had a scarey experience last nite with a drunk

Firehorse

Firehorse

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i went out for a ride about half six last nite and just as i left the yard, there is a pub at the end of the road. this man in his twenties started walking out into the road with his arms spread wide saying he wanted to talk to my horse. i said could he move away please as i didnt want him to get kicked (altho my horse doesnt kick). he kept coming and then grabbed my reins. he was obviously either drunk or very weird. i grabbed at his hand and literally threw it off and rode on. luckily my horse was very calm about it all.

it shook me, but i wrote it off as just some stupid drunken ass hole. however, an hour later when i was returning home down a different road away from the pub, he was there. he must've been waiting all that time. my house is only just back up the road and my boyfriend was home. i almost thought about riding to my house and calling to my bf, but then i thought its just a coincidence, he wont do it again, and i was keen to get Ben home and sorted. so i rode on. anyway, he crossed the road and did the same again. i asked him to go away and he didnt, he said he just wanted to stroke my horse. i said my horse wont stand still long enough as he knows he's going home. but he got the reins again. Ben is very impatient and wont stand still, so he was going sideways and backwards, again i asked the man to leave us alone. Sometimes, Ben will do little rears when he's impatient, so i told the man he would get kicked in the head. eventually he moved back and i then went into out yard entrance. i was terrified he wud follow, so i jumped off quick and all i wanted to do was get thru the gate and get it locked behind me. i txted my boyfriend who walked down the road to meet me. by the time i'd sorted my horse out the man was long gone.

i think the shock of it didnt sink in till late last nite, coz i just cudnt stop crying. i'm sure he didnt mean any harm, but it was very frightening. i hope i never see him again.

please, anyone who rides near a pub, beware of drunks. maybe trot past if there is anyone about looking as tho they might come near.
 
Hope you're OK now and no lasting effects.

I agree with Helena, whips on hacks are very rarely for horses! But in this situation it may have made it worse!

Poor you. (Looks for sad, sympathetic smiley)
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We have a pub just down the road from our yard too, i always carry a whip, and i will use it on any drunk!! Hugs hun x
 
Y'know, I'd mention it to the police. Who knows, he may make a habit of it.

Yonks ago when I was a kid, there was a dodgy type who hung around the horses. He eventually ended up pulling some girls off their horses and assaulting them.

He may not have had that intention, but you never know. And I'm sorry you had such a nasty experience, and I don't wish to alarm you further, but better safe than sorry.
 
OMG how scary. I think you did the right thing by being polite but insistent, I would certainly trot past the pub next time

x
 
i was wondering today whether there is a spray thing i cud carry. obviously one of those alarms wud freak the horse and most people wud ignore it anyway. is there something out there for spraying at people which isnt too noisy?
 
Oh god poor you, that sounds awful. I too would of been absolutely petrified and agree with others suggestions about alternative uses of the whip although I guess when its actually happening you are just too frightened to think straight. You have my sympathy, and I really hope you never see him again or have similar experiences. I have to say it sounds like odd behaviour to put down to just being drunk especially if he was on his own and not showing off to mates or anything. If you see him again and he comes near you I would call the police just to be on the safe side but try not to worry too much in the meantime
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Sounds really scary, you did well to remain so calm, I think I might have 'accidently' kicked him in the face while trying to control my horse so it didn't hurt him.
 
Pepper spray is illegal - you would face a criminal conviction if you used it. I'd just give a slap with the whip. Horses are faster than people - just ride off very fast, and I'd also go to the local police station.
 
What a scary experience for you......I hope you're feeling better today. I think you were very restrained and handled the situation very calmly.

Hopefully, if the guy was coming out of the pub he was just drunk and being an ar$e and not some weirdo type. All the same, I think I'd be inclined to speak to the police about it.

I remember about a year ago I hacked out one afternoon and my horse shyed going past an entrance to a bridle path. When I looked there was some guy just lurking behind the hedge. I didn't think anything of it at the time and rode on but on the way back over an hour later he was still there. Fortunately he didn't jump out or do anything, but it was weird behaviour in the middle of nowhere! It was a one off...I never saw him there again.

Try not to let it knock your confidence riding out alone, easier said than done, I know. Can you ride in company for a short while?
 
Do you think you would recognise him again? I think I would let the local police know. They could make enquiries at the pub and let the man know that what he did was unacceptable.

You never know other pub customers might have seen something or the staff may know who he was.
 
This happened to me one on our local common. They guy was walking towards me along the road. As I came up to him, he said 'nice horse' and lunged for the reins. My horse doesn't tolerate strange men so she swung her backside on him, with her ears back, and I pushed her into a trot. The guy backed off, luckily she had scared him. I am now very cautious when riding past men, and will often wind the horse up a little to just make them back off a little.
 
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were you carrying a whip?? i'd have been tempted to give him a sharp smack with it



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lol i would of done the same
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!! stupid people
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!!
 
I wouldn't recommend pepper spray in case you end up spraying yourself or your horse, good smack with the crop and definateley make a complaint to the police and get a reference number.
I had an arshole threaten me a couple of years ago, dont know whether he was drunk on drugs or both, his wife was no help at all, I cantered off and phoned the police, they told me to phone 999 if a similar situation arose again.
 
i found out that pepper spray is illegal in the uk, even just if u are found carrying it. the only thing thats out there, is a red dye spray that stings the eyes and dyes the skin for 7 days.. i've ordered one as it will make me feel safer knowing i hve it. i should imagine with someone like that, the threat of it would be enough to make him back off.
 
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