Horse v cricket match

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Sandstone1

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Bit of a odd question really but interested in peoples opinion, would you expect a cricket match to be stopped for you if you were riding past on the road and your horse was freaked out by the noise of the bat hitting the ball.
I know what I think but would like to know if it's just me.
 
Thanks that's what I think too, had a heated discussion with a friend who thought I was strange because I thought it was wrong to ask the cricketers to stop.
My view is that horses need to get used to things like that and the world does not stop for horse riders.
 
Anyone else have any thoughts? Was told I'm a strange horsey person because I said we can't expect the world to stop because we ride past.
 
As the mother of two ultra keen cricketers, no, I would absolutely not expect the players to pause their game if I was riding past. However, after every 'over' (6 deliveries), there is a change of ends and the 11 fielders reposition themselves so I would crack on past at that point :). Knowing the likelihood that a wayward ball might come my way, I wouldn't ride past whilst batting was in progress.
 
I wouldn't expect them to stop unless alongside a particularly busy road where the horse was being a danger to traffic.

A quite country road I wouldn't expect them to stop, I would ride past firmly maybe letting the horse watch for a bit once past to get used to the sounds :)
 
Glad it's not just me then, really was surprised at the attitude. It's not surprising people think riders are up them selves with a attitude lime that.
 
I wouldn't have asked, but having just watched my boyfriend play and had tea with his team I think that any polite and sensible cricketer or umpire may see that a rider is in distress.
 
I think it's a bit different if they stop themselves, but to shout out and demand they stop playing because your horse is playing up is in my opinion very cheeky and arrogant.
 
I had the unfortunate experience of riding past a shoot that was shooting over the road (guns on the left hand side of road and woods/ beaters on the right hand side) with dead pigeons falling into the road in front of us, I didn't expect them to stop - it was my fault of being on that bit of road at that time - same for any sporting event

My school overlooks a cricket pitch and they get very spooked at the very clean players running around and the shouting - I just don't ride in the school when there's a game on
 
Absolutely not - the noise of a cricket ball on the bat shouldn't be that loud anyway if you are on the road. I used to regularly take our horses/ponies down to watch the cricket when my husband was playing at home. If a horse can't cope with a cricket bat being hit with a cricket ball 40-70 metres away then more schooling/desensitisation needed!
 
cricket matches last long enough without stopping every time a horse is nearby! I would definitely expect a horse to cope with the sound of bat on ball.
 
Actually I think it's illegal to shoot over a public road. My neighbour has several pheasant shoots over the season and is always good enough to let me know since I met the guns on one side of the lane and the beaters on the other as I was returning from a hack. Not many horses would cope with that and mine didn't!
Polos Mum said:
I had the unfortunate experience of riding past a shoot that was shooting over the road (guns on the left hand side of road and woods/ beaters on the right hand side) with dead pigeons falling into the road in front of us, I didn't expect them to stop - it was my fault of being on that bit of road at that time - same for any sporting event

My school overlooks a cricket pitch and they get very spooked at the very clean players running around and the shouting - I just don't ride in the school when there's a game on
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No I wouldn't (although I would like them to!) I would probably just talk loudly and constantly so the noise of the ball was not such a shock. This technique also works for passing dogs which bang into their garden fences barking!
 
No, don't ride past a cricket match if your horse has an issue with it.
My field borders a rugby pitch. Despite grazing peacefully beside it for umpteen years, my horse doesn't like walking past it on a ride. Since there is a busy road at the bottom, ots not a place for an argument so I ride the other wayfor 1 hour a week, simple.
 
No :p.

Maybe she should avoid cricket days ;). What about all the other random noises that happen?

We have had a football come flying over the hedge during a match once. :p

The only thing I have asked people to stop sport wise is kids appearing intermittently on trampolines next to railway bridges ;).
 
No, alThough I drive past very quickly when passing the cricket ground, there's no barrier to the ball coming at me, maybe they only bat one way? Fair panics me! Hacking past a golf course in the middle of the woods (what a waste!) someone teed off and the lead horse spooked badly. Mine just stood like a rock!
 
Thanks for all your replies. Glad you agree as I was made to feel stupid for saying that it was wrong to ask them to stop playing.
 
No, absolutely not! My boy is 4 and he was very surprised by the sound of a ball hitting the bat (they were practicing in the netting thing) and he jumped. I expected him to as he'd never heard it before & we'd never walked past it before. I just talked to him, stroked him & carried on. He's going to have to get used to it as I like to stop at the club on the way back from a hack for a drink sometimes!

My previous horse, who was the spookiest Anglo Arab used to love watching the cricket when we'd stop there on the way home. I swear, he understood it better than me, I've a photo of him watching it intensely! :D
 
Nope. We used to hack past a football club. My friend owned a ride and drive cob who had been trained to gallop flat out at the sound of a whistle. How she used to hold him when there was a match in full swing I will never know!
 
No I would not expect a cricket match to stop because I was riding past .
It's our job to get horses to accept the world we want them to live in not the world's job to adjust to our horses .
 
Nope. No more than I would expect a horse show to be halted because someone scared of horses was coming past.

I used to be at a yard that bordered a golf course, made for fun hacking. Several times I had balls deliberately hit at my horses legs although most of them were very considerate :)
 
No, I would expect your friend to take some time and train her horse if he was worried by the sound of the ball hitting the bat. If the horse is that freaky he shouldn't be out on the public road.
 
No, I would expect the horse to be managed. What happens if she has to ride near a railway? Or of a hot air balloon comes over? Village bunting for a royal occasion? Kids playing on a trampoline? Group of motorcycles? Heard of escaped cows? Ad Infinitum.

Some things need to be avoided if the horse is afraid, but a cricket match is contained within a field, you can get as close or not as you choose while you get the horse used to it, the cricket match will not turn and run at you, making it an ideal incident to use as a training aid.

If it were me I would be back there next week, and the week after, until the horse would stand and watch a while. Unless the horse is not trained to stand, in which case I would be training that first.
 
I'm so pleased you all agree, I was told that it was a bizarre thing for a horse person to say and think. I just couldn't believe the arrogant attitude that expected a whole cricket match to stop for them.
Was also told wait til you ride your youngster on the road.
I'm currently working on groundwork with my youngster. I fully expect to meet spooky stuff with him but don't expect the world to stop for us.
 
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