i now hate hacking

ShowJumperBeckii

ShowJumperBeckii

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Went for a hack today as its nice and sunny, get ebs out might calm her down, but half my hack was on the road! we are in oxfordshire/buckinghamshiere country side :D and its fridayt so shouldt be alot of traffic but no! there was loads and my point is, why does NO one slow down anymore? i mean a few grannys do and people with kids do so they can see the horse but people go past 90mph and im on eb :o so its not fun to be sitting on her in a loads of traffic that doesnt know where the breaks are!!
and i even had some boy and his girlfriend go past with there middle fingers up!
can i not go on a hack without getting run over by stupid drivers that cant slow down for the shortest time! has this happened to anyone else or just me?
rant over :rolleyes:
 
I'm afraid there are always going to be idiot drivers on the roads wherever you go. I thank the people who do slow down, and shake my head at the ones who don't! I once had a lady go by me really fast, so I gave her a funny look. She slammed her brakes on, wound down her window and yelled "Smile!" So I turned around and yelled "slow down then!" and she quickly drove away! :rolleyes:

Around where I keep my horses it is mostly country lanes but people even drive too fast on these - and some of them are single track roads! :eek: Also we tend to get a lot of tractors, coaches and milk tank lorries. I am fine on one of my boys as luckily he is very good in traffic but I have had a few scares with my younger boy. I now tend to trot on if anything big comes along and find a gateway to pull into. I also tell the big vehicles to stop (although sometimes they ignore me and then when we spin around and spook slam their brakes on! :mad:
 
me and a friend got that.. some woman minned to herself 'dont say thanks then'! well we dont get the chance there like WOOOOSH and gone :|
i know, its stupid i had a petrol lorry go past me at 80mph thank god my horse was having too busy thinknig shes was going to get eaten alive by a leaf to look up!
used to be one but cause they got away with it now everyone thinks they can do it :@
 
Maybe you should try putting an oversheet on her too - nice yellow one. Problem is that some people, genuinely might not have seen you or expected to see you. In that case there are bound to be a few that might speed past, if you are dressed up like a xmas tree they will see you a lot further off, it is difficult to see when there is bright sunlight and shadows especially when you are 1. not expecting to see a horse there and 2. if it is dark coloured etc.

However the people that deliberately sped up and 'gave you the finger' are out of order. I again make a great deal about thanking drivers that slow down and I normally shout at the others that speed past, once I actually threw my whip at one car as it passed us 4 times on the same stretch deliberately. Bloke was showing off and had a go at the dent in his chavvy car, I warned him it would be my horse the next time on his bonnet and him in a police cell. Never saw him again, luckily as I could have had to pay damages.
 
Yeah i was planning on getting one when iv had her clipped
cause yeah but its not a single road and its was a sunny day cant miss a 15.1hh horse :p lol

:O ha i shake my head and they just give me evils or something stupid
ha good derves him right!!!
 
I have found the perfect way to slow people down - it may be a little risky - but it works!! You should borrow my wild 4yo arab, and take him out hacking around your roads a few times. He does brilliant dancing in the middle of the road and jumping up the nearest hedge - absolutely guaranteed to slow down even the blindest most idiotic driver going...

I will DHL him up to you today



:D :D
 
Having 16.3hh of shire x usually makes most people slow down. I think the thought of his arse or hooves landing anywhere near their cars scares them into doing so!!! When I'm on the little 15hh cob they don't slow half so much!!!:rolleyes:
 
Drivers can be like sheep. Once one passes too close those following behind will do the same. I've had this a lot, I'm bedecked in hi-viz with a police issue jacket (police removed), so I put my hand out to motion halt to the cars behind and they generally comply! Then I thank profusely when they can pass safely. I will ALWAYS stop the traffic if I feel there is a risk to us. I couldn't care less if the drivers get annoyed, it's only 2 or 3 minutes out of their journey at most.
 
Plenty of hi viz, personally I think drivers are more inclinded to slow down if your wearing the yellow hi viz rather than pink.

Also if you see cars approaching that are coming too fast don't be shy, hand signal them to slow down (the high way code way that is...not any gestures! :D) they should at least slow down a little if they see your hand come out.
 
We get that all the time, we can only hack cos nowhere in the field to ride and our yard is situated on a sometimes busy (esp when we go out!) road. My boy is a fairly sturdy built 16.1 fella but can be a nightmare i.e. spooks at nothing and the traffic just goes so fast, people overtake us when there is soemthing coming on the other side of the road, drive at stupid speeds, toot horns, shout out windows!!! etc etc. My mates 14.2 trusty cob often ends up in the middle of the road to try and slow traffic but some people would rather put their vehicles in a ditch just to get past you quickly! We both always wear high viz but the problem seems to just be getting worse! Sorry hijacked your thread for my own rant lol
 
not the point tho weather im wearing pink or yellow or none? im on a horse!! and theyy should be poltice a slow down :( lol
You could cover every part of your body with hi zi and them few will still be a n00b and not slow down 'cause there too important and there cars too posh to slow down for a horse' :p :o
 
I don't know what colour your mare is, but am guessing she is dark (maybe black as I think her name is Ebony?), but would urge you to put some hi-viz on her, such as tail bandage and leg wraps. I am in no way excusing the people who were speeding past and putting you both at risk, but at this time of year if the sun is out it is so low in the sky that drivers can have their vision dazzled by it, so the more you can do to make yourself show up the better.

A vest with some wording on it is a really good idea - especially if, as with the above poster, it is a bit funny to cheer the miserable so-and-so's up!

