Inconsiderate riders galloping past

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svincent

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How do I deal with riders who insist on galloping past other horses on bridleways? We feel this is an accident waiting to happen.
I may be old-fashioned but I was always taught to slow down when you encounter other riders out hacking, go past them at a safe speed and only gallop when it's safe to do so. Do common sense approaches like this no longer apply?
 
If you are old-fashioned, then so am I!

I agree that it is an accident waiting to happen. Unfortunately I can only suggest speaking politely to them if you get the chance. Otherwise I'd speak somewhat less politely but make your feelings clear. Ask them if they have 3rd party insurance because it looks as if they will need it in the near future.
 
Other than politely asking them to slow down I do not have any good suggestions. Like you I was taught to pass other riders slowly and ask if ok to pass in the first place if approaching from behind
 
How rude!!!!!!! I have had a head on in woods once, I was cantering one way, and a lady and her youngster were cantering the other way, both horses did a sliding stop and we all nearly went out the front door, i laughed and she then proceeded to ask me to go back as her horse was only 5 and learning, so I did as I was told, and as she passed me I couldn't resist telling her my boy was only 4!!

It is very rude to gallop up to or past any other rider, not sure how you can stop them tho?
 
they are breaking the unwritten code of good horsemanship there - I would see if talking to the BHS bridleways officer would give you any ideas ?? Signs ??

If it was me, I'd try and find out which yard the offenders came from, and speak to the YO.

OR (ahem) I may tell them at the time, rather loudly, that they are being stupid and need to learn manners - or something along those lines *wink*
 
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Do you do 'slow down' arm signals at them? That is very inconsiderate I would always slow down for any other users of the bridleway whether they be horses, people, dogs or pheasants!
 
I've had this only the other week, not on a bridleway but out on open commonland with 2 riders coming very smartly in fast 3rd gear towards me.
BF got rather excited - so I put on my best PC instructor voice for dealing with a distance problem going xc....... and bellowed at them: Please, slow down to a walk.

Didn't add 'because of this that the other' at all to them, just the command. They were so stunned that they both did come back immediately :D as they got close, 1 recognised me as a PC instructor from years ago (apparently I had fearsome reputation :eek: ) both looked a bit embarrassed. I thanked them very much for slowing & asked that they could bear other users in mind next time they were having a hoon on public land.

Sometimes its by accident & maybe people are concentrating so much on their horse, but much of the time its bloody ignorance or lack of consideration.

Go to the YO & tackle head on (politely)

Good luck!
 
Highlands said:
Very rude, they won't do it for long on wet ground, tendons
Click to expand...

strange assumption? The OP didn't mention it being wet...

OP, last time I tried to overtake someone (in walk/ jog - he's little!) my cob tripped over his own feet and went face first into the mud. Terribly embarassing, I'm sure he did it on purpose too :mad: unhelpful / irrelevant, but maybe the same will happen to them next time...
 
I would try to find out what yard they came from & have a polite word. If that failed, a somewhat ruder word. And if that still didn't work I would gallop alongside sharing my opinion of them. Or if I knew their horses weren't likely to ditch them or come to harm, I would wait till I saw them walking & return the favour. Teenage me would have organised a group of mates to shadow their hacks & charge past multiple times whilst shouting abuse.
 
Ooo, my pet hate.
I came across two children out on ponies with their mother walking recently, got up behind them at a walk, then they cantered off! I did manage not to flatten their mother who was between me and them, and said to her that she was lucky my horse is so well behaved, her reply - "The showjumper does not walk anywhere" ????
I then caught up with them on the road (I think they waited for me) only for them to canter off up the road!!!!
How rude!
 
Many a good canter has been lost because of approaching or slowly departing horses and riders, dog walkers, hikers, ramblers etc, but that is how it is! It is essential for riders to be 100% considerate to other countryside users. It is just conceivably possible that these particular riders are truly uneducated and think that it is clever or smart to gallop around without a care, they may not realise that they are an accident waiting to happen (either to themselves or others).
This may be hard to believe but some young riders just have not been given the guidance that was available to past generations of youngsters. Could you attempt to waylay them and give them a little pep talk??!!
 
