Cantering past others on a hack

[Bea_millard]

So my friend told me a story today. She went on a hack with two friends who weren’t from her barn and bumped into two other people from her barn going the opposite way. The two from the barn decided they’d canter past my friend and her friends, despite having clearly seen them before they asked for canter.

I was always of the mindset that you don’t canter past others out hacking and should always bring your horse to a walk if you see another horse. Even if you know them. I get that at things like pleasure rides, beach rides and cross country schooling, you’re going to get people cantering all around you. But this is just my opinion.

What are other people’s opinions?

 

[Shay]

It is bad manners to canter past someone - in either direction - without checking that they are aware of you. But it is also bad manners to block the track for others.

 

[JFTDWS]

It's bad manners to canter past people out hacking, as a general rule. It's not always practical to walk though - I couldn't overtake a horse (going in the same direction) on one of my ponies in walk, so a steady trot is the only way I'm getting past. Obviously pulling up if there's any issue with the other horse...

 

[dogatemysalad]

It's bad manners and potentially dangerous. I've had it happen to me, but thankfully, my horse is fine, but I was gobsmacked. It was on a busy main road with a wide grass verge and a group of 3 riders saw us from a distance and cantered at speed right beside us.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

People can do really stupid (and dangerous) things sometimes.

 

[fabbydo]

Rude.

 

[Julia0803]

People can be idiots.

Several years ago I had my novice ten year old on his pony, I was walking beside him. We were walking across the village green (riders were allowed on it so long as they walked) and a group of four adults cantered past us from behind! I was furious. What kind of moron canters past a kid hacking without others but with an adult walking beside them?! (so clearly a novice!)

Hope your friends horses were ok.

 

[PeterNatt]

I would consider it very bad form.

 

[Boulty]

I would consider it very rude to canter past someone out hacking unless they have specifically said it is ok. (& even then keep it steady, don't just hoon past!)

 

[silv]

Very rude and potentially dangerous.

 

[Chippers1]

Very rude and could be dangerous, my old pony used to canter off with me if he saw another horse cantering (so I avoided hacking where I knew others would be!) so I would be very annoyed if this happened as he'd just take a hold and go with them, more than likely i'd not be able to stop until he did (just as an aside, if I did fast work I rode in a Pelham with two reins - this is if I went out on my own in his normal snaffle). He was in his twenties so should have known better!

 

[Bea_millard]

People can be idiots.

Several years ago I had my novice ten year old on his pony, I was walking beside him. We were walking across the village green (riders were allowed on it so long as they walked) and a group of four adults cantered past us from behind! I was furious. What kind of moron canters past a kid hacking without others but with an adult walking beside them?! (so clearly a novice!)

Hope your friends horses were ok.

Horses were all okay. Thankfully they’re all pretty sensible. But my friend did say, when she tried to trot her boy in the next field he took off with her. Nothing malicious, just an excitement thing and she said she just laughed it off.

 

[Micky]

Bad manners...it doesn’t take much to ask if it’s ok to canter past. On a fun ride years ago, we had a group of people just hoon past cantering, when they could clearly see one of the horses in my group was going up, the other prancing, but still they cantered past, which made our two worse, luckily the riders were able to control their horses (just)..you don’t know the circumstances of the riders you’re passing so it’s just good manners to ask

 

[oldie48]

Bad Manners! I gave up on fun rides as my old boy was a twit if he saw another horse in front of him. Although he was pretty sensible in all other ways he'd get really worked up if someone cantered in front of us . On fun rides I just couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't catch sight of a horse travelling at speed. It's odd really because you could take him to a show and have horses cantering all around you and it didn't bother him but on hacks and fun rides, it was a different matter. He had hunted though.