Good luck with future hacks!
 
Sorry to hear of your woes:(

Makes me feel a little bit guilty (not trying to sound smug!) that I can go straight out onto common land for an hours+ hack. If I 'have' to go on the roads (usually when its been really wet for a long time & the tracks are all puddled up) I have to potter 800 yds up the unmade lane to the main A road to cross & then get onto lighter b roads.

So glad I don't have this aggro.

Only downside is that I have no permanent power (everything off leisure batteries), no school (council says no) and I dare not leave tack there as nobody living on site. Got enough room to keep a few tho on the 4.5 acres with stables.My livery does leave tack & all sorts there, but I have told her that its at her own lookout!
 
I've got in more road rage arguments on the Bucks roads than anywhere else.
I've had effing and blinding wars with kids throwing rocks at neighbours horses, and I'm pretty sure the people in the next village could hear me and my friend going at the cars.
I had a pony that was absolutely insane. She'd do anything and everything at something as petti as a leaf.
Some douched bag drove about 30mph down the one way street nearly taking her out aswell as myself. This has got more and more common now, I'm just lucky Kao is bombproof for the most part.

There's also a Belgian guy who hates horses with a passion, and an absolute turd ball of an OAP who speeds up at our horses. All in our lovely, non-horse friendly village :rolleyes:

I hate people, I really REALLY hate people.
For the most part they're okay though. There's barely any off road hacking (for a quick hack anyway) so it's difficult and I have no patience for humans.

I can completely relate though.
When I'm rich and rule the world (:D) I always said I'll havk my own damn hacking ¬¬
 
I would try a little more high viz, u can never have too much! i wear a yellow vest and my horse wears an orange high viz riding rug which is fab- she can be seen from all angles. I make eye contact with EVERY car that goes past just so i can see that they see me & i try to wave if i can and i always give them s big smile and mouth thankyou, its amazing how far a bit of nice-ness can get you- I have to say, i do find that as soon as u have made eye contact with the srivers they actually see you as a person not just a 'vehicle' on the road. As soon as i do this i feel that the driver looks to u for the ok to go past etc- putting you in control of the situation, rather than remaining passive. i always keep in mind that i am at the mercy of drivers and try to keep on their good side, howver some folk are just arses (riders and drivers) but u can only do your best. Like someone else said- DONT be afraid to use hand signals (not the middle finger tho lol) if i see a car coming up fast i give them the 'slow down sign' and move closer to the middle of road (providing the car is far away) so they dont think im moving over to let them past as doing this tends to make drivers think that they dont need to slow down- just remember that we know even sensible horses can fly about in every direction but most people dont realise. I have to say, i am very well recieved by drivers and most of them give me a smile but theres always the ones who still cant see u, usually old ladies who shudnt be on the road! good luck , stay safe
 
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also, not sure if anyone else does this but when i hear a car coming up from behind i tend to turn my horses head in towards the road so she can see it and doesnt get a fright when it suddenly appears in her field of vision, while keeping my right leg on so the hind quarters dont swing out- anyone else do this??
 
hugs

Its why I never hack on roads any more!!

Every road will be busy now until after christmas and all people will be thinking about is shopping or getting home now they are late.

certainly would not hack this time of year

I know some have to but it is why I chose a yard with off road hacking
 
forderough said:
I hacked out recently in a borrowed hi viz tabard with "Does my bum look big on this?" on the back. Everyone slowed down. Some laughed. It worked!
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I have one that says Wide Load (was given it as a joke) and find that the cars slow down more than if Im wearing a plain one.
If you have an army and navy store near you they will print any thing you want on a hi viz.

I also always thank people that slow down wave to the kids but will yell at speeders or the ones that get to close.
 
BSJAShowjumper123 said:
me and a friend got that.. some woman minned to herself 'dont say thanks then'! well we dont get the chance there like WOOOOSH and gone :|
i know, its stupid i had a petrol lorry go past me at 80mph thank god my horse was having too busy thinknig shes was going to get eaten alive by a leaf to look up!
used to be one but cause they got away with it now everyone thinks they can do it :@
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I'm probably being picky here and maybe you were using artistic licence but...... most petrol tankers are speed limited to 56mph and seeing as the speed limit for an HGV is 40mph, even on an A road with the national speed limit, I think it is most unlikely that the lorry was doing 80mph.

I think we all need to maximise the Hi Viz we use and thank all drivers who do bother to slow down.
 
BSJAShowjumper123 said:
its stupid i had a petrol lorry go past me at 80mph it :@
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lorries are limited to 56mph :P

you obviously dont drive as you dont have a very good concept on speed!

for a car to go past you at 90 mph would be doing the national speed limit & 1/2 - so unless you are driving on motorways are proper A roads i think your exagerating a bit!
*edit * ooops didnt read to end of thread so didnt see above post!! ^^
 
its annoying :o
and really? you pick up on something like that? of corse i dont know actully what there going at casue im not in here car and dont take this the wrong way, you werent with me either so wouldt really know how fast they were going, and either way they are going to fast to going past a horse and rider!!!
 
BSJAShowjumper123 said:
its annoying :o
and really? you pick up on something like that? of corse i dont know actully what there going at casue im not in here car and dont take this the wrong way, you werent with me either so wouldt really know how fast they were going, and either way they are going to fast to going past a horse and rider!!!
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not being nippy - just saying. and being a a track driver / friends with lorry mehcanics i will pick up on anything slightly motor related ;)

not doubting they were going too fast but hardly a cuase for uber extreme exaggeration!
 
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