Does anyone slow down for horse riders anymore?

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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We are on country roads, always wear hi-viz and always thank people for slowing down but we're finding more and more that there is very few that even make an effort to slow down :-(

Three times recently I've had people in horse boxes or with horse trailers flying past us, you'd think they'd know better!!

We also find now that if you ask people to slow down they either just ignore you or speed up, or worse still swear at you.

Sorry to rant but it does annoy me, yes in an ideal world I'd love to never have to hack on the road but unfortunately we have no bridlepaths near us. I always make sure i'm polite to other road users but I'm not sure why I bother!!!
 
Sorry to hear that you're having trouble...
Personally I find 90% of drivers are polite and slow down, but I guess there are always going to be the odd few ignorant people.
As for the people with horse boxes, they should definately know better! I guess all you can do is continue to be polite and give your horses as much road experience as possible so that when you do come across ignorant drivers they don't get too upset.
 
It is a bit depressing but I feel the same sometimes. Haven't have a stress free ride in a while. People always in a hurry it would take a few seconds out of their journey to give respect to other road users, not to mention the forgotten Highway Code. And what happened to cars that used to stop with a hand signal directed at them, they just ignore it now, how much more clear does it have to be?!

I think motorbikes are the best road users, always slow down. Touch wood. They probably know the dangers more than the rest.

Had two cars squeeze thru when another car was clearly coming today. And funny you should say that about a horsebox, we had one tear past the other week late for Plumpton races. NOT GOOD ENOUGH! X
 
Thankfully ours are generally good on the road. However they arn't robots and will spook at things, luckily they have good self preservation!!
 
Lol ours are too, they have to be with all those nutters on the road!! Sometimes its a nice feeling when you get back in one piece, almost like the challenge is completed! I would say round here only 60%actually slow down, it did use to be more like 80%sadly. Thats with more hi viz than you can shake a car at!
 
Thankfully most of the drivers around here slow down (We even had a guy stop today! He didn't have to, the horses weren't doing anything!)
But some of them just wizz past like we're not even there!! It doesn't usually annoy me, since ours are good in traffic too, but it's when they pass on a blind bend or into on coming traffic :\ it's just plain rude to everyone!
 
I live in a rural area and 99% of the drivers are local and know that there will be lots of horse about and they and the motorbikes slow down for us but what relly gets me while were on the subjetct are those damn cyclist my friend was on a bridle path having a canter when a cyclist game charging passed her her horse freaked out and she ended up over the wall and the horse on the main road and he was laughing his head off she ended up in hospital 2 broken ribs and a broken wrist and collar bone and horse wont hack out alone now he's terrified
 
I find it's the same here too. I have a youngster, still unbroken, wear hi viz, and yet people think they still have the right to speed past. Seems that people nowadays are clueless to how their antics could be pretty dangerous. I've lost count how many times people on push bikes have sped past BEHIND my youngster, and when she reacts in panic by rearing or running backwards, they seem to think its my fault, yet I warned them before they even get close enough.

Seen to many accidents occur because of clueless idiots. Even though you get the sensible ones that slow down or ask of its okay to go past, the others just ruin it. I always say thanks and have yet to meet many who have some sense when it comes to horses on the road..
 
How much high viz are you wearing?

I now find that only a full quarter sheet on the horse, a total hat cover, not a band, and a full jacket or in summer, polo shirt, with sleeves, is needed.

Don't ask me why the full sleeves work, but it is very noticeable how much more reaction I get if I have my arms completely covered than if I have a waistcoat on. I buy hi viz long sleeve workwear polo shirts from eBay, they aren't expensive and they are nice and cool escpecially if you wear them too big.
 
Supertrooper said:
And they're ignoring the polite hi-viz now too :-(
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We keep getting mistaken for real police when wearing our Polite tabards. Two women stopped us (they were on foot) and asked if it was a training area, then some people in a car thought we were police as well..... they do seem to work where we are. I find motorcyclists are invariably sympathetic and slow down, as do lorry/tanker drivers and bin men. The 2 worst people who are persistent offenders near us both own horses....
 
I've found that the tolerance for horses on the road is getting worse. I do get considerate drivers, but then it is ruined by those who fly past at speed practically taking my stirrup with their wing mirror.

I was waiting to cross a main A road yesterday and saw a group of cyclists approaching so waited, there was another large group following behind them of teenagers, so I decided to let them past so they wouldn't have to overtake me, the thanks I got? I could hear one of them shout to his mates 'Scream as you go past' :mad: He started to shout as he got beside me, but none of the others joined in. It's that type of ignorant, idiotic attitude that makes my blood boil. I'd rather not have myself or pony squished under a lorry because of that sort of stupidity.
 
I must be lucky as I find other road users are very good apart from the odd exception. Having just moved to a county where local bridlepaths are non existent, when riding on an A road last week, the motorists slowed down to almost standstill and were incredibly patient. Not necessary but very considerate.
 
Seems that car/van/motorbike drivers on the roads round here are not too bad - it is a very 'horsey' area, so I guess they are used to it. But as mentioned above, we find it is the cyclists that are the worst! They come careering along our bridle paths in the woods, without an apology (usually - some are ok) for the spooks they cause. Also, they do seem to appear suddenly from behind a bush with fair regularity!!

We drive from the sticks into outer London every day and find they are the worst offenders on the roads on our route as well - ignoring lights and signs, overtaking without care and nipping in and out, seemingly without concern for even their own safety. Don't understand it myself!!
 
