Do you hack on roads...

[Peglo]

I’ve put all roads including A roads. It’s the truth but not quite the same as other places. Where I live it is almost an island with one small strip of land and road connecting us to the mainland. So we live in a dead end parish so it’s not a busy through road but the roads are busier than they were when I had my first horses.

If I could hack without going on roads I would. I can get to the beach without going on the road so I ride there most often but it’s only 2 miles to get there and back.
We do have tracks we can use and B roads are pretty safe here. Folk are forced to slow down on them and everyone seems happy to go slower past us when we’re on them but the A road is faster.

 

[Zoeypxo]

I am very lucky to be spoilt with off road tracks and quiet villages. I dont think id want to ride on A roads or 60mph roads

 

[Bellalily]

I drive rather than ride, vehicle isn't sprung for off roading so have no choice. This pony is new, only had her 2 months and it was pre lockdown when I had last one PTS. The standard of driving in that time has certainly gone down, the main problem isn't so much failing to slow down as squeezing past when there isn't room. I'm saving for an off road carriage as we are well supplied with BOATs around here.

Don’t they just! I ride and lead and every ride there’s some idiot trying to squeeze past. One day I’m going to move my right leg out a bit and oops

 

[Boughtabay]

I never used to think twice about a ride on A roads until quite recently but the sheer speed and volume of traffic has stopped me on my youngster (particularly lorries who, even though they make great effort to slow down when they spot us, are generally travelling quite quickly along the A roads & are surprised to see us there). Unfortunately that means boxing out to all hacks as our farm is a bit of an island with A road surrounding us, on the plus side horse gets plenty of box practice now!

 

[Sossigpoker]

Not riding a great deal at the moment but no school so it's hacking only for me. Mostly quiet lanes but do need to ride the main B Road through the village to get to any bridle ways or even make it a short circular loop. Most are considerate but there is usually at least one idiot each ride. Luckily my horse is great in traffic but as said above it's the bird, bag or something else unexpected likely to make him spook into the path of a vehicle that's likely to get me It doesn't help that as a driver, even I find a lot of the riders in the village quite rude and if they annoy me they must annoy un horsey drivers making them even less likely to be considerate for me! There's also several huge new developments being built just outside the village, guessing well over 1000 homes so can only imagine the amount of traffic getting worse

It's the rudeness of other riders why I'm so over the top friendly and thankful . Every driver who slows down gets a smile and a wave and a shouted thank you , if they wait in a passing place or something I really ramp it up with a "thank you so much, have a wonderful day " or something.

Knowing how stupid and ignorant people are , I don't want to be the arrogant rider who winds someone up and next time they speed past and cause an a collision.

 

[Glitterandrainbows]

Have to go hack on busy main roads with motorway links (lots of huge lorries) trust my mare on the roads 100%

 

[TheHairyOne]

I have a 60mph B road right outside the yard I have to use to connect to the local bridle ways (or which we do have a fair number of given how close I am to a major town).

My horse is really good in traffic and a number of the bridle ways run along side a dual carriage way so new horses get walked down there to get them used to stuff with a sensible already used to it escort.

I have to say i do pick my times though, especially in the week. If i hack before 6pm i do the shortest time on the road possible (about 200 yards with a good bit of verge) as commuters are not always the best to encounter. However, i do find I meet the worst drivers on a bank holiday, both in the car getting to the yard and on the horse once i am there!

Do consider us lucky in that the YO rotates fielda so weve often got 2 or 3 to ride in to give the horsea something else to do if we dont want to hack.

 

[JFTDWS]

We have a limited amount of on site hacking, a very quiet (dead end) lane and private off site hacking about five minutes down the main road, plus unlimited forest riding 10 minutes away in the trailer.

I don’t have a lot of reason to be on the roads, other than walking off on the dead end lane, or getting to / from the offsite hacking. I don’t go on the main road (fast but straight and wide verges to step off if you meet a pillock) to the private offsite hacking unless the visibility is good. Generally I’d rather go to the forest, to be honest.

I used to hack a lot on the roads and found most drivers considerate, to be fair - the worst issues I had were a stalker (who was, to be fair, very polite overtaking the ponies!) and an angry local who really needed a close encounter with some castration pliers

 

[criso]

Have to go on roads to get to bridleways however in some ways I feel safer on the roads as my horse is so good with traffic but less so with some of the things we meet on bridleways.

 

[JFTDWS]

Have to go on roads to get to bridleways however in some ways I feel safer on the roads as my horse is so good with traffic but less so with some of the things we meet on bridleways.

Yep - I’ve had far worse issues with loose dogs hanging off horses’ tails / snapping at legs than I have drivers.

And that’s before you consider the illegal drone flying, shooting, weird sexual antics on bridleways… it’s a strange world out there!

 

[criso]

Yep - I’ve had far worse issues with loose dogs hanging off horses’ tails / snapping at legs than I have drivers.

