It's courtesy to ask!!!

michaelequine

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This has happend many a time, whilst out hacking a lady on her horse rarely asks if she can trot/canter/gallop past and i find it courtesy to ask as it may set of the horses.
Recently she has done it but stoped just before so i noded to her in thanks she them mumbled something so i replied excuse me and she mumbled again and trotted of i then said its courtesy to ask to trot canter gallop away and she said f off!!

Just a thread to say that it is courtesy to ask as you may set the horses of and have people joining you!!

has this happend to anyone else?
 
It happened to me last sunday, had my friends little girl riding Boo Bear out and 4/5 girls came past winding there horses right up . They were encouraging the horses to jog and go sideways then stopping and cantering up behind us. We moved over to let them past as soon as it was wide enough and they just went flat out past us! Luckily Boo didnt do anything but he was really on his toes afterwards.
When ever I am out I have always been taught (pony club etc)to walk past and get a good distance away before even having a trot.
 
Yes just last Sunday, We were down a bridlepath I was riding and leading my nearly 4yr old and was with My mum (also riding). A lady who i see often was cantering towards us, I do admit she did stop and stand for us to pass but literally as we got past her horses bum she popped into canter and carried on.
Maybe this is seen as ok but i would have waited to get passed more, my youngster went to start jogging but is luckily quite good on hacks and listened.
 
It's just plain rude and potentially very dangerous.
There is likely to be a very good reason that the other horse is walking - a youngster, in rehab etc.
In these cases I don't wait for the request but will ask as I see the other horse, saying something like 'this is a young horse/on walk exercise only, would you mind going slowly for a bit as we don't really want an accident now do we?....'.
 
The weekend before last I was out on B who tap dances when excited and the YO on her new tb ex racer, YO recently bought this horse after a 27year break (YO not Horse) and rides it very well with a surprising amount of confidence.

We went past a 'race yard' in the village and a string of race horses was walking along the top of a field on the set aside strip. As we passed the corner of the field so did they. The second they rounded the corner they all leaped into gallop right next to us just the other side of the hedge.

Now I appreciate that nothing went wrong, and I appreciate that they are on excercise and a group of race horses may be hard to stop, but they were walking before that, could they not have hung around on the previous side of the field until we were a fraction further away?
 
Of course it's courtesy to ask I would ask and expect the same in return! I was on a sponsored ride once n someone cantered right up behind me and went past causing my horse to kick out at the passing horse she didn't catch the horse! But it could of been avoided if she asked permission of even made me aware of her approaching :(.
 
You would have thought riding Horses themselves they could understand the potentil dangerous situation they could put another Horse and rider in.

I've always stopped and slowed down to a walk when I pass another rider and 9 times out of 10 they will thank me for it.
 
I see you are in Surrey *waves*.
I believe FO is the standard greeting here.
It is also used extensively when driving cars, along with appropriate finger and hand signals.
Such a delightful county :)
 
Agreed RR!
I had a similar problem last year when I took my youngster out on an endurance ride. The amount of people that just either trotted or cantered up our backside meant that for several weeks afterwards anything coming up behind us caused her to rush off and spin to look. :mad:
 
90% of the other riders i see are miserable mumbling sods- sorry but you should be aware of whats going on around you, and speak up and acknowlege people. sorry but why should i stop and walk for half a mile before you decide to let us past, because 'lucky' is a bit sensetive.

works both ways!
 
I would agree it is courtesy - and potentially a safety issue - to walk rather than come hareing up behind/in front of someone. It doesn't matter whether their horse is "sensitive" or not, you don't know them or how they will react. Other horses can be unpredictable.

I was having a gentle canter up the nearby gallops and saw a pair of cobs in the distance coming towards us... we slowed to a walk but carried on, but having seen I was riding an ex-racer the two cob riders must have thought there'd be trouble. Cue them panicking and stressing the cobs, cobs jittering about, and me and the ex-racer having to stand politely to one side while they danced past, crab-fashion! Most bizarre. But it just goes to show, you don't know how other people and horses are going to react, even when there's nothing to react to.
 
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