Hacking, using/crossing main roads/dual carriageways or motorways, do you?

[Fools Motto]

Out on a hack earlier, I crossed the A303 - well went under it. It is a busy dual carriageway with heavy lorries whizzing above us among other cars. My mare was brilliant, we have never done anything like it before.
Got me wandering, how common is it for us horse owners/riders to cross/negotiate such serious roads?
A) Do you?
B) Would you if you have not before?
C) Do you think it is stupidly dangerous and would never?

 

[JFTDWS]

I've been under the A14 with mine (obviously not from my yard - that would be a very long hack!) and over the A12 (overpass). Regularly hack over/briefly along smaller A roads which don't have designated crossings. If it's in my way, and its possible to cross, I will

 

[BeckyMason97]

In the summer we cross over the m6 on a lovely hack. My 4yo walked over no problems, just didn't want to go in the woods!

 

[BackstreetSym]

When I had my horse in Surrey, I once had to ride over a road bridge crossing the M25 - I was with others on the way to a meet. I didn't enjoy it, but I don't like heights anyway! Traffic on the bridge itself was very light, but you don't realise how noisy a busy motorway is when you're driving on it. My horse (4 yo), despite being a little surprised, coped brilliantly. Not ideal, but the sort of challenge some people have no choice but to deal with, I guess.

 

[burge]

When I took my 3yr old on his first ever hack our only completely off road route entails crossing the M1 just outside Leeds. The bridge has sides but they are bars not solid so they can see all the traffic. He took it all in his stride there and back and wasn't bothered where the bridleway runs close to the motorway. I was soooo proud of him.

 

[Tilda]

I have gone under the A14 a couple of times on my longer hacks. To get to all our really good hacking we have to go across an A road so the estate that own the yard and most of the land around it built us a tunnel which goes under it! Most horses have a little look the first time and it is metal so echoes which takes a bit of getting used to but saves us having to cross the road very often (one circular hack means we cross it but we have safe places to wait!). I was very proud of my boy as the first time he went through the tunnel he had to lead because my friends mare decided she couldn't possibly go through despite having done so many times!

 

[itsonlyme]

I used to regularly cross a dual carriageway with all of mine. I also used to ride down it sometimes. The carriageway in question though has huge wide grass verges next to the hard shoulder. I never thought of it as any more dangerous than hacking around a national speed limit country lane. My horses couldn't care less about any sort of traffic.

 

[Bionic Boy]

I hack on a bridleway that runs down the side of the M1, we also go over the bridge of the Motorway and other routes that go under the Motorway.

 

[Littlelegs]

On most of our hacks we cross the motorway, some places over bridges & some via subway or tunnel. One route we have to do a few hundred metres of a busy A road. Ours are pretty unfussed, I'm pretty sure neither would bother hacking down the actual motorway itself. Avoid busy routes to avoid annoying drivers when possible rather than because the horses have problems with traffic.

 

[Copperpot]

I do I even had to wait first in line at a level crossing before whilst the train whizzed past

 

[Shantara]

We often cross/ride along side the A422. I know it's tempting fate, but we've not had any troubles yet, even with new horses.

 

[Irishbabygirl]

I've often crossed over the M4 - great for traffic proofing them! They never have seem bothered.
Me one the other hand cant stand it in the middle bit when you have to cross over both fast lanes!

 

[MochaDun]

We have a road hack near us where you go under the motorway (M4) and also another one that is a bridleway with a bridge with lovely high sides that goes over the M4 and one of the routes of that track also goes alongside the M4 for a little bit. Horses have always been fine, on the bridge over just the occasional look down if something big goes under and on the road where we go under he doesn't like the echo/reverb of the horses hooves bouncing off the concrete of the bridge but doesn't seem too bothered about the cars/lorries above.

To get to that road, we cross a busy B road and I can't believe sometimes it's classifield as that and when I say busy I mean very busy with huge lorries going along to a Sainsbury's distribution centre, big animal lorries going to an abattoir and endless petrol tankers going to a Murco depot beyond all the cars. Obviously weekends crossing there is a bit quieter but you have to trot across when you get a gap. But then even the lanes near the yard, while mandatory 30mph, have idiots going a lot faster along them (at the moment we have to cross the road through the village which is 30mph to get from the yard to the turnout field and no-one bothers going at 30mph...) so it seems immaterial which road you're on at times as none seem safer as think you can get sensible and idiotic drivers on any size of road!

 

[Carefreegirl]

Copperpot - were you train spotting again ?

