way has a slight bend and all three of them, without a word of warning to us, flat out galloped off up the bridleway! Luckily my friend, who was in front, had hold of her horse, and my sharer was at the back (as my husband's horse would certainly have gone too!) and I could block her with my horse. They perhaps thought that they were out of sight, but they weren't, and they were about 10m in front of us and the bridleway surface was fairly hard so you could hear the hooves loudly anyway.

I just find it wierd to ask to ride with someone and do that! The two other riders were ex hunt master and whip and are famous for doing it after the carol service (one year even blowing the horn first and took half the congregation with them, which wasn't as funny as it sounds when half of them were diddy kids on tiny ponies!).

Not really a rant as noting happened, I just would never do that to another rider, erspecially without mentioning it. Had they said "we're going to canter around the corner we could have hung back and let them go or made a concious decision to go with them!
 
Hmmm, not overly thoughtful was it. I think sometimes people forget that for some, cantering out hacking is quite a big deal. And there is also the issue of the ground being hard, I pick very carefully where I canter out hacking. As opposed to rudeness I expect this was a case of forgetting to engage their brains and remember the others who might not want to canter.
 
Its a a local oudoor arena that is owned by the council, and is always under threat for funding (local rc pays half nowadays), so a local association was set up to raise funds, and this is one of the fund raisers. Everyone pays £2 and gets a mince pie and mulled wine (plus carrot and rosette for the horses). They take a HGV with canvas sides down and use it with one side open as a stage, then have a keyboard player and local schoolkids as choir and a local vicar does a service. Everyone hacks there and decks their horses up in tinsel. Its a nice social event for winter where you see people and their horses that you usually only see at shows in summer..

My two -

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Your two look great! And lovely idea for a bit of Christmas singing (tho' I'd need to mime as my singing would scare the horses).
 
Very weird, very rude and dangerous. To me it is just etiquette when you are hacking with anyone to check about changing the pace, whether that be to trot or canter. I would never dream of doing otherwise.
 
How lovely. Your horses look gorgeous, I bet they enjoyed it, mine certainly would.

Shame about the bad manners of the girl, ex hunt master and whip. Can only assume that they're unaware of etiquette and devoid of common sense.

Who wants to have to suddenly hold onto their horses because of some idiots when you've been on a leisurely social outing ?
 
She was at the front. She is in her 20s. She text my friend to aplogise later!

It doesn't really matter, we were fine, but had my sharer been at the front my husband's horse would have gone too and would have thrown a buck in too probably. Shes ridden him for a year and does well with him, but hasn't done much galloping and he is a big horse for her when he is full on. I don't think everyone should have to walk just because everyone else is, but I do think its manners to warn people you're going to go off like a Prince Philip Cup final at HOYs!

Thanks for all the compliments for the horses. I don't think they know what to make of it, its like a hunt meet where nothing happens and the humans make awful noises (in general, and certainly in my case!) They usually get fed up, but hubbt broiught rugs down and extra carrots, which helped a lot this year!
 
Oh dear. I'm afraid I accidentally did something similar yesterday. In my defence, I hadn't asked to ride with people, I was out with 3 friends and we bumped into two people I know (not very well!) who were heading in the same direction on their two mares. My boy doesn't get to see ladies very often, so from the moment he saw them he was on one. Then when we turned vaguely in the direction of home, without any warning he decided to leap onto the grass verge (of a very quiet road) and was off:eek:. He only went about 20 yards before I recovered from the shock and stopped him and my lot are used to him being a prat (although not usually on roads!) but unfortunately it was enough to cause a lot of snorting, jogging and going sideways from the mares:o. I spent the whole time they were with us apologising but they turned off and went a different way after 5 minutes - at which point he was so busy watching them go off he wasn't looking where he was going, tripped and nearly went a*** over t**:rolleyes:. He's such a k*****r sometimes :p.

Agree it's very rude to do it deliberately especially when you were so patient with her. And what a lovely idea the carol service is. I fear he'd never stand still long enough for me to do that. I'd have to take my share horse who is much better behaved.
 
