Forestry Commission Video drawing cyclists attention to horses

Hmmm, if I was on the horse I think I would have stopped and talked to the guy in the red for a bit longer!!
The great thing about Forestry land in Wales is that it is open to all, and having walked a lot in the forest above Betws y Coed, it's actually refreshing to see that the mountain bikers do have consideration for other users. This video will re-enforce that respect with regard to horseriders.
 
I ride my horses over cannock chase and to be fair the mountain bikers are pretty good! My horses don't care about bikes but still, the bikers always go wide past us and nearly all of them say hi. I wouldn't expect them to stop and get off unless the horse was obviously nervous.

What I find worse are families! Some let their young kids run so close to the horses and even though my horse is fine what the hell would happen if he randomly decided to boot them in the head?! Even if you ask them not to or give them a wide birth, some people have no control over their kids.

I've only ever had one rude biker, came up behind me and my friend and shouted 'DING DIIIING', so we moved to the side to let him past and he then said 'you're worse than bikers riding two abreast'. There was plenty of room for him to pass, we just moved to be polite. Had to resist the urge to gallop after him shouting ding ding...
 
I ride a lot in a Forest enterprise wood and have done for years .
It's heavily used now by mountain bikers and frankly some of them are a disgrace .
They come off the side tracks through the trees at high speed on to the main rides and I have witnessed to near misses when family's walking where nearly hit .
I have ridden the tracks through the trees for twenty years but some of the bikers reguard them as their tracks and are very bad tempered when meeting a horse slows them down , I smile manically and ignore them .
It's a great forest used heavily by family's, serious walkers , dog walkers mountain bikers and horses but a small minority of these mountain bikers are not reguarding the safety and right to use the wood of all the users .
 
I have a MTB, a lot of my friends are very keen (and very good) MTBers. They ride out in the Peak a lot and sometimes meet horses. They always stop/slow down for horses if they have enough time to.

However, they do get annoyed when they are riding up a hill we call "b**tard hill" (I'm sure you can guess why!) and they encounter riders who want them to move out of the way. They are also somewhat befuddled and narked when they encounter people whose horses don't handle bikes well, yet they have chosen to take them to an area with lots of bikes, and then they get annoyed when they encounter bikes (this often occurs when they are going up the aforementioned hill, so they aren't even going fast)!

They also get annoyed when they make an effort to slow down and just get glared at. Sometimes yes, they are going pretty fast, and tbh if they tried to slow down it would probably end worse for both parties.

Around here, there are some bridlepaths that are biker paths- partly just because of terrain. I rode one (on my bike) in the summer. You'd have to have a very sure footed horse to go along a lot of it. If you are riding decent downhill singletrack, then (especially round here) you know you will probably meet quite a few bikers. If you go on nice family-friendly wide tracks, you are unlikely to meet anyone bombing it down.

For my friends to slow down or stop on a descent, it stops their fun. So to not be acknowledged for their effort annoys them, and understandably.
 
I agree that some inconsiderate mountain bikers can spoil it for others, but it goes both ways too. My husband and son are both keen cyclists and often encounter horses and families wandering about with dogs off lead on routes meant only for bikes - they've both had near misses when coming around sharp blind bends downhill and they are going fast. The routes are clearly marked for mtb's only but signs are ignored.
As usual it is a case of the minority that spoil it for the majority on all sides.
 
hnmisty said:
I have a MTB, a lot of my friends are very keen (and very good) MTBers. They ride out in the Peak a lot and sometimes meet horses. They always stop/slow down for horses if they have enough time to.

However, they do get annoyed when they are riding up a hill we call "b**tard hill" (I'm sure you can guess why!) and they encounter riders who want them to move out of the way. They are also somewhat befuddled and narked when they encounter people whose horses don't handle bikes well, yet they have chosen to take them to an area with lots of bikes, and then they get annoyed when they encounter bikes (this often occurs when they are going up the aforementioned hill, so they aren't even going fast)!

They also get annoyed when they make an effort to slow down and just get glared at. Sometimes yes, they are going pretty fast, and tbh if they tried to slow down it would probably end worse for both parties.

Around here, there are some bridlepaths that are biker paths- partly just because of terrain. I rode one (on my bike) in the summer. You'd have to have a very sure footed horse to go along a lot of it. If you are riding decent downhill singletrack, then (especially round here) you know you will probably meet quite a few bikers. If you go on nice family-friendly wide tracks, you are unlikely to meet anyone bombing it down.

For my friends to slow down or stop on a descent, it stops their fun. So to not be acknowledged for their effort annoys them, and understandably.
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I do acknowledge there efforts I wave and smile and ignore the rude comments .
 
Goldenstar said:
I do acknowledge there efforts I wave and smile and ignore the rude comments .
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That wasn't aimed at you!

My friends would obviously prefer a clean run, but they would rather slow and spoil it for themselves than land themselves or someone else in hospital.

The one in front also always tells people (riders and walkers) how many more are behind them (of our friends) so they know if it's just the one or half a dozen. It's a good tactic, and if horse riders did the same then they would know to expect more of them too!
 
hnmisty said:
For my friends to slow down or stop on a descent, it stops their fun.
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I understand this - when I get to a hill where I'd love to have a canter all the way up, it stops my fun to see a family walking slowly up it. however, it doesn't mean it's ok for me to bomb past them. I wait until they have gone, or keep it under control so that I can pass them slowly and safely.

Being acknowledged for their effort is polite, yes, but ultimately it is their responsibility to be in enough control to pass horses or pedestrians safely.
 
