Dangerous hacking!

steph91

steph91

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 February 2010
Messages
120
Visit site
Following to some threads about horses getting hit ect. how do you all make drivers slow down?
Unfortunately my house is just off a busy road, B road , 60mph just off the a11, to get onto any country roads and fields we have to ride along this road for about 500 meters. The drivers just come past so fast and close, i do the arm wave to signal slowing down and thank them when they have. Always ride two a breast otherwise the cars would really take the p***! So any other way to slow them down, or even reporting dangerous driving?
Just in the past month had some very near accidents and the last straw was yesterday when a lady had to slam on her breaks so hard as she was so determined to over take us at spend on a blind bend, needless to say of course another car was coming and we had to try to signal to her to stop but no, so very scary.
Any suggestions? I'm really considering to stop hacking out all together, i really don't want to scare or injure my horse:( x
 
I ride very strategically, and make cars treat me as another car.

I ride not quite in the middle of the road, which makes cars slow down, and tuck in where I know it's safe to do so. I do move over for cars, and am always very aware of what's going on with the traffic. It helps that my horse is bomb proof.

I've babysat lots of young horses out hacking - and then we always ride two abreast - youngster on the inside.

I will tell people to stop, if needs be, and am very clear with my hand signals
 
I lead :)
there is a busy main road i need to go on to get any decent rides, its literally only a 5 minute ride but depending which way you choose to go one is safer than the other, if i turn right the road is less dangerous as its straight and up hill and the drivers go slow, if i turn left its a nightmare of blind bends and a 40mph limit but drivers go way over this, i tend to lead if im going down the windies as drivers seem to respect me more of foot than if i`m riding, plus Ayla is a lot calmer in scary situations if im on foot. Roxy is a dope on a rope and very little fazes her!
 
Probably not the correct way, but I often ride with a long schooling whip, and instead of having it across my leg, I have it sticking out into the traffic. Most car users will go around the whip, which is normally about 90-110cm long :)
 
We have this problem especially during evening peak hour when people rat run down the country roads. So many near misses with people skidding and squeaking they break so hard. One woman came round the corner so fast she couldn't stop and went to close passed me my whip hit her car. I was on a 4 year old warmblood that for once in his life didn't move a muscle.. she got all sorts of rude gestures and foul language from me though!
My child hood pony who was a mega star and got me to Hickstead died after being hit by a car from behind. the man was speeding and just smashed into him. He got no points no nothing. It was horriffic.

I tend to ride out into the road on the straight parts of the carriageway to force cars to 'pull out' and over take. If theres more than one person I'll ride two abreast. The more you stay off the carriageway the more inclined cars are to whizz past.

Beyond that take the matter into your own hands and go and speak to the council in order to get something done about it. It may be lengthy but could be the answer.
 
I've given up using the slow down signal after it had a dangerously bad effect on one woman driver. I can't leave my house or field without going on the road so I'm careful about what time of day I go out. If people slow I smile and thank them, if they don't I just smile in the hope that next time they'll perhaps slow or move over.
 
We live on a B road as well, but I generally ride about 1-2m out from the verge (I pretend Im a cyclist...!) and I will shout at someone on a motorbike if they wont slow down :o

There is one prat around us that doesnt seem to understand the slow down signal - but next time I meet him he will be getting a different signal :o

The people on our roads though are generally very good, and I always thank those that slow down or give us more than 1m width when passing :o

But we always ride 2 abreast if Im out with others, except around one very bad corner when we are single file.
 
Generally I don't but working 9 - 5 does tend to restrict you hours of riding. Fortunately we only have a small stretch of road (100m) onto acres of common so the odd evening is fine.
I am lucky enough that mine are good on the roads as they've done it from early ages.
 
I have been very fortunate as I had to ride in London including Central London. The mounted police taught me a few skills in slowing down the traffic.

Take the BHS Road Safety Course and exam as this will arm you with a number of skills. Phone up the Road Safety Department at the BHS for details of courses in your area.

The first thing is to wear a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that your arm signals are clearly visible to motorists and with a bit of luck they may even believe you are a police officer.
Wear a Hi-Viz head band so that you can be seen over the top of hedges.
Put Hi-Viz refelctives on your nose band and reigns and also on your horses legs and tail.

If you hear a vehicle approaching you from behind you always turn your head round and stare at the drivers eyes. This makes them aware that you know they are there and they will normally slow down.

If you are going round a bend and a car is approaching you from the front then always turn your head round as if something is coming from behind you. That will normally cause them to slow down.

If you want a vehicle to slow down then poiint at the driver for 3 seconds and then hold up the palm of your hand. This normally does the trick.

Avoid riding out when the sun is bright and low as it completely dazzles road users and they can not see you.

Avoid riding out in the rush hour or when it is starting to get dark or is dark.
 
I always wear hi-viz, I think it makes people slow down. I avoid the fast road into the village during peak hours. I also think you would benefit from a symbol on the jacket - not a long message about slow down for my horse, just a large L or an exclamation mark. It is a universal symbol that might make drivers think.
 