And that’s before you consider the illegal drone flying, shooting, weird sexual antics on bridleways… it’s a strange world out there!

Children running round screaming waving sticks or running under your horse's legs shouting horsey; one path ran alongside 5 aside football pitches with wire netting that the balls constantly hit as you went past; killer cows and sheep or pigs that run alongside as you pass; cyclists and trail bikes; pushchairs and rucksacks. I once met a naked cyclist.

 

[Caol Ila]

I think if I met a naked cyclist, I would fall off the horse due to laughing.

I have to use roads to get into the park. 98% of drivers are actually pretty well behaved. 2% are tw*ts and pass too fast. Both my horses are good in traffic, though Fin isn't a fan of large vehicles like lorries and tractors, so I have to make sure they stop. Hermosa doesn't care. I'd rather emergency services didn't act like douchebags, though!

I rarely have issues in the park itself. Now and then you get a badly behaved dog. Children usually don't get that close. I scowl at them. Mountain bikers can go past quite quickly, but the horses are used to that.

 

[dogatemysalad]

Yes, I ride on a dual carriageway regularly. There are only very limited stretches of bridleways locally, most of which are unusable. I happier riding on the dual carriageway than the local country lane with its high hedges and blind bends. No one rides on that road.
During lockdown, it was more dangerous. Fewer cars meant faster cars. Ideally, it's better to ride in large in a group of six, than solo or in pairs. Incredibly riding with a young child and pony makes no difference. Cars just whizz by oblivious to the child.
The most thoughtful drivers around here seem to be white van men, bus, lorry and tractor drivers. Cyclists are pretty good here too, they are the complete opposite to the cyclists in the last county I lived in.

 

[SEL]

The most thoughtful drivers around here seem to be white van men, bus, lorry and tractor drivers.

Here too. Buses aren't great at school pick up time but most big vehicles try their hardest to pull in and wait

It's "normal" cars that don't seem to know how to drive round horses. With the exception of one elderly farmer whose vision I think is dodgy (he always smiles and waves as we jump out of his way) our problem drivers are going between towns and using us as a cut through.

 

[Rumtytum]

Used to hack out from my RS (which always involve roads) and whilst I never experienced inconsiderate drivers I have seen several when driving my car. These, the generally poor standard of driving in my area plus the posts on this forum have made me decide to stop hacking. I am grateful to have various indoor and outdoor schools at my RS and am more than happy to stay in that environment.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’d be in between the top two. I’m on the road 95% of the time.
I’m happier on the roads as my horse gets a bit furious off road! We are adding more and more off road bits in but I’m perfectly ok with riding in the road. I have never had a really nasty experience though *touch wood and the drivers/roads by me are pretty good.
I don’t do main roads, but I don’t have too.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I only do a few yards on the lane I live on or cross it to get to the other side of the bridleway to get in and out of the woods occasionally, I can come out opposite my gate if I really want to but it gets overgrown in summer and I can't see the ground very well as it's covered in fern.

I will often get off and lead I find cars are maybe just a bit more respectful if they see someone on foot, although the last time I led along my lane and it is literally a 6 minute walk to next door I got called a c*nt for shouting at a bloke to slow down.

They drive like complete arse holes round here often doing over 40 on a single lane bendy road hooting the whole length of it.

So no I prefer not to ride along the roads near me and avoid it as much as possible.

 

[Midlifecrisis]

Most yards I’ve been on in the past decade have meant riding on an A or B road to get to the off road hacking and I’ve experienced all types of behaviour from other road users…good and bad. In the past few months I’ve moved to a yard where I don’t need to ride on roads at all in order to hack but can’t shake the habit of wearing hi viz weirdly…I tell myself it’s so the park/estate workers can see me……

 

[Peglo]

Here too. Buses aren't great at school pick up time but most big vehicles try their hardest to pull in and wait

It's "normal" cars that don't seem to know how to drive round horses. With the exception of one elderly farmer whose vision I think is dodgy (he always smiles and waves as we jump out of his way) our problem drivers are going between towns and using us as a cut through.

Our bus drivers are awesome here. So much so I emailed the company to praise their drivers. I agree that tractors and lorries etc are great too. Our worst offenders are campervanners. They don’t even slow down and they are so big now. I don’t know if it’s ignorance or arrogance but they’ve given us the most problems. I had to wave one down to slow to go past us on a B road as they were coming at us at a silly speed. They just seem to be idiots. (Not all but the majority I’ve met)

I agree that it doesn’t seem to matter to the inconsiderate drivers if it could be children or not. They just don’t care.

 

[rabatsa]

I drive rather than ride, vehicle isn't sprung for off roading so have no choice. This pony is new, only had her 2 months and it was pre lockdown when I had last one PTS. The standard of driving in that time has certainly gone down, the main problem isn't so much failing to slow down as squeezing past when there isn't room. I'm saving for an off road carriage as we are well supplied with BOATs around here.

