Does anyone get abuse from drivers whilst out hacking?

[xXShelleyBXx]

Right is it just me or do others get abuse from drivers whilst out hacking??

I was hacking out today with my Sister, plodding up the road with both horses being good as gold. A driver approaching on the other side of the road had to slow down for a Van that was passing us from behind...so the driver who had to slow down gave the 'two-finger' sign to my sister and then proceeded to do the same to me. I was shocked. What an attitude to have?!
On other occassions i have had 'silly' boy drivers whizz past like their car is going to explode if it drops below 50mph and a few drive past beeping their horns...clever!!!

It doesn't happen often...but when it does it angers me!! Grrr!!! Idiots!!

Rant over anyway...but has anyone else had experiences similar to mine whilst out and about on the horse?

I'm lucky really that my horse aren't too spooky...but it just worries me that drivers who do this do not think about the consequences!

 

[LOZHUG]

Yes quite often.

Once had some idiot drive so close to me and my horse my foot nearly took off the wing mirror.

Boy racers I annoy me they never slow down.

 

[JustKickOn]

Yes, I've been abused by drivers before.
There's a really nasty corner at one end of the road which is the way me and my friend hack out. Turning back into the road our yard is on is a night mare. We ride 2 across up to that point as that's the safest option. I had my right arm out to turn, and some woman in a big land rover drove up behind us, beeped, I put my hand up and asked her to stop. She continued to over took and hit my arm with the wing mirror!
I was furious!

There was another episode where one road was quite busy, so my friend took her pony up onto the verge, and I took Sugar up the verge too, it was a sizeable verge.
A few cars passed, and then Sugar started having a hissy fit. She was doing mini rears and going backwards, spinning in circles and being a bit tricky. One driver beeped at me, not helping the situation and Sugar backed onto the road. If it hadn't have been for another driver behind the car that beeped, it could have turned out quite nasty. Thanks to that driver stopping, and being patient, Me and my friend managed to get the horses misbehaviour sorted and carried on home, arriving safe and sound.

Also have people beep quite a lot, dirty looks, fingers being stuck up, and also being shouted at.

There are good drivers round here though. They're patient, aknowledge your thanks, drive by slowly and generally polite.

I have to say, I find lorry drivers round here the best though. No matter what, they always slow downor stop. Very polite and do their very best to not spook the horses.

 

[the watcher]

No, never, in many years of riding. Maybe I do something different to you, maybe I am just lucky.

 

[niagaraduval]

Yes. I quite often have drivers beep horns at me

It's worse when my horse is very spooky.. Ignorant twats..

 

[Gucci_b]

no, not yet!!. but you get the look to say "hurry up, get out the way, kind of look.

 

[FFF]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes quite often.

Once had some idiot drive so close to me and my horse my foot nearly took off the wing mirror.



[/ QUOTE ]

^^^ditto

 

[katie_southwest]

I have had a few angry looks, but not much you can do on a one track lane until there is somewhere to pass!!!
Generally people are fine though, a boy racer even slowed down to about 10mph the other day, probably didnt want my horse to damage his car!

 

[YorksG]

Mother Hen it is just luck I am sure! We rode out today and while admittedly no one was abusive, two drivers were either blind or stupid though. One nearly took sisters foot off, we had waited a good way from the end of the road, for the driver to come round a very sharp right hand corner, my sisters mare was at the back and the woman crossed the white line to our side of the road and appeared oblivious to our presence.
On a slightly different note, as a driver I get very cross with riders who do not thank me for slowing down and giving them consideration. This happens a lot round us and may explain some of the agresive driving we then encounter.

 

[jules34]

I get abuse a lot. Unfortunately, the only way for me to get to any decent hacking is to go along 2 busy roads. One is a main road and cars whizz by at 40-50 miles per hour, and the other is a more minor road (it's a rat-run tho) but they still go past us like we're invisible! The other day after saying thank you to a driver for slowing down, he actually shouted at me and said "Get off the Road!!!".

My girl is excellent in traffic, but even she can tolerate so much. If they come to close, I swipe them with my whip! I always ride with it sticking right out too!

I always wear hi-viz and I always say thank you to courteous drivers, and there are a lot. The other day, about 10 cars, a lorry and a motorbike stopped and turned their engines off coz my companion stopped dead in the rd and neither of them would move! Kids in a nearby field were playing football in a bouncy castle type thing! The wierd thudding noise really spooked them!

 

[xXShelleyBXx]

Yeah, there are plenty of polite drivers about. They'll nod their heads, smile, put their hands up and just generally assure me that they've acknowledged me and i'll always gesture back, things like a smile or a wave. I also help drivers road bends if they cannot see whats coming and hold back for me. They help me, i'll return the favour and i always try to help and not be in the way. But my incident earlier on this morning just peed me off a little...although i soon cooled off as my horse was being such an angel!