 

[milliepops]

On most of our hacks we cross the motorway, some places over bridges & some via subway or tunnel. One route we have to do a few hundred metres of a busy A road. Ours are pretty unfussed, I'm pretty sure neither would bother hacking down the actual motorway itself. Avoid busy routes to avoid annoying drivers when possible rather than because the horses have problems with traffic.

This

 

[Copperpot]

You know me I love trains when the lights started flashing to say the barriers were coming down, I actually considered trotting for a second to beat the train!! Then thought better of it

 

[emma.is]

We negotiate motorway bridges, one way roadworks and main roads on or regular hack I wouldn't if I didn't have to but if we want to hack at all we must.

 

[Cazzah]

Before I moved him home I used to hack my lad over a motorway - and underneath too, next to a river. The underpass sometimes gets a bit of water in too - great for water training - if they can do it under a motorway they can do it anywhere! (Before H&S get involved, there is a wall between the underpass and the river!!)

 

[Fransurrey]

I used to cross the M25. Pony was fine, but I hated it. It's not the heights, I'm not good with loud noise and my heart beat like the clappers!

I now sometimes cross the A24 to get from Leith Hill to Holmwood Common. One crossing has a very wide verge in the middle, so I feel quite safe. The other is not so safe in my opinion, so rather than go straight across (which involves negotiating a slip road where cars are also travelling at speed), I veer right and nip up a footpath and balls to the law! I've never seen hoofprints on the bridleway leading to that crossing, so I think it's very rarely used. OH hates me crossing there!

 

[willhegofirst]

I cross a duel carriageway to get from one country park to another, BUT only on a Sunday morning, my friend will cross during the week, don't think I would risk it with my lad, he's not that keen on lorries at speed or motor bikes.

 

[tallyho!]

Yeah, course we do. Us little horse people will never beat the rising tide of traffic and roads and other unpeaceful things, so I just get on with it.

Horses had to deal with much worse before the motorcar sadly.

They are such adaptable animals. Thankfully.

 

[ecrozier]

We go under the M40 sometimes, horses absolutely fine with that. The road then goes alongside for a while and that is a bit more hair raising!!

 

[debsg]

I hack everywhere and anywhere on Blaze, who is utterly bombproof. On one memorable occasion I became totally lost on a 7 hr hack and ended up walking on the verge alongside the A2 into Dover, with articulated lorries whistling by at 70mph!! I was scared ****less, Blaze just pootled sensibly along, ducking under the metal signs. Was I glad to get to a turn off I recognised!! We hack all along Deal Town seafront, with the arcades and shops selling inflatable beach toys blowing around
I am a little more circumspect with 5 yr old TB Jasmine, but she regularly crosses the dual carriageway bridge and hacks through an industrial estate with cranes and gawd knows what clanging about The more you do with them, the more they are willing to accept, IMHO

 

[touchstone]

I go under/over/beside the A1M on every hack as well as along a major A road, sometimes I'll cross a river when it is low enough too.

 

[Snowysadude]

I do on an almost daily basis - Dual carriageways, motorways, main roads, train tracks and go over and under them all

 

[ruth83]

I used to work at a yard where the fields bordered the M4. we had a hacking track around the edge - between the field and the motorway, fenced in at each side. We would hack all of the horses round it reguarly.

 

[Fizz06]

I've been over and under the M25, M5, A14, A3 and A303 but not all at the same time as that would make for a long hack!
I've also hacked alongside mainline train lines without too many problems!

 

[vam]

I have to cross the A23 if i want to get to Farthing downs, the only way to do this is to hack down the road, wait at the traffic lights and cross when they are green
He doesnt bat an eye lid at the lorries, buses and car wizzing past while we are waiting, getting him to not spook at the white lines in the middle of the road or stop and look at them is a different matter
I do get some funny looks when i ride up behind a car waiting to cross or when people are waiting at the other lights and see me troting across the road

 

[nikicb]

I do I even had to wait first in line at a level crossing before whilst the train whizzed past

Oh gosh, that reminds me of when I used to do very long mad hacks on my old girl (in my brave days when I hacked for hours on my own!!). There was a railway line we needed to cross when using a certain bridle path and it was one of those crossings where I had to use the phone at the crossing to ask if there was a train coming or not. Many a time we would be stood in a field one side of the line waiting for a train to come before we could manually open the gates before walking across the track and phoning again to say we were clear. My worry was always that one of us would get stuck in the tracks while we were crossing. I'm not sure if that type of crossing is still around these days.

 

[Sparkles]

I do all the time. My hacking can consist of going alongside main A roads [with no fencing other than a crash barrier] plus the M4, then going across the motorway bridges and underneathe

They all end up good in traffic. I handwalk/long rein the baby colt that way also.


Edited - just seen about railways. Yes....we hack down next to them also!