OWLIE185 said:
I have been very fortunate as I had to ride in London including Central London. The mounted police taught me a few skills in slowing down the traffic.

Take the BHS Road Safety Course and exam as this will arm you with a number of skills. Phone up the Road Safety Department at the BHS for details of courses in your area.

The first thing is to wear a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that your arm signals are clearly visible to motorists and with a bit of luck they may even believe you are a police officer.
Wear a Hi-Viz head band so that you can be seen over the top of hedges.
Put Hi-Viz refelctives on your nose band and reigns and also on your horses legs and tail.

If you hear a vehicle approaching you from behind you always turn your head round and stare at the drivers eyes. This makes them aware that you know they are there and they will normally slow down.

If you are going round a bend and a car is approaching you from the front then always turn your head round as if something is coming from behind you. That will normally cause them to slow down.

If you want a vehicle to slow down then poiint at the driver for 3 seconds and then hold up the palm of your hand. This normally does the trick.

Avoid riding out when the sun is bright and low as it completely dazzles road users and they can not see you.

Avoid riding out in the rush hour or when it is starting to get dark or is dark.
Click to expand...

You have made some really good points here - especially making eye contact, I find that works in making them slow down.
 
Cheers everyone for the tips, will definitely give them all a go
Unfortunately i have a feeling that high vis jackets does nothing to slow drivers down, i still wear just a simple vest for the visibility effect but many people just don't seem to understand that horses are animals and unpredictable and can be dangerous.
And big moan here, what is it with lorries letting of their air brakes just as you're going past, its like they don't understand the effect of noise on horses! x
 
Eye contact and palm up was the most effective method I found. I would take novice riders out hacking, and whilst 95% was off road, we did have to cross 2 roads, and ride a short distance on one. Being assertive and clear about what you want does work - I used to meet so many wishy washy riders who think flapping an arm at their side is an instruction to a driver to slow down - you have to be very clear about what you want them to do.
 
Thanks owlie for some really helpful hints.
I had a near miss a few months back, youngster was being an idiot and i could hear car coming, asked driver to slow down and then trooted on as i knew driveway was ahead asked driver to stop and signaled to go right, as i was half way across road horse played up again and driver tried to overtake me on the insidach of brakese then had to stop suddenly with a screach of brakes.
Yes my language was like a fish wife and i really wanted to get off my horse may slap her
 
emma69 said:
Eye contact and palm up was the most effective method I found. I would take novice riders out hacking, and whilst 95% was off road, we did have to cross 2 roads, and ride a short distance on one. Being assertive and clear about what you want does work - I used to meet so many wishy washy riders who think flapping an arm at their side is an instruction to a driver to slow down - you have to be very clear about what you want them to do.
Click to expand...

This is spot on. You need to make your hand signals really clear. Less and less drivers understand them properly, and more and more riders and cyclists are poor at giving them (I wonder if the fact that so few schools offer the cycling proficiency test as a matter of course). I see far too many people giving a hand signal by casually pointing their hand at waist level. This is not good enough.

When ever you make a signal do it with your arm straight at elbow and wrist, with your hand flat and outstretched, all rigid. With your arm parallel to the ground. Wear either hi viz gloves or a long sleeved hi viz jacket to ensure your signals are seen. Do not give signals with your whip in your hand.

Ride defensively, well into the road like a moped, but pull over when you can to let traffic pass you. If you are on a blind bend or narrow section, trot briskly to the next safe passing place. You should avoid drivers getting stuck behind you and becoming frustrated.

If you can beckon people past at convenient and safe times then do, but do not be surprised if they don't pass you. I will never overtake purely on the basis of a rider signalling me, if I can't see that the road is clear I don't pass. Remember that you can see further than the driver as you are higher up.
 
As far as air brakes are concerned I was told that lorry/bus drivers have no control over when they go off as it's down to the brake mechanism reaching a certain pressure and they then 'go off' automatically. Otherwise why would a lorry/bus driver take the time and trouble to slow down, wait patiently, give me a wide berth and a cheery acknowledgement......then let their air brakes off on purpose just as they pass???? But if any of you know different then please feel free to correct me!!!
 
me and my wife were out on saturday on a A road, we heard a car coming fast up behind us and we were riding side by side, so cars had to slow down to over take us;)
i did my arm movements to slow the car down which he took no notice of:mad:.
as he got the side of us he hit his horn:eek::eek::eek::eek:
as he went past us and cont down the road with his hand on it.:eek::eek::eek:
good job weve got good horses in traffic:cool:

i waved my wip at him and he hit his brakes and skidded down the road, jumped out and started jumping up and down on the spot shouting abuse at us,:p
decided the best way of dealing with it was to trot 2 17.2 horses at him one being a percheron :D:D:D he soon jumped in and drove off.
what a complete idiot.
 
