i now hate hacking

[PeterNatt]

I would suggest that you take the BHS Road Safety course and exam as this will give you some skills on how to ride on the roads.

Ensure that both you and your horse have Hi-Viz on including a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that other road users can see your arm signals clearly. A Hi-Viz hat band, reign covers, nose band and tail bandage should do the trick nicely.

When you hear other road users approaching you from the rear turn round and make eye contact with them. This normally slows them down.

If you wish to slow a vehicle down that is coming towards you then point at the driver for 3 seconds and then hold up the palm of your hand towards them. That will normally slow them down.

If you have problems with other road users try to get their vehicle registration number and a description of the vehicle/driver and report the incident to the police. The police can then tag that vehicle on their data-base which will mean that will have the history of any past incidents. (Always ask the police for an incident number as this will ensure it is logged in to the system).

...any always avoid riding out in bright low sunlight as this can blind/dazzle drivers.

 

[Mistletoe-Kiss]

thank god my horse was having too busy thinknig shes was going to get eaten alive by a leaf to look up!@

doesnt help when my horse was trying to gallop down the road instead of trot?
she seems to have a engry rush and its getting worse.....

Surely if she behaves like this, she shouldn't be on the roads?
If you really must go out in traffic, go in pairs, riding two abreast; put Ebony furthest away from cars. When you hear/see cars, as someone else said turn her head to make sure she notices them before they come past, usually minimizing spooks

 

[ShowJumperBeckii]

but why should i not take my horse out,cause people wont slow down?,shes LOVES hacking and going for a good gallop in the fields but shes just not a calm happy hacker she will spook at the most stupidest thing ect surely she not the only horse that does that on the road?

 

[ShowJumperBeckii]

I would suggest that you take the BHS Road Safety course and exam as this will give you some skills on how to ride on the roads.

Ensure that both you and your horse have Hi-Viz on including a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that other road users can see your arm signals clearly. A Hi-Viz hat band, reign covers, nose band and tail bandage should do the trick nicely.

When you hear other road users approaching you from the rear turn round and make eye contact with them. This normally slows them down.

If you wish to slow a vehicle down that is coming towards you then point at the driver for 3 seconds and then hold up the palm of your hand towards them. That will normally slow them down.

If you have problems with other road users try to get their vehicle registration number and a description of the vehicle/driver and report the incident to the police. The police can then tag that vehicle on their data-base which will mean that will have the history of any past incidents. (Always ask the police for an incident number as this will ensure it is logged in to the system).

...any always avoid riding out in bright low sunlight as this can blind/dazzle drivers.

just wondered cause only hack like once a week if that now its winter, i know the basics of road saftey as i only hacked at my last yard for at least 16months as there was no areana,
so is it really nessicaly?

 

[Mistletoe-Kiss]

but why should i not take my horse out,cause people wont slow down?,shes LOVES hacking and going for a good gallop in the fields but shes just not a calm happy hacker she will spook at the most stupidest thing ect surely she not the only horse that does that on the road?

Yes, drivers can be idiots, but jumping all over the road could one day cause an accident!

 

[ShowJumperBeckii]

I never said she Jumps all over the road? she just spooks at ramdom objects....

 

[Jenni_]

just wondered cause only hack like once a week if that now its winter, i know the basics of road saftey as i only hacked at my last yard for at least 16months as there was no areana,
so is it really nessicaly?

Riding road safety test is ALWAYS a good thing to have, no matter how much you hack.

imagine if there was an accident and the driver was trying to blame you, you would get a bit more recognition for having the certificate and a bit of training instead of just being a lass out on a horse

 

[puppystitch]

Last Saturday I went for a nice quiet hack - she'd been sedated the day before for clipping so only planned on a walk. We have to walk up about 250m of road to get to the common and nearly always have trouble even on that small stretch. There are ALWAYS horses on this road as there are several yards in a small area so it can't be a surprise to local people. On this particular occasion a car passed from behind, fairly slowly so I put my reins into one hand to wave thankyou - at which point the passenger wound down their window and did the loudest football-style fingers-in-the-mouth whistle he could possibly muster. Pony is pretty good in traffic but I would never say she is relaxed, fortunately she was feeling pretty chilled from the sedation so we just had a bit of a dance, I dread to think what might have happened on a normal day.

I just can't fathom where people get such ideas from - clearly have nothing better to think about.

