gobsmacked by some drivers.....

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chestnutmarelover

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After reading and completely agreeing with the posts about terrible driving around horses, I rode my mare out last night (waited till after 6 & all the 'going home' traffic) wearin a hi viz polite tabard, chequered breastplate & hi viz boots so fully visible.....nearly at end of ride, need to turn right off a nasty left bend, right arm out, just about to go AND A CAR DRIVES ROUND ME!!!!!! He was lucky he didnt get a mouthfull of abuse, I was just too gobsmacked to do anything, just very grateful that nothing was coming other way & my mare stopped.......hate to say it but am seriously considerin giving up my lifetime love and hobby :-(
 
I know how you feel. I love hacking but am increasingly alarmed by the behaviour of some drivers. Think there has to be a solution which provides more access to off road riding.
 
I am beginning to think it's just people behaviour full stop, whatever the situation. There are far too many inconsiderate humps about whether you're on the road, in the supermarket or just going about your daily business. Glad you didn't get hurt xx
 
Similar thing happened to me before. We are very lucky in that the bridleway is opposite our field so only have to go about 100yds on the road (if that). Me and my friend were coming back once, just got onto the road and was signalling right to turn into our field. The road behind is on a slight bend so I was nearer to middle of our lane, as opposed to curb side with my friend riding in front. I could hear a car speeding behind us. I turned to look, still with my arm sticking out and it eventually became apparent that this guy was not going to stop. I shouted to my friend not to turn - we had both halted opposite our field as there was traffic coming towards us, which luckily had slowed and then stopped for us. This guy just overtook us at speed. I yelled "what are you doing?! We're turning!" and my friend gave him a "special" wave. Could not believe this guy. If it was a bike or car turning he would wait.

Seeing as we only have to go a small stretch we have soooo much trouble on this road. The other week I had been to use the school over the road and as I had to negotiate several gates I had dismounted and decided to lead down the road. SOme guy came roaring towards me. No idea how he hadn't seen me as I was hi-vizzed up and near the middle of the road! His response to me flailing my arm up and down and shouting slow down was to just raise a hand at me.

Someone has said about councils not caring. We had cut a little path in the bramble bushes opposite our field so we could directly access the bridleway, however, the council have said it is not allowed and despite all our protests and statements of fear for our safety they still blocked it up as a committee have a 'preferred' access point. What about what the users prefer?! And there response to our statement of dangerous and fast drivers was to contact the police. Bit hard to take down a plate on a car speeding past!
 
Elbie said:
Similar thing happened to me before. We are very lucky in that the bridleway is opposite our field so only have to go about 100yds on the road (if that). Me and my friend were coming back once, just got onto the road and was signalling right to turn into our field. The road behind is on a slight bend so I was nearer to middle of our lane, as opposed to curb side with my friend riding in front. I could hear a car speeding behind us. I turned to look, still with my arm sticking out and it eventually became apparent that this guy was not going to stop. I shouted to my friend not to turn - we had both halted opposite our field as there was traffic coming towards us, which luckily had slowed and then stopped for us. This guy just overtook us at speed. I yelled "what are you doing?! We're turning!" and my friend gave him a "special" wave. Could not believe this guy. If it was a bike or car turning he would wait.

Seeing as we only have to go a small stretch we have soooo much trouble on this road. The other week I had been to use the school over the road and as I had to negotiate several gates I had dismounted and decided to lead down the road. SOme guy came roaring towards me. No idea how he hadn't seen me as I was hi-vizzed up and near the middle of the road! His response to me flailing my arm up and down and shouting slow down was to just raise a hand at me.

Someone has said about councils not caring. We had cut a little path in the bramble bushes opposite our field so we could directly access the bridleway, however, the council have said it is not allowed and despite all our protests and statements of fear for our safety they still blocked it up as a committee have a 'preferred' access point. What about what the users prefer?! And there response to our statement of dangerous and fast drivers was to contact the police. Bit hard to take down a plate on a car speeding past!
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Suggest you stick one of these councilors up on a horseand leave him to ride the coarse;)
 
jinglejoys said:
Suggest you stick one of these councilors up on a horseand leave him to ride the coarse;)
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We were going to offer! There were 2 points to the bridleway. One which is nearer our field, coming from the left so we can join traffic and then cross and one which is a bit further away coming from the right so we have to cross traffic and then ride to our field. Apparently this last one is the approved one which was 'approved' by the council, police and horse owners. We pointed out that this survey was done yonks ago and therefore traffic may have changed etc. They said the point nearest us is unsafe due to low hanging trees, however, i still have a better view of the traffic ducking down as it is on the slight bend. At the access point further down you can't see anything coming round the bend and you are suddenly met with a car going about 50!

To be fair to the council though, when we complained about an overgown ivy bush obscurring our view from the 'correct' access point they did trim it really quickly. Although my friend had to remind them that our point of vision is not right at the edge of the road, we are about 3-4ft back and 7ft up in the air!
 
chestnutmarelover said:
Councils don't care.....
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When a horse and rider were hit (horse was killed) in our area last year, I contacted the local councillor to make my feelings felt. His reply was "what was the horse doing on the road?".....the scary thing is, this guy is the councillor with responsibility for HIGHWAYS!

I think someone must have had a quiet word, as a few weeks later there was an awareness walk through the village and guess which local councillor was there to get his face in the local papers......


As for inconsiderate drives, I really do wonder where it will end, as I experience the same level of hostility from other road users in my car, on my motorbike or on my pony. I had a guy recently try to side swipe me as I overtook him on my motorbike...scary :eek:
 
Elbie said:
Could not believe this guy. If it was a bike or car turning he would wait.
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Are you sure about that? there are some complete inconsiderate TWONKS on the road who aren't prepared to wait for anyone... especially people who dare to slow down / turn off country lanes where you are able to go FAST. See it all the time unfortunately. I have been overtaken AND UNDERTAKEN when turning in my car before now.

