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Boltonrider

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Urrrggghhh!! Some people make me wonder!

I spend god knows how long during the week, giving advice to peeps involved in Road incidents whilst riding, I spend hours attending Emergency Incidents involving Equines and other animals, I clear the mess and provide the transport for distressed horses and the owner, I use specialist vehicles to assist people in difficulty......

All the units I drive, even those used for human medical emergencies carry specialist markings and "In your face" markers to show I ride/I work with horses/I Slow down for horses etc etc

TODAY I'm driving through a busy lane near Manchester Airport, it's a well used set of lanes with a limit of 60mph, many people drive at the 60 mph!!
Myself and a colleague had attended a incident involving 3 horses nearby, thankfully all was sorted and all are well. Now keep in mind, my colleague is driving a white transit, no blue lights but displaying markers to show the vehicle use, I'm following behind him in my unit <<< towing a Ifor trailer specially equipped with emergency vehicle markings and various blue lights on it!

Travelling slowly along the lanes, aiming to return back home, my colleague in front spots a "rider" on a rather nice horse and drops to walking pace, as she's the other side of a blind bend with high hedge's, coming towards us.

No high vis on her or the horse, in fact she dressed in v dark colours to match a very dark horse, in bright sunshine she wouldn't be seen by the average driver.....fool

As my colleague approaches at a very slow and wide passing manouvere, instead of thanking him .... she starts shaking her head and mouthed something!!

Seeing me come round the bend she [****] herself!! And went a funny shade of worried red. Seeing what she had done, I stopped the vehicle in a safe position and blocked the road whilst we had a polite word......

Her defence... "the white van w****r was crawling past me, this is a bombproof horse, he could have gone straight past..the t****r!!!"
By now my colleague had returned to the scene... he wouldn't stop to say owt normally.... I introduce the white van W****R to said rider, and explained the law in some detail, I then explained what the white van man had just been doing, and how when the silly cow got belted on her horse, because the poor flaming driver couldn't see her....due to the high vis issue.... it was likely the same driver would be scraping her horse of the road!!
Just at that moment, a large hgv passed on the next lane over, her "bombproof horse" threw a hissy fit, snorting and looking for a way out. Advice given..... if that's bombproof love.....you need to find a riding school pretty damn quick!!!

Now I think, with some well chosen words and suggestions, this lady may have taken on board some of what as been said, and indeed with some prompting she managed a forced apology to my colleague... however she can still expect a visit from the local traffic officer due to her attitude... and the fact it's an offence to mouth obscenities to other road users!

I've gotta say, this is the first time I have encountered this behaviour when using great care to pass a horse, my colleague tells me its happened before in the same area....

Are there any locals on here....is there a rational explanation....is it a upper class thing?? I know I meet some damn stupid people, and the plain ignorant, but this is a first for me.... I'm confused!!
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Never encounterd that I have to say, but I do get fed up of our local riders who ignore you when you slow down and look straigh through you. I have been known to stop and suggest that they should thank other road users, as then they may slow down for ME when I am on my horse on the road
 
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I dont think it's just horse riders, just look at cyclists, I see them weaving in and out of traffic, straight through red lights, no lights no viz gear, zooming around with no care for pedestrians, upper class lower class, nah, we have just bred a nation of aresholes with no manners or thought for anyone but themselves, I am thinking that inbreeding has a bit to do with it whether it's upper or lower class.

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Yeah, but the bike doesn't spook!!!!
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The cyclist wants to take a chance with his/her life, then so be it,
But the rider is playing with the life of the horse as well!!
 
i ride horses , motorbikes, drive lorrys and cycle , all of which i do carefully with correct equiptment including a well trained safe on roads horse ,i always appreciate other road usesers being carerful it makes my blood boil to hear stories like this , it gives all of us a bad name , i hope this woman does get a visit from traffic police might make her think , doubt it though
 
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I dont think it's just horse riders, just look at cyclists, I see them weaving in and out of traffic, straight through red lights, no lights no viz gear, zooming around with no care for pedestrians, upper class lower class, nah, we have just bred a nation of aresholes with no manners or thought for anyone but themselves, I am thinking that inbreeding has a bit to do with it whether it's upper or lower class.