 

[hackedoff]

Fortunatly I now live in the Peaks/Pennines 5 mins of the pennine national bridle way . If drivers tried to speed up our lanes the road surfaces are so rough that they would lose the bottom of the car or a wheel or two! its bliss.

I did use to keep mine 8 miles from Birmingham town centre and used to be quite militant about hacking out in rush hour until pony and I got hit by a van! We were wearing hi viz on a clear day in daylight as well. He was an experienced animal and we used roads to train to advanced level endurance. If you have any doubts about hacking out in traffic dont do it as your horse has no choice but to trust your judgment and that of car drivers who can be somewhat erratic!

the other thing that annoys me though is riders who dont thank drivers. I once held up traffic on a v.busy road in Barr Beacon with my car in a very obvious manner for a group of riders to cross the road. Did a single one of them thank me? Sadly the answer was no.

 

[ShowJumperBeckii]

i always say thank you, with either my hand or nodding cause sometimes i dont want to get go off both reins aha
but when people go past fast and expect you to say thanks its like feck off

 

[tallyho!]

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

Your hoss is well pretty missus!!!

Yes we also do the prancing (on purpose!!) depending on what kind of traffic is behind.

BMW 3 Series = Businessman in a rush - pretend to be a complete novice, whirl horse around. A few times. Once more for good measure.

Audi A4 = Estate Agent - stick crop out into road and as she drives past whack the roof!

Mitsubishi Evo = chav - get out of the bloody way!!!!

Corsa = nice people.

Sorted

 

[millitiger]

I have to say I love how people on this thread can turn it into OP's fault that people were going too fast past her!

I used to hack around Windsor etc and really do NOT miss it at all.

No matter how much hi-viz you wear, how many people you smile and nod at, there are certain areas/roads where drivers simply will not slow down.

 

[ShowJumperBeckii]

i know, dont really understand how its my fault but haay hoo
Its truee, its a shame cause we have HOURS and HOURS of hacking but it does include some roads and these silly drivers are off putting

 

[nutty mare!!]

Hi, i was out last sunday on a 4year old TB who was, i must admit on his toes!!!,and we were cuming down a single track road, i herd a car cumming up behind us who didnt stop even though he cud see that we were having abit of dancing action in the middle of the road!!!, so he kept cuming and ended up with his wingmirror compleatly abliterated!! and a nice big dent in the side of his car!, what more can i say.... some people must be compleat idiots!xxxx

 

[Abbeygale]

Your hoss is well pretty missus!!!

Yes we also do the prancing (on purpose!!) depending on what kind of traffic is behind.

Thanks you muchly! You are my new favourite person on here! LOL!! And of course - all our dancing in the middle of the road etc is ALL on purpose - of course..... sort of....

 

[Kokopelli]

I would say go out with someone else, unless your exaggerating you should NOT hack out a horse who gallops down the road in any circumstances its so dangerous!!

As for hi-viz try wearing yellow I find it tends to stick out better then pink, I'm new to driving and notice yellow better then pink and orange. Hat bands are good, high up and more visible.

If a driver is coming fast towards you anxiously look behind you as if a car is there, this will slow them down. As for drivers coming up to fast behind you wave your arm clearly up and down (it means slow down) I found this works all the time and if they do slow down thank them and smile. Hi-viz gloves are good especially for arm signals.

The whip sticking out in the road also works really well, but going with someone else does help as two horses are easier to see then one.

 

[Lollii]

I have to say I love how people on this thread can turn it into OP's fault that people were going too fast past her!

I used to hack around Windsor etc and really do NOT miss it at all.

No matter how much hi-viz you wear, how many people you smile and nod at, there are certain areas/roads where drivers simply will not slow down.

I thought that /\/\/\/\/\ poor OP, you can never do right for doing wrong

We have to ride on single track lanes, the cars have to stop - we are dressed in lots of high viz yellow we look like police horse riders and ride side by side, I will move over but only when they have stopped/slowed down .... they soon get the idea, I always say thank you in a really exagerated way and smile ... some of them just scowl back at me, but I don't care, they still get a big smile and a big thank you if they want it or not

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Its a shame people simply do not think a bit more, there are a few of them out there and they beggar belief really...I am often surprised at the speed some people will pass, unbelievable, its horse country where I ride too!

 

[charlyan]

I have no option but to hack on roads where I live. There is no off road hacking here as all the hills are predominantly peat bogs. I mainly use the single track roads but even then people drive at around 60mph along them, and I have a long stretch of A road to get to other single tracks. Luckily both my horses are excellent with all kinds of traffic, but being tb x's they are still prone to the odd spook or tantrum.

