Impressive or stupid?

[Jambarissa]

It's a bit late but just saw a Vid my friend posted on Facebook.

It's a video to show how bloody fabulous her horse is in traffic. And he is. She's turning right on a 4 lane road by occupying the 2nd lane and indicating while the cars still wizz past her in both directions. After maybe 6 cars one in the 3rd lane stops and she stands in front of that until a car in the 4th lane stops and she gets to the other side.

I think this is an insane thing to do. The horse is absolutely perfect but cars hit each other all the time. It's so dangerous.

Everyone else has responded with 'wow, he's great', I'm struck dumb with horror at what could have happened.

Am I over reacting here?

 

[Jambarissa]

I should add that there is no need to ever go this way, it cuts about 5 minutes off. And there's a crossing about 50m down the road where it narrows if you really wanted to.

 

[meleeka]

Why wouldn’t she at least use the crossing? I’m with you, it’s putting them in danger when it’s unnecessary.

I’ve been fortunate to have owned several ‘bomb proof’ ponies. I could have taken them anywhere and put them in any situation and they wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. I wouldn’t trust other road users though, so still carried out a risk assessment every time I went out, as most people do I think.

 

[Lois Lame]

It seems totally foolhardy to me too. Just like it would be foolhardy to do the same thing on foot, knowing that you yourself would not shy.

The car that stops in the lane that's near her could cause an accident, then a pile-up. Daft.

 

[Peglo]

It sounds dangerous and unnecessary to me. Why put your horse at that much risk? (I guess in the hope to go viral on FB?) Yes the horse sounds fantastic but you can’t control how the people around you behave. That couldve annoyed quite a few drivers which for the rest of our sakes no one needs.

 

[Prancerpoos]

Imagine the carnage that could have ensued from cars suddenly stopping or swerving. You never actually know what a horse might do, including deciding to jump out in front of one of the cars that wasn’t stopping. I think putting the horse at risk was the least of the problems that could have ensued from a multiple pile up.

Unnecessary showing off in my opinion.

 

[Horseysheepy]

This is the issue with social media, people doing stupid and unnecessary things, for Likes and Wow comments often putting an animal with no choice in the matter at risk.

 

[splashgirl45]

Not a sensible thing to do putting herself and her horse at risk, on that type of road a car driver wouldn’t be expecting to see a horse.. absolutely bonkers and stupid IMO

 

[twiggy2]

A 4 lane road is a motorway and horses shouldn't shouldn't in it anyway, it's a daft thing to do even if it was legal for them to be on a 4 lane road.

 

[scats]

I wouldn’t put my horse in that kind of danger, regardless of how well behaved they are in traffic. All it takes is 1 driver of the masses to not see/misjudge and it’s game over.

It’s bad enough riding nowadays on quiet residential roads!

 

[Reacher]

We have all done stupid things but this is monumental - is the friend quite young? I hope someone points out she is endangering her horse’s life (and everyone else’s safety)

 

[Fjord]

I mean, it's impressive her horse is so bombproof but it seems a ridiculously dangerous thing to do. Especially as there is a crossing point near. It only takes one driver to get distracted by something and you've got a disaster.

 

[Highmileagecob]

On an ordinary road, one lane in each direction, yes - she is making the correct manoeuvre. On a four lane road.....why would you? What is she trying to prove?

 

[Carrottom]

Incredibly stupid and dangerous. In addition to reasons above, this is not going to help in trying to educate drivers how to pass horses.

 

[stormox]

Its a perfectly legal manoevre to cross a road with 2 lanes in either direction like that, presumably at a junction.
She has obviously trained the horse well, I personally wouldn't do it but I wouldn't use those horse crossing points the councils expect us to use while crossing dual carriageways (not motorways that would be illegal). The ones where you are meant to stop on the central reservation between crash barriers.
Roads are dangerous but motorists should be aware horses have a perfect right to be on roads.
The less of us they see the less they will be expecting to see us.

 

[equinerebel]

Sounds unnecessarily dangerous to boost her own ego

 

[Maesfen]

It seems totally foolhardy to me too. Just like it would be foolhardy to do the same thing on foot, knowing that you yourself would not shy.

The car that stops in the lane that's near her could cause an accident, then a pile-up. Daft.

My hubby goes mad at me if we go down home (Croydon) because the only way to get across the road is to walk into the middle, wait for traffic and then get to the other side. We were even taught how to do it safely! If you wait for a clear road, you'll be there forever! That is on foot of course.

 

[Carrottom]

And she is videoing as well?

 

[nagblagger]

Impressive horse, stupid owner.

 

[Cortez]

Pretty stupid and unnecessary.

 

[Cortez]

Its a perfectly legal manoevre to cross a road with 2 lanes in either direction like that, presumably at a junction.
She has obviously trained the horse well, I personally wouldn't do it but I wouldn't use those horse crossing points the councils expect us to use while crossing dual carriageways (not motorways that would be illegal). The ones where you are meant to stop on the central reservation between crash barriers.
Roads are dangerous but motorists should be aware horses have a perfect right to be on roads.
The less of us they see the less they will be expecting to see us.

Being perfectly legal would be scant comfort to me if my horse were to be harmed whilst conducting a manuever like that.

 

[stormox]

Being perfectly legal would be scant comfort to me if my horse were to be harmed whilst conducting a manuever like that.

Definitely, that's why I wouldn't do it.
But I assume its at a junction, and cyclists, motorcycles etc would turn right too and usually there would be a warning and speed limit near turnings.

 

[Ratface]

Ridiculously dangerous, in my opinion.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Just because we can does NOT mean we should, springs to mind.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

What an idiot

 

[MagicMelon]

Sadly an idiot rider. Just hope the horse doesnt get hurt due to her stupidity!

 

[Lexi 123]

What people don’t realize no horse is completely bombproof they are flight animals. A lot of the time the bombproof horses are just shut down by training. You never know when a horse could get spooked. It’s was a stupid thing to do.

 

[Jambarissa]

Thank you ask for confirming that. When I saw all the likes and comments I thought I must have lost it.

Funnily enough the opinion on the yard this morning was very different, even from the people who were gushing on Facebook

I did wonder who videoed, it seemed to be done from the grass verge. It was another rider who had refused to cross there, then was worried her horse would follow.

I think there are plans to sell this horse, that video would def convince me he's good in traffic so will prob add to his value. Hopefully she won't feel the need to do it again.

It was a legal manouver, a 4 lane 30mph near a town centre.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

A lot of the time the bombproof horses are just shut down by training

Not true. A low number might be especially if ruined by Natural Horsemanship eejits. I do however agree that no horse is completely bombproof, but many are extremely reliable under stressful or unusual settings due to experienced and correct training in the hands of good horse men and horse women. But that would not be an excuse to deliberately put it in a dangerous situation that risk's the safety of them, the rider or other road users.

 

[oldandgold]

Another case of just because you can doesn't mean you should