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Yeah, but the bike doesn't spook!!!!
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The cyclist wants to take a chance with his/her life, then so be it,
But the rider is playing with the life of the horse as well!!

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Im sorry but i dont agree. If a cyclist wasnt wearing hi-vis etc then it coould endanger other drivers lives too! What if a driver saw the cyclist at the last second and swerved to avoid them into the path of another oncoming vehicle?
 
Personally I think any horse rider that behaves like that is just plain ignorant and rude. I have no choice but to ride in less than ideal road conditions if I want to ride at all during winter so whenever I find a driver who is willing to drive past slowly & sensibly I always make my appreicataion known with at the very least a big cheesy grin. People like this girl just give other horse riders a bad name and make drivers less inclined to slow down for other horses.... Fine if they only meet so called bombproof horses but when I'm sat on a youngster or sharp competition horse then it can get a bit hair raising! One of my big bug bearers is people who go out onto country lanes in poor lighting (be that on a horse, walking their dogs or cycling) without suitable hi-viz or lights (especially on push bikes!) because as a car driver I would be held responsible for hitting them despite not being able to see the stupid people who are out on country lanes in the dark without any kit on to make them more visible.
 
Some people give us all a bad name. Even if you an't tke your hands off the rein a nod and a smile go a long way. As for cyclists don't get me started! Why is it that red lights don't seem to apply to them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Hopefully you talked some sense into her Boltonrider. Have to admit I have sometimes been guilty of mouthing obscenities at drivers who pass like idiots (note to self must stop doing it before I get in trouble
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). However I always make a point of a big smile and thank you to considerate drivers. We too live in narrow lanes with 60mph limits that some people think they have to achieve - scary. I wonder what area you were in - I used to live in Mobberley years ago, when we left there were a lot of people moving in who had more money than manners!
 
Good on you for giving her a 'talking to'. I'm amazed how many people ride dark horses in dark clothes around here. Personally (although sick of so many laws) I think it should be as unacceptable to ride on roads with no hi-vis as it is to ride on the road with no hat on. Maybe insurance company's should insist that horse riders or leaders on the road should have a hi-vis coat or tabbard on to be covered. Just common sense really, but sadly lacked in many!
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I must admit that all of the cyclists that I have come across that have been on the roads have always said "good morning" or "Hello" before they come past us as a warning that they are there, and they wear hi viz. However, Walkers seriously take the p*ss. My dad nearly hit one. It was dark, he was going to the speed limit, and this man was walking on the wrong side of the road (He sould have been walking into oncoming traffic), he was in a dark top and jeans with only a mobile phone light to make himself seen. The only reason we avoided him was because the car infront swerved, so my dad swerved (Thinking, quite rightly that the driver infront was avoiding something). If we hadn't of swerved that man would have been seriously injured or killed. We went past him, turned waround and had a word with him and his attitute was asif he owned the road and that we should be driving slower. We were driving to the speed limit. My dad was absolutely infuriated, mainly at his attitude. The man had headphones in so he couldn't even hear traffic behind him!!

Cookies if you read all that
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!
 
I ride on the roads and Cycle, and I will admit I do not always wear high viz - BUT i do have a BRIGHT YELLOW hoodie for going out in (I figure a size 16 top half covered in yellow should be fairly visable).

I took a younger girl out on a hack and when she was not waving at drivers I asked her why and she said that x wasnt smiling, y was a bit too fast (but other side of the road). SO I pointed otu that if we all acted like she did no one would slow down. In fact I will admit that I have lost my temper with a horse rider who gave me the evils then the V when I crept past ON OTHER SIDE OF ROAD ALMOST. I wont say what I did, but it involved a wheelspin and I was about 60m away from her.

