Horse spooking speed measurment

[Batgirl]

Hi, can anyone recall an article about horse and road safety that had a measurement of how fast the horse spooked sideways? My aunt is part of a cycling group that are trying to educate themselves and I remember being shocked as a horse rider?

Also does anyone have a good video of a horse spooking suddenly sideways?

 

[Illusion100]

I think it was 53mph (?), as I too was shocked it could be that fast.

No vids though, sorry!

 

[Sprig]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJb6tXvaQDY

Try this vid. Well sat by the little girl! Nothing to do with me, just the result of a YouTube search.

 

[spotty_pony]

Crikey, that little girl did really well to stay on in that clip!

 

[BBP]

53mph?! That's impressive. I'll see if any of my videos show a spook as mine is wicked fast. This is the result of a spook whilst going at a fast canter and landing head first on a field:

 

[NZJenny]

Mine teleports.

 

[Sukistokes2]

Mine teleports.

Hahahahaha!!!!

Mine too!

 

[tabithakat64]

I used to ride one that used to hate colour changes, he once overtook a group of cantering horses in reverse

 

[TTK]

Endomondo on my phone measured a spook by fat horse at 45 mph

 

[fatpiggy]

Crikey, that little girl did really well to stay on in that clip!

Children are so flexible at that age. Us adults are far more rigid and can't absorb the motion. I remember watching a girl trotting a TB round the school in a lesson. The horse was very bouncy but she sat well and looked fine - until they reached the first corner. Horse went around the corner without missing a beat and the rider carried straight on.

That was a good little pony in the clip. It got itself back under control very quickly when it felt its little rider doing the saddle samba. The one I learned to ride on did this deliberately and would finish off the move with a dropped shoulder or buck. I learned lots about falling off safely

 

[Spudlet]

Blimey - well sat kiddo!

Generally I find you don't even know quite what happened - by the time you have managed to react, you're at the over end of the school while the offending bird, plastic bag or whatever flaps away to its next important horse-eating mission... it's amazing not only how fast they go, but how much ground just one or two panicked strides can cover, even when the rider is in a position to regain control quickly - which of course you may not be. Might be worth trying to find out that too, so the group in question will know how far they can go, as well as how fast.