Its amazing how many drivers don't slow down for horses!!

J

Jay89

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I am a rider who tries to avoid the roads as much as possible and am very lucky as have a bridal way 1/2 mile from yard. However on this short stretch of road which happens to b a national speed limit country lane type road it amazes me the amount of drivers who fail to slow down, I always wear Hi - Viz so can clearly be seen!! Anyone else notice this?? Bit of a random post just annoys me lots!! Does not take a lot to slow down!!
 
Yes it happens all the time - I hate riding on the roads that much, i'm moving yard to somewhere there is is all off road hacking ! I've had people shouting at me and all sorts saying horses shouldn't be on the roadl.
 
I know people are so rude!! Had one car come up behind me once beeping, just glad my horse a bit of a donkey and tends to get spooked by very little!!
 
Its very scary too if they dont slow down..luckily I have about a 300 metre road then straight onto the moor but even then Iv had a few near misses!
 
I'm lucky that my horse is reallly good in traffic, buses can fly past him and he doesn't blink. But if a can or a crisp packet happens to role past us he has a fit !! Is quite scary when you have cars wizzing past you at the same time !
 
It is also amazing how rude some riders are.who do not thank the drivers who do slow down and pass wide.I am both a rider and a driver and always slow down for horses but i pass them and not so much as a smile as thanks.To be honest i'm not suprised some people dont slow down anymore.I always nod my head,smile or say thankyou.Manners don't cost anything from riders or drivers.
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This amazes me too, usually I am leading one of my granddaughters, wearing their HI-Viz and the number of drivers that shoot by without even slowing down is unbelievable. They must be able to see that I am leading a small child on a small pony ( 5 yr old or a 3 yr old on a 12hh grey mare) and allow for it, but lots of them don't. I always thank drivers who slow down, so do the kids, but lots of the drivers don't even acknowledge your wave and thanks. For goodness sake, a smile wouldn't go amiss.
 
Oh mi god, I was just talking about this the other day, I have had so many situations lately, and I do the least amount of road work that I can possibly do. Last night we nearly got wiped out by a boy-racer in a yellow seat ibiza (I say boy racer as I had time to jump into the hedge cos his exhaust was so loud I could hear him coming from about 1/2 a mile away!) well not quite but it was pretty close, i have never seen such a shocked look on someones face, he also took he hands off the wheel which wasn't particularly reasuring! Luckily my pony who is only 7 is pretty bombproof.
And why are people so rude, one couple (oldish) had to wait behind me as there was a tractor coming in the other direction and when they were going past I waved and mouthed thankyou and they gave me a "If looks could kill" look. Why??
I always make a point of saying thank you, even if they don't really slow down, I just think it makes them think.
 
Sorry this is an issue close to my heart at the mo...
1) Why do people towing caravans etc think they have the right not to slow down cos they are towing when in fact it should be the opposite.

2)Like Vizzielover says, why when you say thank you do some people not even smile?

3)Its ok if people go wide to go a little bit faster but why do some people go whizzing past you close even when there is nothing coming in the other direction and its perfectly safe to move into the other lane?

I don't think its just at us horse riders though, is it just me or are rude drivers becoming the norm, I live in cumbria where its all country lanes and the number of times i give way and smile at the other driver when they pass and get blanked in return is unreal.
 
It seems that no one understands that horses are not like cars or bikes and can be emergency stopped. I dont do roads full stop, I had an accident about 5 years ago on a really quiet road, my friend was riding Ralph for me and I was following on Flyer. A car was coming towards us at speed and my friend put her arm out to try and slow it down but it kept going and came past us at about 30mph, Fly put his quarters out and the car struck him.

I thought that the car had hit his legs and screamed, but, the noise had come from the wing mirror and nothing else. I have never been so scared in my life. Fly ended up with a haematoma on his quarters and nothing else, but, I have not been on the road since.

Today on that same bit of road a local feed merchant was doing about 30 in a delivery van and almost skidded to a halt when he saw two horses......arse
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Unfortunatley seen a lot of riders ambling along the middle of the road chatting on mobile phone oblivious to the fact that a cars been waiting behind them for 5 mins then look put out that you have interrupted their conversation. Also people blocking the road having a chat to someone thinking its the car drivers duty to go off road to get past them. I just think its sad if it pi**es me off as a rider what does it do to non-riders!! Waves, Thank yous, nods and smiles seem to be rairity these days!! We do need to get our own house in order!!
 