In a word no!
Very few near me slow down anyway, I only have a quarter of a mile of road before im just on bridle paths and have been sworn at in the past 2 weeks by a very rude man!
 
After today's experience, driver came round a country bend then had to slow for another car, then accelerated past a small pony and child, I would say NO

Makes me so cross, they got given a certain hand signal!!!
 
What puzzles me is why those inconsiderate drivers don't consider that their cars could be smashed in by a horse - even if they car about nothing else - don't they consider that they could actually be in danger themselves? or worry about having their door scratched by me accidently on purpose sticking my right leg out a bit further so it scratches their car door... whoops...:eek:
 
I think most are ok bar the odd idiot. What I do find shocking are the drivers who try to squeeze near my daughters pony, what I hate is the fact same car soon decides not to if I put mine in its way. It's almost as tho they think a small child & pony won't dent their car too much but don't want mine on top of them. Hence why I always ride abreast of her, once I've seen a car slow i'll move over to let it past, all because of a small % of silly drivers.
 
We had our youngster out today and although she is fairly good in traffic she does like to have a good look, we had hi-viz on today and although we had some cars slow down, we had a lorry stop and turn off his engine, he was a foreign driver and didn't understand much English but was extremely polite, so happy that her first experience of a lorry went so well !!
N&F
 
People around us are either lovely and slow right down, OR they are total idiots and hoon past, pushing us into the hedges. I asked one women in a Jeep to slow down ( politely I might add and with a smile!) and she wound down her window and called me a cow! I was with my mum and another girl and we were all completely gobsmacked!
 
Really mixed around our area which is pretty rural. Having ridden out twice today on the same route today, the cars were much better when I was accompanied by a child on a pony.

I think Hi-Viz helps a bit, but a child accompanying me was definately a help. Horse on its own (which is far spookier) gets raced past much more frequently.

We also got raced past by two police cars with blue lights and sirens today. I can understand that they don't want to slow, but it made me hold my breath a bit.
 
I usually find oncoming vehicles the worst for not slowing down, even on narrow roads. I want a tabard with SLOW on the front and the back.

I did see a small bus come almost to a stop for a horse traveling towards it on a fast, open B road, wide enough to have a white line down the middle, even though the horse wasn't upset or nervous yesterday. It made my day. This should be the flipping norm not a notable occasion. :(

I think part of the problem is how fast, powerful, quiet and comfortable modern cars are. In many cars nowadays 40mph feels slow because they're made to travel at speed so easily.

Everybody please think about getting a "Please slow down for Horses" sticker for their cars. Its one little thing we can do to help ourselves.
 
I find motorbikes, lorries and buses are pretty good but 90% of Cars are awful! I've had on quite a few occasions where they have even driven so close that my whip hits their windscreen! Don't know how they didn't hit us! Even had people from our yard wizz past! I always wear hi-viz and the roads where I hack aren't single country lanes with blind corners so there is NO reason why we shouldn't be seen. I'm very lucky that my boy seems (touch wood) completely unbothered by traffic.
 
muddy boots said:
We also got raced past by two police cars with blue lights and sirens today. I can understand that they don't want to slow, but it made me hold my breath a bit.
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Report this. The police are really hot on what to do passing horses on blue lights and the drivers will be in trouble.
 
As a rule I have no problem on our rural roads, motorbikes are without doubt the most curtious on the road, I have more people slow down if they see I am with my daughter on her tiny pony, we always wear hi-viz.
Sadly I am shocked with the amount of horseriders that do not say thank you to drivers who do slow down, and we have a yard full of horrible arrogant young girls who not only do not say thank you, they also do not wear ANY hi-viz.

But then again these teenagers have no manners for anyone else on the yard, so I guess I am silly to think they even care about their horses welfare or anyone else.
 
Its a nightmare where I am. There are soooo many horses in the area and nowhere but the roads to ride them. I rarely see riders thank drivers and I think this has contributed to a lot of cheesed off drivers. I can hand on heart say car drivers rarely slow down. They rarely slow down even when asked to do so. Do they even teach the please slow down hand signal when they learn to drive nowadays?!

The worst seem to be mother's in MPV's, closely followed by young male AND female drivers.
 
I must be so lucky because everyone slows down for me (maybe they catch sight of my horse's rolling eyes or something!).

I find all vehicles really considerate apart from bicycles, who quite often just whizz past out of nowhere. Stupid thing is that they are so vulnerable to an out of control horse..
 
Most drivers round here are pretty good. I cannot say the same for the many rude horse riders I have slowed down for recently - not even looked at me, let alone said thanks. It is little wonder to me that drivers do treat riders so badly - they are never thanked by horse riders or cyclists so they probably can't be bothered to slow down. I always slow down and take my time, not matter how rude a rider is, as I would hate for their horse to be hurt because of their ignorance. I have stopped to explain to a few that manners cost nothing, and next time they might get someone who doesn't have horses who will just speed past them and put them in a ditch.

It really makes my blood boil - rude riders ruin it for all the rest of us. Manners cost nothing!
 
I meet one every morning in a green ford escort who doesnt' slow down one bit - acts as if he hasn't seen me and it's a single track road so he manages to get past giving me inches.
This morning I heard something coming round a bend, so I sped upto a trot to get round the bend so the driver would see me. It was a white Network Rail van - not only did he stop, but he turned the engine off and let me get about 30 yards past before he turned it on again......I wasn't aware that I looked that scared while riding, but maybe I do! I gave him a big smile - pity it was only 7am and I hadn't washed, and looked like a complete skank!
 
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