We had someone getting quite frustrated with us earlier this week - there was a parked lorry on one side of the road (a very small estate...unusual!) and we were halfway past this (in single file) - unable to trot due to Kellys recent recovery from lami, seizures and pedal bone rotation!
The driver became very agitated but instead of thinking about the reasons why we weren't trotting must have just assumed that we were ignorant riders and as I turned in my saddle to thank him for not squeezing past us, he did just that, at a considerable speed :mad:
However, most drivers are very considerate as are we as riders - we all need to share the road at some point. Hi viz, clear signals and a smile and/or thank you gets us a long way I reckon :)
K x
 
Eye contact helps, I always thank them with a smile/thank you/thumbs up/head nod when they do slow down.

A schooling whip with reflective tape on it helps, I also have hi-viz gloves.

It is very important to thank the good road users.
 
To be fair, if the road is speed limit 60mph, then drivers are entitled to drive at 60mph. Assuming it's also got a lane in each direction, rather than single track with passing places, then to ride in the middle of the lane at walking pace is suicide to my mind. Would you honestly expect to be able to walk on foot briskly down the middle of a 60mph road without getting run over? If it was me, I'd start a campaign with your local Highways Authority and either get the road classified as 40 limit, or speed humps put in or get them to put some "danger - horse and rider" signposts. We all have to use the roads so the only way is for each user to be aware of other users and how they will be using the road. I once drove for a couple of miles behind an older bloke and his fishwife, sorry, wife. Single lane with passing places and blind bends to die for. Horse rider road signs all over the place, and he lived there for gods sake. He drove at 25mph which is too fast for windy single track roads, and at every single blind bend he leant on his horn til he was round it. I followed him and pulled in behind him and told him that what he was doing was very dangerous. What on earth is a horse rider supposed to do if she hears a car horn 20 feet ahead on a blind bend? Hoot back? Leap off? Pray? I tried to explain that the same argument would also apply to eg walkers, cyclists, children, dogs, sheep, cattle, pony and traps, everything. I got a torrent of abuse. Some people don't use the brains god gave them but sadly, this applies to horse riders too.
 
I bought an ex police hi viz riders jacket on ebay, and with my arm signals I find it makes a difference and its only clear up close that the "POLICE " label is no longer on the jacket.
Going round bends I am like something out of the exorcist my head always turning around and I can feel my ears grow trying to listen for cars, also put hi viz sheet over my horse,leg band, we both need more hi viz as I want to stand out like a xmas tree.
 
Think everyone has said it all, looking "like" a Policehorse is good, worked for me in the past, and the eye contact, try to remember to smile and be polite, always helps for when they meet another rider, I know how annoyed I get when driving, and riders are pig ignorant.
 
well we went out for 1.5 hrs this morning for a hack:)
what a brill ride, the horses were great even when we did a section of a dual carriageway:eek:
99.9% of the drivers slowed down and passed carefully.:)
so there not all bad just a couple of numptys :rolleyes: that we meet probably every other time we are out.
roll on tomorrow morning:p:p
 
You can get little warning signs from Robinsons that are good value for money-horse riding one and a loose horse one I think-one yellow triangle and one red one.

For get the 'legal' issues/council issues about having signs put up!

But certainly for a few £'s you would be able to at least 'warn' the car drivers that there are horses about!

We have the same problem-30mph but rarely do they ever do that! So we did invest in a few of these signs for telegraph poles and they DO work for 99% of people! You will ALWAYS get the odd idiot usually mum with sprog in back on the school run! I find the youngsters/boy racers really good! They may START speeding but as soon as they see our flourescents and reflectives they slow right down a lot quicker usually thanks to the reminder of the signs!
 
I think if you have to ride on a main road a tabard is not enough - a "Police" type jacket is the best solution. I also have a dressage whip with some reflective tape on the end that I hold out to make us "wider."

Although drivers should treat all other road users with courtesy there is no reason for them to know what a horse may do, or that air brakes might frighten them, a llot of people are frankly extremely unintelligent and the only time they see a horse is on the racing on TV or a police horse.

There have been a lot of good ideas about eye contact, etc. Thanks.
 
cindydog said:
we both need more hi viz as I want to stand out like a xmas tree.
Click to expand...

haha- my horse looks like a yellow lantern when we hack out in winter/ dark days! a full BRIGHT yelow exercise sheet, boots, breastplate, rein covers, noseband and browband covers, yellow jacket, bright hat and lights on my legs!!

ooh and a yellow tail guard attached to my exercise sheet :-)

we like t be seen!! ;-)
 
Hi

There was a post about hi-viz the other day after a girl not wearing any was hit by a car - but fortunately neither horse or rider were seriously injured.

Someone posted a link to Equisafety - they are bringing out a new tabbard approved by the police that they have made it to look like a police tabbard so people would think you are police and slow down....

http://www.equisafety.com/cat/catitem.asp?pc=R02N-AIRPO&d=1&s=1


Having seen this I am seriously considering getting one as we also have the same problem of people driving like idiots past us (be it 1 horse or more) and it might just help to slow them down and drive a little wider past us......

Please note I dont work for equisafety but just think its a really good idea because unfortunately hacking out on roads is not unaviodable for most riders and cant always choose to avoid the busy times due to work commitments.....once I win the lottery that of course will change ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top