There's always going to be idiots on the road- a classsic last weekend was the father of a local 13 year old rider who also hacks her pony on my local roads, who came out of a junction and accelerated past me :S

As others have said- wear as much hi viz as possible- on you and the horse. I don't think pink shows up nearly half as well as yellow though

Our minimum every day hi viz is hat band, tabard and reflective boots plus a reflective chest strap on the horse.
We also have yellow 360deg exercise sheets for winter with red strobe inserts in chest and tail piece if the light is iffy.

I am planning to get one of these too- originally posted by another HHOer....
http://www.cavaletticlothing.com/p-1454-new-design-equisafety-polite-hi-vis-waistcoat.aspx

 

[ShowJumperBeckii]

Haa i fail at everything obv, i should give up on life
its most the little chavvy cars, some man went past in this very very nice 2010 sportscar thing he slowed down :O he could off gone past sooo fast
HAA me and friend walked down the road so they HAD to over take slowly the looks on there face priceless

 

[tallyho!]

Thanks you muchly! You are my new favourite person on here! LOL!! And of course - all our dancing in the middle of the road etc is ALL on purpose - of course..... sort of....

That is well nice - shall treasure that...

It's all about 'owning' the road as your very own dayglo dancefloor!!!

 

[spotty_pony]

Corsa = nice people.

Thank you!

 

[azouria]

I'm in the same sort of area. We don't tend to go on roads during the week because even though it is a little country road people decide that it would be a good idea to swerve round the corners. They also think that if they push the horn a few times as they go around the bend that they don't need to slow down. Just stupid & mindless, it's such a shame.

 

[ArabHorseLover]

there is no denying that there are some idiots on the roads but there is a lot you could do to help yourself ...

... definitely up the hi-visibility gear. it isn't a 'cool' look by any stretch of the imagination, but it may just save your horse and your own life. i hack out in a minimum of; hat band, tabard and high visibility gloves for me and brushing boots, neck band and tail guard for both my horses. at this time of year, i usually replace the tabard for a coat, as i find it more comfortable to just wear one coat rather than trying to squeeze a tabard over too many layers!

it may sound OTT and i'm not sure if you drive or not, but if you don't then please don't under-estimate how hard it can be for drivers to see a horse and rider on the road, particularly when the winter sun is low in the sky and generally quite blinding! just yesterday, driving to my horses in the early afternoon, i just didn't see a dark horse and rider around a corner - and the rider was wearing a tabard. thankfully, i wasn't going fast and could slow down in time to over-take the rider and neither horse or rider seemed overly bothered, but it could have been very different.

with regards to the horses being quite spooky, perhaps it would be worth investing some time and money into de-sensitising your horse to 'spooky' objects, that are quite common out hacking - plastic bags, flags, cars, lorries people walking down the street with umbrella's .... whatever your horse finds spooky! it may not help with the idiot drivers on the road, but it may help you and your horse enjoy hacking more and be safer, particularly if your horse is prone to 'galloping off' down the road, when startled?

don't take it to heart to much, there will always be idiots in all walks of life! i'm very lucky in the sense that although i do have to do road-work, thankfully all my horses have been suitably 'de-spooked' to cope with a variety of situations and are so usually pretty good on the roads - and we can stick to quieter roads.

stay safe, i do hope you can begin to enjoy hacking again

 

[miss_molly]

Whenever we ride out in pairs we stay side by side if the road is wide enough for cars to pass as this slows them down so much more than returning to single file to to let them pass.

I also find being assertive help, although have had a few drivers ignore my request they stop and give me the finger instead!!

A freind recently reported a guy who beeeped his horn. Police wrote him a letter to say had been noted. Cant ask for much more as only my friends word to say it happened, so if you can get a reg and a car colour / make then have a go a reporting issues as highway code states horses are allowed the same amount of space as a car. I think if more people report incidences then the police will take more action. And if a few people start to tell friends they got a warning for not slowing down for horses then word may get around that they need to.

Only last week had some idiots with road rage trying to race down road, front car in middel of road and swerving so other couldnt get past. Then second car decided would use horn a few times as past me to show annoyance to first. Not sure they even knew I was there!!! (Yes had hi vis on)

Dont give up on hacking. Just decide what is safest for you and your horse. At the moment I got out in pairs or with bike, but will return to solo hacking at some point.

 

[digitalangel]

OP:

http://www.horseaccidents.org.uk the more we evidence this, the better.