Driving in country lanes

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ben456

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My friend has bought a ride and drive pony and wants drive it but there is nowhere on the yard to drive it and to get into the village you have to go down a country lane. Some of the car drivers are very ignorant and will expect you to reverse far back when they just passed a pull in about 20yards away. Does there are a number of pull ins on the lane. Does anyone drive down country lanes? Have you ever come accross any problems and how did you resolve them?
 
Not want you want to hear, but I am not so sure that many lanes are suitable for driving anymore. Maybe I am just negative because it is a year today that those poor horses in the hearse were killed. Certainly our lanes are barely safe for riding anymore, they are just rat runs.

I would not reverse a trap, just sit there until the driver pulls back.
 
Hi, not sure what you mean? Are car drivers expecting your friend to reverse a pony or is it a "what if" question? I think I'm right in saying a horse would have priority, as sail does over engine when sailing. I am lucky, I live in the heart of Surrey commuter land but perhaps because our roads are busy, 99% of drivers are polite and considerate.
 
I read that it was 1 year ago that happened, if i had remembered i wouldnt have posted this today. I didnt think you could reverse a trap so i was wondering how you handle the situation when the car driver refuses to reverse .
 
I groom/back step for a friend who drives, we use narrow country lanes and generally you just pass at a passing place or gateway. Most cars wait for you or reverse. We only once had a van who refused to move and that is when your groom in important. It was too narrow to turn around so we had to unhitch and turn pony and carriage separately then hitch up again.
 
You can turn a carriage with a turntable in a very small space and you should be confident doing this before you drive out .
You horse must also stand horses that don't stand are dangerous and should not be out on the roads .
Finally you must have a groom on to help out when you hit a problem .
Drivers are spooked by carriages and you need to be on the ball , ridden horses can be pretty spooked by carriages and if their riders are not on the ball it can turn into a right mess .
 
We don't have too many lanes that are single track but you'd be surprised how small a turning circle a well made carriage can make- our Byway for hillwork is 4m wide (post and tail either side) and singles and pairs can turn 180 quite easily. If there's many hills and you may need to rein back up then a turntable break will help but I tend to avoid reining back uphill on made roads. Make sure you can halt and rein back a fair distance calmly and you will be fine. Drivers give much more respect to a carriage than a ridden horse.
 
A 2 wheeler is an easier proposition to back up than most 4 wheelers, especially if you have to negotiate a bend in the road going backwards. I'd not want to venture out driving before my horse(s) were very reliable about a longish rein-back. My experience has been that the vast majority of vehicle drivers we meet are very good about reversing in to a passing place when we've met on a single lane road (they get huge smiles and waves of thanks, which are almost always returned). If all else fails and you've met someone who can't/won't reverse you then unhitch, turn round, and put to again. The reluctant person then has to follow you to the next passing spot. At your chosen pace ;-)
 
Most of the roads round us are designated unsuitable for HGVs, some too narrow for 2 vehicles to pass without one giving way but there are at least 3 horse owners who drive horses regularly along these roads, with a variety of vehicles.
 
Well I think you have to be alert and aware of traffic both on coming and from behind and have plenty of high viz and a helper. And as the others say, your pony should be rock steady and obey the aids and should be able to reverse.

Our local driving club does courses on road driving and I think there is a test that they make the members take before they can take part in drives out together and their little competitions.

Our local driving person goes out by himself along the lanes, he generally picks a quiet time and his ponies are well trained.

Car drivers are usually surprised to see a carriage and stop.
 
We drive roads like these all the time. I have not yet met the car driver that doesn't realise they have to reverse to the passing place when you stick to the middle and keep coming. It is obvious, even to the most moronic car driver that they can reverse more easily. Of course, your part of the bargain is that you need to be ready and able to pull into passing places, verges and gateways to allow both oncoming and following traffic past at the first opportunity. This can get tedious, but the transitions and standing still is great training for your pony.

Ironically, the worst pickle I've got myself into on one of these roads wasn't with a horse-drawn vehicle at all, but involved one of those old Rice trailers which can't reverse up hill because you can't get the reversing pin out. Resolution of the 'oh damn the passing place isn't wide enough' impass involved one driver climbing out of a sunroof, and the other out of the passenger window, so that we had enough manpower to disengage the brake. Luckily all involved had a sense of humour :D
 
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