Country lanes - mine are fecking lethal....

[ChesnutsRoasting]

I hack out daily and riding a spooky mare in conjunction with slippy tarmac is lethal. Today she spooked at an inoffensive small plastic bag and went to spin, slipped and off I tipped! No harm done, got back on and carried on merrily but was bl..dy fuming about the state of the roads. I ride in the centre of the road & try to avoid the shiny bits but seriously peeved at their current state.

N.B Cameron, stop trying to solve other countries problems and spend your money at home!

 

[nixxyz]

guess im lucky in that theres only one road i have to be careful of traction wise lol but tractors at harvest time are a real menace! when i lived in north yorkshire a few years ago all the lanes were leathal! completely shiney and very few grass verges. the roads in this country are in a real state

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

You're right - I live in a rural area and all the roads are horrendous. I can't remember the last time any of my local lanes were filled or resurfaced. Diabolical

 

[noblesteed]

My horse used to slip on shiny bits of road, dreadful! I had his rear shoes removed for other reasons but he has a lot more grip now.

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

My horse has only got fronts too. At the next farrier visit, I might suggest ice skates as an alternative!

 

[eggs]

Many years ago there was fantastic hacking where I lived but it was very hilly with very slippery roads. We all had our horses shod with 'road nails' and they made a HUGE difference.

 

[ChestnutConvert]

Some of mine are the same. There is one point that you have to ride up a steep hill, no verge for 3/4 of it, the only way you could avoid it and have a nice safe ride was to go through the woods but now they have shut them to horse riders as dog walkers complained! Very rarely did you get someone mistreat the bridle path, i see more disrespectful dog walkers than riders round my way. I'd love to get them open again if anyone has any ideas on doing so??

As for the bits of road that are bad, i have to use the middle or verges too, one part has a wide verge but the council will only cut the first metre so you have to hope the brambles will die back!

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

Many years ago there was fantastic hacking where I lived but it was very hilly with very slippery roads. We all had our horses shod with 'road nails' and they made a HUGE difference.

Will suggest that to my farrier instead of the ice skates - might be more doable! The main roads around here are terrible at the moment, so cannot see attempts at repair on country lanes a priority for the Council.

 

[minkymoo]

I have this at the mo as my farrier forgot to put road nails in

I then got moaned at by a grumpy man because I rode on the verge opposite his house as he "mows it in the summer" which is nice, but it is common land!

Can't wait to trot past his house at 5.30 in the morning...

 

[Dizzydancer]

the roads everywhere are shocking, i agree your point about Cameron!!
As for a way round that we always have road nails put in, they make a huge difference, they cost 50p each and we have them on all 4 feet.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Speak to your local councillor about the road surface. It can be treated to make it less slippery. If you have warned them about it and there is an accident, you could claim compensation from them, which might make them act, even though money is at a premium atm.
Sarah-horsey, you need to contact your local bridleways officer about the closed pathway.

 

[WelshMisfit]

My boy slipped a few years back on shiny tarmac, downhill He tried in vain to stop himself going down, but ended up on his front knees and slid about 10 foot down the hill with me still on board. When he finally came to a stop and got up, his front knees were completely skinned, almost down to the bone. I was so upset by it, I cried all the way back to the yard. His knees came up like footballs and he was ever so sore. I kept getting flash backs of it happening and felt physically sick every time I thought about it. The road had marks on it where his flesh had come away
It took weeks of standing him twice a day in the river by the yard and walking him out inhand three times a day for short periods at a time before they got back to normal. He still has silver pennies on both front knees and when you touch them, you can feel the callouses underneath the hairs. Luckily he is grey and no one notices the silver patches on his knees. He was very cautious going downhill after that and I have the farrier put road nails in every time he is shod. I still hate riding him downhill and if the hill is particularly steep, I'll get off and walk him down inhand.

 

[PeterNatt]

In some cases the road surface is laid incorrectly and is slippery. Contact your local Highways Department and advise them that you are having problems. (Send them a letter by Royal Mail Signed For Delivery so that there is no doubt they have received your letter).
Always wear knee boots so that if your horse goes down it's knees will be protected (Jeffries).
Road nails will also prevent slipping.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

There have been problems with SMA surfaces on roads which have proven to be slippery. Despite studies showing it to be unsafe, it is still being used.
The BHS has managed to get some roads recovered with quartzite grit, which gives some grip.
Few years ago, my local parish council resurfaced part of a bridle path with SMA. Horses couldn't stay upright on it, as when new, its lethal. Complained to Parish council who said they didn't have £4 K in their budget to put non slippery surface over it. Replied that I hoped they had enough in their budget to cope with being sued by local riders. They'd put up a handridden sign warning riders of a slippery surface after another rider complained, but told them this wasn't enough as they were effectively making the bridlepath inaccessible.
The Rights Of Way Officer at County Hall was far more useful. He'd already told them to get it done, so he chased them up and to his credit, the job was done within a few days.
Have a look at this (and google SMA road surfaces -makes interesting reading;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/2750422/Motorcycle-road-safety-Get-a-grip.html

 

[ThePony]

I found the riding on roads horrible when my and OH mare were shod, not verges along all of it and even short gentle slopes would have us slipping, hated it. OH mare was loads worse and it actually started giving her back probs as she would brace herself on the tarmac as she couldn't walk out confidently.
We did have road nails and they helped alot, but only for about 2 weeks before they wore down too!
They are a shoe free zone now and I must admit that I enjoy hacking alot more now. I am a woosy nervous sort anyway, and slipping really bothered me (and I'm sure our horses didn't enjoy it either!). Much more grip, which means they can confidently stride out which I'm sure must be better for them.

 

[jsr]

They've resurfaced some of our lanes with the black shiney stuff and it's lethal!! I ask for road nails but my farrier doesn't always have them in stock (we are VERY rural here). I avoid the lanes I know are bad but speaking to a cyclist the other day he said he's forever sending emails and letters of complaint because it's dangerous for them too. I've sent a couple of emails but think I'll start registered mail next to see if it gets a reply.

 

[Flicker]

We had a horse and teenager down on the road near the yard I used to livery at (fortunately neither seriously hurt), despite the YO asking several times for the road to be resurfaced. Once the accident happened, they jumped to action pretty quickly and resurfaced it but it was a shame it had to take something like that to occur first.

I have road studs in my horse's back shoes and they do make a lot of difference.

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

Thanks for all your replies.

I will write a letter to my Highways Department - when I'm on a mission, I'm like a dog with a bone!

Will speak to my farrier too, regarding road nails the next time he's due out.