I find you can get similar behaviour on sponsored rides, where groups of riders canter up behind you and take off past you with no word of warning.

People are understanding of accidents, especially if they acknowledge that it has happened and apologise.
 
It must be a local tradiction Honey08, we had ours yesterday :) We only took the the dogs this year, but often take at least one of the horses, but none are fit enough this year :(. It is very very christmassy and ours is for fundraising for research into brain tumours. We do alternate years fancy dress and then turnout, so some years (like this) very traditional, some years tinsel and sparkle!
Do agree with the need for manners though, I am very wary of going on our RC rides these days, as an awful lot of people don't seem to have the education in group riding on roads and tracks that I was brought up with.
 
Holly08 said:
It is, yes. Were you there?

Another general view of the "stage".

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No - I was debating going but no one else from near me was going as 'it was too far to hack' - my stables are up at Strinesdale, and I didn't fancy hacking all the way over to Friesland on my own.

Next year I'll have a spare horse so hopefully will be able to convince someone to ride over with me :)
 
You should have come on foot Madlady, a lot do. Some of my friends rode from near you. Wonder if I know you!

FestiveG we are going to have to have a meet up next year!
 
Lovely photo Honey!

I'm very careful about who I hack with these days. I have met so many bad-mannered riders, especially on RC social rides.
Then there was the occasion when I arranged to meet a friend with her one horse, to practise group riding with my then new mare who used to work in a RS and when with a group tends to go into 'pony-trekking mode' instead of thinking for herself or listening to the rider. She was fine when out with just sister's horse. Friend turned up with 2 others from her yard,one of whom I had nursed along on many social rides when her pony got left behind. This pony was in front and suddenly started trotting down a steep hill (we don't have many of the other sort) towards their yard. My mare really didn't know what to do and we decided to split the ride with me and sis going on a different route because the pony rider really didn't seem to be able to control the pony or tell us what she was going to do.
I'm delighted to say that my mare has settled and it really doesn't matter how bad mannered our companions are these days but I still can't be bothered with such numpties.
 
It sounded like a lovely day except for the cantering bit. Your pic looks fab and festive too. Sorry to say but common sense isn't very common! I dont think they would have wanted to upset anyone, probably more of brain not engaged and they did what was "the norm" for them to do on a hack. Even so they should have offered you guys at the back a choice.
 
Holly08 said:
You should have come on foot Madlady, a lot do. Some of my friends rode from near you. Wonder if I know you!

FestiveG we are going to have to have a meet up next year!
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FestiveG said:
We are indeed :)
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Whereabouts are the both of you at? In the winter my lot are at Strinesdale (we rent our own little yard there) so I tend to ride over Lees bridleways quite a bit at the weekends and in summer they live out at Denshaw so I'm straight onto the pennine way.

I'll be doing a fair bit at Saddleworth riding club as well next season as my nieces want to have a go!

Would be lovely to meet other riders in the area :)
 
You'll have to come up for a visit one day Old Bat! I'm always jealous of the calibre and variety of events around you, our local area just hasn't good enough ground for decent XC courses etc, you have to travel to Somerford in Cheshire etc.

Madlady I'm not too far from Denshaw at all, just over the hill in the next valley. Did you mean you'll be at Oldham riding club or Saddleworth pc next year?
 
Holly08 said:
You'll have to come up for a visit one day Old Bat! I'm always jealous of the calibre and variety of events around you, our local area just hasn't good enough ground for decent XC courses etc, you have to travel to Somerford in Cheshire etc.

Madlady I'm not too far from Denshaw at all, just over the hill in the next valley. Did you mean you'll be at Oldham riding club or Saddleworth pc next year?
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I must have ridden over by you loads of times then in the summer! My friend keeps her horse in Littleborough and I ride over to piethorne quite regularly.

I think it's Saddleworth PC - it's the one that has shows at Platting Road. Nieces will be doing some in hand with some youngsters and I may let them loose on one of the friesians in a ridden class or 2.
 
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