Just can't believe how foolish and ignorant some people can be and needed to rant on here

 

[nikkiportia]

Yes I've had abuse from drivers, one in particular was a transit with a trailer on the back with a car on, rattling around. He was coming pretty fast up behind us and the trailer was rattling loudly. As I was on a youngster I motioned for him to slow down! As he came level with me, me shouted through the window 'How the F*** am I supposed to slow down when I'm towing a car??' (which was on a trailer!) to which I shouted back 'Perhaps you shouldn't be driving so f***ing fast then should you?!'
What an idiot, we were on a country lane and it was straight, he had plenty of time to see us and slow down, but obviously took offence to being asked! Selfish git. I was livid!

 

[Ziggy_]

Only once, from a woman driving a horse box of all things. She screamed abuse at me for not pulling over and letting her pass, down a single track road with a high bank on each side, riding a very strong homeward bound jog-trotting TB. Lovely woman.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

yes unfortunately i have had dealings out hacking with some Neanderthals!
there is no need for it, thankfully most are fantastic

 

[siani1989]

i was hacking today too and had lots of idiots driving passed think they were playin a game how close can my care get to the horse lol.. idiots and when they give me abuse i give it them back only one mistake once and the driver stopped and turned round to get us so we ran and galloped off lol

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I had it from a BMW woman , revving up behind horses heels , hooting all the works. A few mins later she drove back the other way with her kid in the car all in riding gear having picked her up from her riding lesson (and its a place where they only hack!) :-OOOOO

Its one of the few occasions when I actually said something.

The problem is I bet they would be really sorry if they killed you doing this stuff but they still wouldnt think they were to blame.....

 

[mrgoop]

I am quite lucky on this score, although i do try very hard not to p*ss drivers off

Sometimes when we are riding 2 a breast we get a bit of abuse, and i am ashamed to say i may give it back. But only because we are riding that way for the safety of us and the car users as my mate is on a 4 year old.

I have a comedy hi vis tabard, with "does my bum look big on this" on so get a few comments or laughs about that
I always say thank you for drivers who slow down, and sometimes to those that don't, in a hope to prick their concience

If possible i will trot on to get out of the way so they can pass

I was driving the other day after work, and a single rider really annoyed me. She was on a main road, one handed so could have signalled a thanks with no problem. She had no hi viz, and had a long line of traffic behind her. She could have got on the pavement for a short while, but didn't bother, and did NOT say thanks to 1 single car. I was soooo p*ssed off, and wanted to tell her so but refrianed

It's riders like that silly bint that give us a bad name....
I hope you are reading this

 

[soph21]

I have had abusive drivers but I give as good as I get, Im always polite and say thanks even if they don't slow down. Not that they need to slow down, some drivers really bug me when they crawl along at 2 mph up you're backside, thats what Bear hates. He's much happier if they carried on at 40 mph!

 

[Madasmaz]

All the time....I put it down to the state of society...not alot we can do about it until the oil runs out...they'll be begging us to hitch all our horse up then.

 

[jinskymeg]

was out hacking when a boy racer overtook me just as I was overtaking a parked car, he nearly took my leg off - unfotunately for him, he stopped at a house a bit further on so I trotted after him and gave him a (dignified!) mouthful - he looked terrified and scurried indoors, ha! Jin was treating him to one of her mare's faces, so I suppose that helped too!

 

[Eaglestone]

I have never had abuse from drivers when I am out with just me and Motor and that has been thousands of hours of riding out ..... however in Company I have witnessed/received it

 

[xXShelleyBXx]

I took his abuse

Although i didn't let it spoil my ride

Areshole i say!

Mt sister and i just laughed..

However it can be equally as annoying having someone come up beside you too slow...

How unpredictable our hacks are!

 

[hellybelly6]

Idiot went past me at at least 60 despite my requests to slow down. He then stopped about 100 metres away, got out, gave me verbal with frequent use of the F-word. A nice and considerate driver that one.

It also annoys me when people overtake so closely that they nearly scrape my stirrups.

What these dicks forget is that horses where around before the car and are the original horse power.

I always hope these type of drivers get a flat tyre!

 

[jellyshake]

I would say 80% are nice and courteous, probably the same percentage as us riders who are polite and courteous!! Lets face it there are ignorant gits on both sides

I do admit to giving verbal to drivers who pass too fast or too close, If i'm walking alongside my daughter on her pony then I have been known to stand in the middle of the road to slow down an oncoming car

altho i do find when i'm on foot with her more people are courteous, but then daughter and pony are dead cute so how could a driver not slow down and smile lol

 

[jinglejoys]

It's the ones that lean out of the cab window and whack your animal on the rump that scare me!