As someone else said, it isn't a personal vendetta against horseriders. Its a complete breakdown in society, manners, common courtesy and willingness to stick to rules evident in most areas of every day life. Sad isn't it really.
 
OP, really sad that youre thinking about giving up :( I too am thinking along these lines though, I wont give up my horse as such but I am starting to seriously doubt whether I actually want to take him off the yard anymore. The sad thing is that he is probably the sanest horse I have ever ridden in traffic, truly nothing seems to faze him but our roads are very twisty with lots of blind bends and I have had a few near misses, I would be absolutely gutted if anything happened to him. Dont have transport so am increasingly sticking to riding rouhd the farm and schooling and just playing tbh. Very sad sign of the times I think, 20 years ago when I kept my first horse at the same yard I rode out all the time, any time without a second thought.
 
Agree with above, some drivers dont give a crap about anyone.

I miss my car but i dont miss driving our three miles of road to get anywhere.

There is a van that literally forces his way past anyone. luckily he hasnt met me yet, its not the first time i have stopped the car, turned the music up and waited patiently for someone to back the hell up. Works every time too :D

Unfortunately you cant do that on a horse, at the end of the day a car is a car, not a living thing. :( there should be much more education given to learneres and actually, much strerner penalties given to those who put riders in danger.

You would think the police would take it more seriously seeing as they have nationwide mounted divisions.
 
People have been idiots on the road for as long as I can remember!! (16 years lol)

People who speed on country lanes are the worst... I was riding with my mum when she asked some boy racer types to slow down by signalling very politely... and they had their music on full blast and stuck their heads out of the window and began effing and jeffing at my mum just for asking them to slow down!!

Same country roads a guy in a 4x4 could plainly see that our horses were spooking at a stream of water down the side of the road and therefore had their bums in the middle of the lane.. He didn't even stop!! Nearly hit the both of us :mad:

More recent ones - About to turn a corner on a really busy road, a woman stopped to let us go and then when we turned began revving her engines and driving off before we were out of her way! Scared my poor horse out of its skin!!

Encountered a recycle truck once, pony felt very tense and so i asked them to stop. Did they? No! They put the bins in the back and the whole thing made loads of noise which would have scared any other horse but luckily mine just snorted and stood still.
 
Happened yesterday to me and my friend at the yard. Going through a quiet road that is 30mph that then goes on to be a 60mph. Road plenty wide enough to be 2 a breast, women could see us both as other horse is a huge ex army dapple grey all hi vised up. The women driver gotta be going at least 50mph, well she was going that fast hat it made rose flinch and any further accros the road i would of been hit as women was quite near middle of road!

I just dont get people i even had the 'polite notice' tabbard on. Bus drivers round my area are great but the car drivers are horrible!
 
I find MOST drivers are OK, but then I can pick my time to ride and generally stick to quiet lanes, as much as possible.

It is the idiot driver who is the menace. My horse was off last winter so I decided to get the bike out for some exercise. You think riding a horse is scarey, try bike riding, the drivers came MUCH closer than with a horse and I had on all my High Viz, etc.

As for not hacking out - well we will have to keep using some roads, but for those who SERIOUSLY want to look into the alternatives look at the websites www.tollrides.org.uk
for the TROT toll ride scheme (a charity which helps local riders to set up horse only toll rides. Riders pay a subscription which goes to the landowner, needs lots of support from local riders willing to pay and help set up).

Or, look at the Cross Trails Trust, another charity in the Mendip area of Somerset who have created 80 new bridlepaths over the past 20 years. This mostly means upgrading footpaths to bridlepaths. They have also done an awful lot of work researching lost ways, getting cycle routes open to riders.

All this is done by volnteers just in the name of helping fellow riders get off the roads and improve their riding.
 
I too hate hacking for these reasons
I would be devastated if anything happened to Java :(
With regard to teaching learner drivers about horses on roads
There is a section on horses in the theory test about what to do etc but obviously some drivers still don't understand the dangers
I had someone speed past me about a foot away from me at 80mph, luckily my pony (I was 8 at the time) was very Bomproof and didn't flinch although it's put me off ever since!
 
ORANGEHORSE said:
It is the idiot driver who is the menace. My horse was off last winter so I decided to get the bike out for some exercise. You think riding a horse is scarey, try bike riding, the drivers came MUCH closer than with a horse and I had on all my High Viz, etc.
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I also cycle as well as hack out and its the same on a bike. You signal to turn right, move over with your right arm stuck out and whoosh, cars overtake you. It must be some kind of psychological phonomenon - stupidity overcomes people at the the prospect of having to wait for something smaller than a car to turn right and they panic and overtake, without thinking of the consequences.

People also drive noticeably faster and come closer to your bike when its raining and the roads are slippy - must be the same psychological phonomenon. I suspect there might be an element of punishment in it.

Overtaking you and then immediately turning left is another favourite.
 
I think it is a real reflection on the vastly different 'acceptable' upbringings, I have had both sides of drivers, some wonderful ones who waited patiently and calmly for ages while my friends horse had a fit in the middle of a busy road, tractors switching off and waiting fir s to pass, an aston martin doing the same, a drive stopping to help me disentangle my horse from some string buried on the verge of the road

and...

boy racers speeding past, a car overtaking and beeping at me and my friend for daring to slow them down, a car sneaking past so closely I left a scrape in their paint with my stirrup and not to mention the pedestirans and workmen who wait until you are along side to turn on lawnmowers, drills, jackhammers etc (though equally a whole set of roadworks stopping everything until we were 200yds down the road.

sigh, still my boy is still my joy :)
 
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