I have seen a MBer come straight off a 5 feet bank across one of the main stone rides and disappear down a bank with out totally focused forward and narrowly miss a small cycling boy a few yards in front of his family the adults in the family and my friend and I where frozen an horror I doult the cyclist even noticed .
While admiring his skill it showed a complete disregard for the fact his bike potentially is a lethal weapon it's comparable to running badminton through a public park with the public not knowing its going on.
I don't understand why as riders we are supposed to creep about lathered in hi viz not annoying any one but MBers have no such requirements but on them .
I have trained my horse tobe very good about bikes but they come past so fast they give me a shock it's genuinely worrying .
They all look the same ( the bike riders ) I mean but I am at the stage of considering recording the number plates in car park before i ride since I saw the incident with the child but decided that's a bit nutty .
 
Abacus said:
I understand this - when I get to a hill where I'd love to have a canter all the way up, it stops my fun to see a family walking slowly up it. however, it doesn't mean it's ok for me to bomb past them. I wait until they have gone, or keep it under control so that I can pass them slowly and safely.
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My friends are though, and most bikers are. And as I said, yes stopping spoils my friends' fun, but they do STOP.

Abacus said:
Being acknowledged for their effort is polite, yes, but ultimately it is their responsibility to be in enough control to pass horses or pedestrians safely.
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It's also horse riders' responsibility to make sure they are safe. I wonder how many times people have had to get out of the way for horses tanking it along a bridlepath, especially if it doesn't have great visibility. I'd rather be passed by a bike stonking along than a horse!

I am not saying all bikers are angels, or all horse riders are demons. But it's about sharing these paths, and trying to make sure everyone enjoys their day. I wouldn't dream of riding my horse on some of the bridlepaths round here. Anyway, the paths that make good descents for bikers aren't the most suitable for horses anyway, one of them I wouldn't ride on regardless of bikes tbh as it's full of drops and tree roots and slippy rocks. Good on a bike, not on a horse!
 
hnmisty said:
My friends are though, and most bikers are. And as I said, yes stopping spoils my friends' fun, but they do STOP.



It's also horse riders' responsibility to make sure they are safe. I wonder how many times people have had to get out of the way for horses tanking it along a bridlepath, especially if it doesn't have great visibility. I'd rather be passed by a bike stonking along than a horse!

I am not saying all bikers are angels, or all horse riders are demons. But it's about sharing these paths, and trying to make sure everyone enjoys their day. I wouldn't dream of riding my horse on some of the bridlepaths round here. Anyway, the paths that make good descents for bikers aren't the most suitable for horses anyway, one of them I wouldn't ride on regardless of bikes tbh as it's full of drops and tree roots and slippy rocks. Good on a bike, not on a horse!
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These tracks are great I have been training my event horses on them forever twenty years and I am not stopping .
 
The only thing to add is that MTBS on bridlepaths that are marked as such should be aware that on bridlepaths horses legally do have priority and they are obliged to give way to them, which doesn't apply on other tracks. So I do think that on the relatively few number of bridlepaths there are, MTBS should obey the law on this.

On wider tracks such as RUPPS and BOATS then its equal rights and everybody should be sensible, sensible includes MTBers wearing hi viz so that others can see them and also so they can be seen if they have an accident.
 
I'm glad the speak was included ;) I always make an effort to speak to bikers etc mostly because once mine knows they talk all is usually well. Only had good experiences with them though, most calling before coming past/waiting/and picking up stray hat silks for me ;)
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
On wider tracks such as RUPPS and BOATS then its equal rights and everybody should be sensible, sensible includes MTBers wearing hi viz so that others can see them and also so they can be seen if they have an accident.
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My friend does this. I've never decided whether it's so other users can see him from further away, or so the air ambulance can spot him. He's a very good biker, so either is possible! :p He has been ordered to A&E by his med student girlfriend (my housemate) upon one occasion, when he reckons he only didn't break his collar bone as he was dressed as a Christmas present and thus wearing a cardboard box! :D :D
 
With regards to HNMISTRY's post If it is a bridleway then it should be suitable for horses and if there is a problem with the surface then the local access department of the County Council should be contacted to sort it out.
Horses have a legal priority when on Bridleways. (Cyclists were only allowed to use bridleways at a later date and on that basis). The whole issue is safety and people should ride horses and bikes with this in mind.
 
OWLIE185 said:
With regards to HNMISTRY's post If it is a bridleway then it should be suitable for horses and if there is a problem with the surface then the local access department of the County Council should be contacted to sort it out.
Horses have a legal priority when on Bridleways. (Cyclists were only allowed to use bridleways at a later date and on that basis). The whole issue is safety and people should ride horses and bikes with this in mind.
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If is forest enterprise land it's open access so unless there is a historic bridleway running across the forest it's unlikely to be a bridleway.
 
OWLIE185 said:
With regards to HNMISTRY's post If it is a bridleway then it should be suitable for horses and if there is a problem with the surface then the local access department of the County Council should be contacted to sort it out.
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Apart from bridlepaths where I don't see how you could ride a horse there. I rode one this summer on my bike, to do the route unsupported (ie no drop off or pick up) it would be about 35 miles. It would be tricky to ride on a horse (you'd have to trust its footing!), but I would love to try it- if it wasn't for the distance! It must be about 5 miles long, there's no way they are ever going to make it a nice, horse-friendly path.

And round here, they tend to repair bridlepaths by pouring tarmac all over them, which makes it fun for no one!
 
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