I've noticed an amazing change in the way drivers react to me since I've started wearing a pink hi-viz waistcoat with flashing led's. Pretty much every drive we meet now smiles and slows down, and several people have stopped to comment on it. Ok, it's often bulders to tell me I'm a bit late for Christmas, but they've still stopped! And when I see them next they slow down and wave!
 
As a rider and driver of some 30years I don't feel that we should go around "doffing our caps" and smiling and waving grateful thanks to every driver that conceeds to slowing down from 50mph to 30mph to pass us on a single track road!

The horse was here before the car and most roads were bridleways first (hence why we having few bridleways).

Car drivers should freely acknowledge that they have a brake and a clutch, they should pull over and give way to us, and then thank us for controlling our horse so well that they, the drivers, are not at risk of getting a horse through the windscreen.
I am not joking.

Certainly, that is what I do when I am driving down a country lane and see riders. I do not expect a rider on a fizzy horse, or a child on a pony to even focus on me, let alone take one hand off the reins to thank me, especially if I am clearly giving way to them.
True, there is no need to be rude, but giving great deference to car drivers sends out a message to the more ignorant amongst them that we riders have less right to be there than they do.
And that is not the case.
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I certainly don't believe in thanking drivers who's only concession is not to run me over.
However, if someone does show consideration in slowing down, pulling out or waiting until the reach a point where they can pass me safely, I believe it is just good manners to thank them. If I can't safely take a hand of the rein, I will at least nod.
To me its no different from thanking someone for holding open a door. Equally when I am driver, if a rider pulls into a gateway to let me pass, I thank them too.
Its fine to say we shouldn't have to do it, but riders are already seen by many people as arrogant, and anything that helps dispell that myth can't be bad.
 
I thought you were joking!!
I agree with Hullabaloo -its basic manners to be honest - not talking of cap doffing or forleock tugging a Thank you or a nod is suffice as some acknowldegement noone is saying take your hands off reins to wave if you can't manage it.
 
Of course I agree we should be be polite and nod a thanks, I just don't think that it should be a primary objective of riding on the roads!
Some of these courses that are run on road safety seem to be all about paying homage to drivers and us trying to make them feel that we are not being arrogant!
Why shouldn't we be arrogant - they are?

Sorry, I am playing Devil Advocate.... a bit!!
 
Its not about paying homage or anyone's primary objective when riding on the road. Just general politeness when sharing a road with other users.
Being seen as arrogant is a problem as it can affect the way people view us on the road and their driving. I'm not saying it should, but it does happen. It is something we should be trying to address as at the end of the day we are more vulnerable on a horse than in a car.
That said I don't thank people who don't drive consideratly and will signal for people to stop or slow down if I think its necessary.
 
there are some idiots out there,i had a nasty accident a few yrs ago when i was at a roundabout waiting to cross(have to unfortunatly)when a very large lorry came past very quick he saw me last minute(how he didnt notice me sooner i dont no)slammed air braked on and my usually bomproof horse reared and went over backwoods landing on me and putting me in hospital for four months!!!and he didnt even stop!!!.
 
I often ride two abreast down a single track road, as we find that is the only way to stop drivers attempting to pass you in a transit van or lorry when there is nowhere for you to pull over to except to a sizeable ditch on each side.
In riding two abreast the only way that driver can get by is either put his foot down and make the decision to kill one or both of us, or conceed to waiting until we can find a safe drive way to pull into so that they can pass us.
No doubt this needles some people, that I or we are controlling their speed (or the road)
However I have had riding friends who constantly press their horses in hedges or practically canter down the rode in front of vehicles so as to facilitate car drivers passing. They are a nightmare to hack out with as they cannot stay cool and collected, and make panic decisions like pulling into school driveways with parents and children milling about at home time, and cause trouble in that way, or they frighten the horses by being so frantic to give way to the car behind.
A friends of mine always did this kind of thing out on rides, eventually I moved away and later heard that her horse had been hit by a car. I wasn't at all surprised.
Lets not forget we all need to be polite and considerate but also remember that horses are unpredictable, sharp and can be extremely dangerous in certain environments.
I believe drivers should give way to horses in the same way as they are legally bound to give way to human pedestrians.
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