I do not understand how anyone can wear headphones when out - I annoy friends as I cant even hold a convo as I am always on the look out so they never get my full attention, adn my horse is almost bombproof (flappy stuff is evil so he says, but you can rev an artic up his bum and he doesn't flinch!).

I do think that it should be LAW to wear high viz - or at least void your insurance if you don't (I am sure someone said it does anyway?)

Also - I was told by said child above that they were shown at PONY CLUB CAMP what to do when they are not passed properly - it was the fist up you gesture!! THIS WAS SHOWN TO CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 8!!!!!

To me that is NOT on! And no wonder there are soo many nupties! (I am part numpty - I will admit that)
 
Silly cow. Even on a "bombproof" horse, it's nice when drivers slow down when they pass. If she'd done that to a normal white van man, then it could have serious repercussions for those of us whose horses aren't bombproof!

I often think that if these inconsiderate road users were taken to the scene of a serious or fatal road accident it would concentrate the mind a bit. As you know, boltonrider, they're not pretty.
 
UPDATE

Said fool with horse, got paid her visit today, I had to laugh I'm afraid.....
I was out in the area today assisting a couple of mounted colleagues, over coffee the story got mentioned, and unusually they thought it would be fun to pay a visit!!!

Lady in question, I think as now learned a lesson, and promised to wear the donated high vis pack of vest/leg bands/tail band

"Didn't think it was that serious...until you turned up on my doorstep!"

After seeing a few photos of incidents within a 2mile radius of her home, the look of "going to vomit" tells me it's hit home!!
 
You have done well - pity you could not have stuck her in one of those Tesco prisons!

I spent most my life hacking on the roads of London and even 35 years ago before the advent of Hi-Viz used to wear a bright orange kagoule so that motorists could see me.

There are far too many riders out their that do not appreciate how vunerable their horses and they are when hacking out on without Hi-Viz. What amazes me is how many of them are competing at high level but just refuse to wear the stuff because it clearly destroys their street credability - sod the safety of the horse and other road users. They spend hours keeping their horses in top condition so that they can compete but when it comes to hacking out they are completely oblivious to the dangers and clearly feel that to wear Hi-Viz will destroy their image.
 
Well done. I wish there were a few more people with the power to intervene and show ignorant riders the reality of not wearing hi-viz. I wear pink hi-viz on the road and I don't care what I look like as long as it gives me and my pony a better chance of staying safe.
 
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You have done well - pity you could not have stuck her in one of those Tesco prisons!

I spent most my life hacking on the roads of London and even 35 years ago before the advent of Hi-Viz used to wear a bright orange kagoule so that motorists could see me.

There are far too many riders out their that do not appreciate how vunerable their horses and they are when hacking out on without Hi-Viz. What amazes me is how many of them are competing at high level but just refuse to wear the stuff because it clearly destroys their street credability - sod the safety of the horse and other road users. They spend hours keeping their horses in top condition so that they can compete but when it comes to hacking out they are completely oblivious to the dangers and clearly feel that to wear Hi-Viz will destroy their image.

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You have obviously met my neighbours then Peter.

Spend 50k on a horse and trot it flat out round blind corners!
 
Have I misunderstood this, but she was P'd off because your colleague was considerate and slowed down to pass her and her horse
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I'm totally astounded and (almost
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) lost for words about this. I'm often heard complaining about how selfish people are these days, but this just takes the biscuit - actually the whole family sized box!!
 
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Have I misunderstood this, but she was P'd off because your colleague was considerate and slowed down to pass her and her horse
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I'm totally astounded and (almost
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) lost for words about this. I'm often heard complaining about how selfish people are these days, but this just takes the biscuit - actually the whole family sized box!!

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Yup, you understand it correctly......
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Still there's no understanding some peeps, maybe she was just a biscuit short of that family sized box !!!
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