tashcat
Well-Known Member
A friend and I were riding up a hill today - a common route to ride - when we encountered a line of people with yellow flags in hand, in a field next to the road - there are small thin shrubs between the road and field.
We didn't think anything of it until we were nearly past them - when the person nearest us started to wave his flag furiously. My unsuspecting horse shot about 5 feet in the air, and spun around in fright (he's a nervous chap anyway, but I don't blame him for being scared by something sudden and yellow flapping at him less than a few meters away!). In his panic we shot sideways into the friend's horse, who was also rather unsettled by the flag monster.
Then as they collided, guns started going off VERY close to us. The horses lost it, mine trying to run for the hills, slipping onto his knees and spinning about whilst my friends also spinning, rearing and desperately trying to escape, loosing his feet under himself. For one scary moment I thought they were going to go over backwards and down the hill! The road was wet, we were on a steep hill, and we were VERY lucky to still be seated by the end of it. Everything happened quickly, but the horses kept panicking - there was more than enough time for someone to notice and stop. Yet the guns and flags didn't cease, even when a few people were running out of nearby houses to make we were okay after hearing the commotion.
The rest of the ride was a nightmare as the poor horses jumped a mile in the air every time so much as a tree creaked! My friends horse kept throwing in rears and spinning every time big lorries came, or we heard distant gunshot. Normally he's well behaved but he kept loosing himself in a flail of feet. Eventually we swapped horses as he was being silly, but I couldn't get too angry as the initial shock was still there.
So rather than just ranting about it (tea and biscuits for all those who've got this far!) what can I do about it? These people were shooting SO close to the road - horses, children, cyclists, cars etc are just metres away. There is no warning when shooting is going to happen so we have no idea when to avoid the area (although it irks me that we would have to be the ones to avoid the area even though the shooters are the cause of the problem). They knew we were there as we'd called out greetings to them as we passed some before they started - and I even asked one if it was dog training (I know, I know stupid right but there were dogs and flags and I couldn't work it out!) but he just laughed and didn't warn us what they were planning on doing.
How can I let them know how dangerous their actions are? Can I report them?
Thanks in advance.
We didn't think anything of it until we were nearly past them - when the person nearest us started to wave his flag furiously. My unsuspecting horse shot about 5 feet in the air, and spun around in fright (he's a nervous chap anyway, but I don't blame him for being scared by something sudden and yellow flapping at him less than a few meters away!). In his panic we shot sideways into the friend's horse, who was also rather unsettled by the flag monster.
Then as they collided, guns started going off VERY close to us. The horses lost it, mine trying to run for the hills, slipping onto his knees and spinning about whilst my friends also spinning, rearing and desperately trying to escape, loosing his feet under himself. For one scary moment I thought they were going to go over backwards and down the hill! The road was wet, we were on a steep hill, and we were VERY lucky to still be seated by the end of it. Everything happened quickly, but the horses kept panicking - there was more than enough time for someone to notice and stop. Yet the guns and flags didn't cease, even when a few people were running out of nearby houses to make we were okay after hearing the commotion.
The rest of the ride was a nightmare as the poor horses jumped a mile in the air every time so much as a tree creaked! My friends horse kept throwing in rears and spinning every time big lorries came, or we heard distant gunshot. Normally he's well behaved but he kept loosing himself in a flail of feet. Eventually we swapped horses as he was being silly, but I couldn't get too angry as the initial shock was still there.
So rather than just ranting about it (tea and biscuits for all those who've got this far!) what can I do about it? These people were shooting SO close to the road - horses, children, cyclists, cars etc are just metres away. There is no warning when shooting is going to happen so we have no idea when to avoid the area (although it irks me that we would have to be the ones to avoid the area even though the shooters are the cause of the problem). They knew we were there as we'd called out greetings to them as we passed some before they started - and I even asked one if it was dog training (I know, I know stupid right but there were dogs and flags and I couldn't work it out!) but he just laughed and didn't warn us what they were planning on doing.
How can I let them know how dangerous their actions are? Can I report them?
Thanks in advance.