How's this for too close for comfort?

[Sandstone1]

Don't see why people are arguing.
The fact is that lorry driver was much too close. He should be prosecuted.
Horse and rider are lucky to be alive.

 

[shannonandtay]

Can't understand why the person in the white car is being blamed, perhaps they didn't know what to do and just thought best to stop and let the horse and the lorry get out of the way. With hindsight maybe all three would've done things differently, but that happens, brilliant horse though and at the end of the day it was the lorry drivers fault.

 

[MagicMelon]

All horses that are ridden on the road need to be traffic proof, but that needs to be done safely, so allowing it to see traffic beside a road initially is a good idea and getting it used to being around large vehicles and revving engines in a safe envionment should be bvog standard training before venturing out IMO..

How? Most people probably dont have the opportunity. My horses field borders a road and I ride my mare in the field regularly up against the fence line when lorries and farm stuff comes by and she doesn't care. However, the road is a narrow one so its a totally different kettle of fish when I go out hacking on it and lorries pass within cm of her. Im a woose these days though, if I hear one coming I'll trot like hell to a track or somewhere I can get off the road to let it pass. I dont know how you'd ever get a horse used to lorries and tractors passing it closely unless you literally lived on a farm or lorry yard to practice!

I think people need to be educated more in training for their driving test - they need to be shown videos of what can happen if you pass a horse too closely / fast for example, as so many of the general public lack common sense.

 

[Sukistokes2]

Well done pony!!! Super horse, hope he got lots of carrots!

I think its easy to sit here and say what we would have done in that situation but its horrid when it happens. With me it was a horse lorry and really i should have been more proactive and got out the way but I wasn't really given the time to do so and think it through. That's the crux, it all happens so fast and bless him my baby horse was a star and the driver of the horse box really should have known better and stopped.

Here I think the white car had stopped for the horse, the lorry should have held back until horse was past. He should not be loaded to the point where he can not hill start, so in this case I simply think he was being impatient and in doing so put a young girl's life at risk and the life of her horse. There is NO excuse for that!

 

[Stockers]

If they understand what you mean - some drivers don't understand hand signals.

Quite - and we have no way of knowing that but I would still try to communicate that I want a driver to stop and slow down whilst at the same time being preared to take evasive action. I sometimes turn slightly in my saddle and stick my hand out behind me palm out to indicate 'stop' that seems to be pretty well understood.

the arm up and down to indicate 'slow down' is, IME interpreted by drivers as waving them past.

 

[Biglets Mummy]

Don't see why people are arguing.
The fact is that lorry driver was much too close. He should be prosecuted.
Horse and rider are lucky to be alive.

This exactly - Sophie is a friend of mine and I feel simply sick at what could have happened to her and her lovely mare.No amount of arguing about the right and wrongs will make any difference to my thoughts that the driver was irresponsible and down right dangerous.