If all else fails hack out with a long schooling whip held at an angle to hit them as they go past. On a more seriouse note contact the police for advice and as others have said BHS. I would also see if you can contact local yard and put out poilite word about manners. If we are getting annoyed about other riders think about what non horsey people think.
 
This is so dangerous. Years ago a friend was hacking her youngster out with her friend in the woods and two other riders came up behind them at full tilt. Young horse bolted,friend fell off and smashed her shoulder on a tree stump. She was out of action for months and had a couple of operations but was so lucky as it could have been so much worse.
 
Thanks guys and girls, your responses have been most encouraging. Glad to see it's not just me that has the problem.

Just to add a little more to the scenario, the riders in question are from our livery yard. My daughter and a friend were leaving the bridleway via a stile back onto the farm. Our youngster stepped over it, but our pony only has little legs so daughter looked behind her and saw the 2 offending riders were some distance away, turned the pony round and trotted up to the stile for a few steps to give her some momentum to clear it, then she stopped quite literally on the other side. Suddenly the other 2 riders were there at the stile shouting abuse at my daughter. Daughter said they must have hammered their horses up the track to get there, past someone out with a baby in a buggy and some cyclists. Track is not ideal galloping surface, mostly loose stones being a disused railway line.

One of the riders accused my daughter of galloping over the stile - highly unlikely, its a sharp 90 degree turn and our youngster was standing on the other side. She also shouted at my daughter (23) that she needs to learn to ride! Daughter responded saying something like how odd, last time you galloped past me, you were shouting that you couldn't stop, but really you probably had no intention of stopping (this last incident was on a grassy field used for galloping by riders, so horse would have been conditioned to expect to do nothing but gallop here regardless of whoever else was around).

Rider has been very quick to wrongly accuse my daughter of causing her horse to gallop off, when only a few weeks previously, she took delight in the fact that she couldn't stop the horse in full gallop anyway as she flew past my daughter without any consideration - in that case, it's just as well our pony is so well-mannered.

Hope this makes sense to you. It's selfish riders like this who give the rest of us a bad name.
 
If they were on my livery yard I would not do what I would be tempted to, I would have a word with the yo, if they are flying round with no control past buggys etc the yard will end up with a bad name.
 
having fell off a cracker one night at the beach due to someone galloping past me at the beach going the opposite way and my horse spinning to follow this is one of my pet hates! id not think twice about bellowing at them to stop now....
 
Ok I am going to go against the grain while I do actually slow down for any horse I am passing, I do not expect every horse rider to do the same especially on open ground why should I dictate their speed.

How do any of these horses cope hunting on fun rides or if you are oop north on common ridings, and no I am not riding older horses in fact usually young newly broken horses so I see it as a good experience, am I being crazy.:eek:
 
I don't expect people to slow down to more than an inhand canter where conditions allow, ie if the path is very wide, I do however think some warning is neccasary when coming up behind people. I would have a chat with YO, although as they are on the same yard it is difficult, as yard politics come into play. I have been known to block the path of people like this, then comment oh sorry I thought he was running off with you when they get stroppy. I onced kicked an idit man who used my highly excitable 5 year old as brakes on a fun ride, it was very satisfying!
I do however find it very irratating when people get cross when you want to go faster, and they want to walk, if its safe, let them past.
 
How rude, it's common sense to be considerate of others - well I thought so anyway, so another here being 'old fasiined'.

I won't go into a canter/gallop unless the place is deserted. Also I am back at a walk at the first sight of someone else on their horse just because I'm polite and don't want to spook them, seeing as you never know how bomb proof someone else's horse is! Plus I wouldn't want them to spook me.
 
Because we all know that horses are herd animals and have a strong instinct to group together and run from danger without thinking first, and because we don't all know the personality, current stage of training, or past experiences that a strange horse ahead of us on the track might might have encountered any considerate and truly aware and experienced rider would always approach with control and caution - watching for signs that the other horse might be upset and always ready to take whatever action might be needed to prevent a problem escalating. I would never overtake another horse in a pace above the pace the other horse is moving in without calling out to the rider first to ask if it was ok, and i would always be ready to co operate with the other rider to ensure we both went on our way safely. In a perfect world our horses would be fully tuned into us as riders - but as we all should know life with horses is never really that perfect and predictable!
 
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