I am in similar situation without the local BOATs. The worst offender for flying up to me is my nearest neighbour, who never dreams that a pony and carriage could possibly be using our lane. Then we are out onto a C road that is a bypass for the village, with a pallet yard one way and a green waste recycling plant the other. The local hauliers with close to 20 wagons, whose drivers are brilliant really show up some of the firms that bring in the green waste for the bad drivers that they are.

Also on every single drive I have done going on a counter clockwise circuit a car (different car each time) has shot past me approaching a blind bend and met a car coming the other way. It is only time before there is a bang and crash going to happen.

 

[scats]

Occasionally I’ll nip around the local residential road, or if I box to my friends yard, we’ll hack along the prom and down the side roads.
We have off road hacking here so I stick to that, mostly.

 

[GinaGeo]

I will. But can’t say I’m a fan. Usually box up to local off road riding instead.

After the recent accidents I’m not sure I will bother.

 

[scruffyponies]

Regular road user here; mostly local lanes and the 'town' (very small - feels like a village) centre. The only A road locally is a dual carriageway. I did once ride down it (on the verge, jumping the ditches) but it was a deeply unpleasant experience (noise) and the amount of debris made it unsafe.
Our roads are pleasant village rides so it's not that we're 'forced' to use them... although it's deliberate that we choose tarmac over soft paths when it's wet.

I drive and ride out alone and in groups of 6-8, usually more than half are children. Locally the drivers are generally great, but then we're quite a large and confident group, I ride VERY defensively if a driver isn't paying due attention (they have always seen you!) and most local drivers are used to seeing us around.

We very strong local cycling community, with whom we get along very well. Lots of motorbikes too. Between us we keep the car drivers on their toes

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I have been very pleasantly surprised this summer when accompanying RDA riders on the road at how careful drivers, of all vehicles, including buses, farm vehicles and normal traffic have been
This is actually an improvement on what I remember from pre-Covid times on exactly the same route.

 

[criso]

I think if I met a naked cyclist, I would fall off the horse due to laughing

I was too surprised to do anything. It was a narrow bridle path and he was coming towards me so we were very close as he passed me slowly. I didn't know where to look.

 

[southerncomfort]

Our problem is people moving from the towns and cities in to New builds in the area.

They don't seem to have any idea how to pass horses safely.

We were passed by a woman in a BMW coming from the new houses. She slowed down right enough, but squeezed between us and a row of parked cars on the other side. She couldn't have been more than 2 or 3ft from us.

Luckily, she had her windows down so I was able to offer some advice!

I don't think she was deliberately driving badly, it just didn't occur to her that it was a bad idea.

 

[millikins]

I am in similar situation without the local BOATs. The worst offender for flying up to me is my nearest neighbour, who never dreams that a pony and carriage could possibly be using our lane. Then we are out onto a C road that is a bypass for the village, with a pallet yard one way and a green waste recycling plant the other. The local hauliers with close to 20 wagons, whose drivers are brilliant really show up some of the firms that bring in the green waste for the bad drivers that they are.

Also on every single drive I have done going on a counter clockwise circuit a car (different car each time) has shot past me approaching a blind bend and met a car coming the other way. It is only time before there is a bang and crash going to happen.

It never ceases to amaze me with those drivers who do allow plenty of space, they are so unsure about going past a horse and cart that they think nothing of swinging right out into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

 

[Hallo2012]

i dont ride on my own road(or rarely, late eve only in the summer) i box up to a much more horsey friendly village with a nice loop where all the drivers are lovely.

 

[humblepie]

We are near a big equestrian training centre and some of the lorries/cars and trailers going there aren’t considerate. Had a dressage lorry right up my horse’s back side once as I trotted on to a pull in. No patience what so ever.

 

[BBP]

I was too surprised to do anything. It was a narrow bridle path and he was coming towards me so we were very close as he passed me slowly. I didn't know where to look.

My sister and I came across a dirt bike parked in the middle of a bridle way. Got a bit closer to find a couple of people, literally caught with their pants down having a jolly old time together on the grass/scrub near the bike. Cue them scrambling around trying to reinstate their clothing. I would have quite liked to have proceeded quickly past and pretending I hadn’t seen anything but BBP decided quite rightly that two monsters wrestling bare butt in the bushes was terrifying and it took quite a time and a lot of dragon snorting on his behalf to get him past. By which time they were reclothed and pretending the bike had broken down.
My sister then said quite loudly ‘you know you aren’t really supposed to take a dirt bike on a bridle way’ which in the circumstances I found hilarious and laughed my head off most of the way home.

In answer to the question though, I’m lucky to have an excellent network of bridleways but they are linked by minor roads so I do ride on the roads a bit.