dollymix
Well-Known Member
Fuming! Just had a lovely early morning hack ruined by a moronic and dangerous tractor driver!!!
As it is going to be so hot today, a friend and I decided to get up early to hack before work. We were tacked up and heading out by about 6.40am.
Where we live it is a rural area, but you have to ride someway before any bridleways, but as it was so early in the morning we didn’t anticipate meeting much traffic. It was a lovely sunny morning and we passed one or two cars on the narrow twisty lanes. We even met a MASSIVE truck, who kindly pulled into a layby and switched his engines off to let us pass! Thank you kind truck driver!
We were nearing home and coming up a slight hill on the lane towards a T junction, when we saw a tractor pull into the lane. We had just passed a gateway so we turned to go back to this, but we didn’t even get a chance to reach it. The stupid tractor drive continued to drive towards us at speed and my poor mare, who was behind, practically jumped into the gateway, to avoid being hit by the tractor, who sped past us!!! She also barged into the other horse, which luckily isn’t a kicker and bounced off the gate! Not like her at all!
My mare is brill in traffic, and we were also covered in hi-viz was there was no excuse for his behaviour. He was flying along and didn’t even attempt to slow down as he approached us on an extremely narrow lane (single track – your wing mirrors almost touch the bushes on each side).
I dread to think what could have happened if it had been another horse!! There are several horses who don’t like big traffic on our yard, as well as elderly and very young riders. It was extremely dangerous and could have caused a serious accident!!
To really rub salt in the wound, the tractor turned into the farm we had just passed, which as well as being a dairy, is also a stud farm!!! They therefore know all about horses and on numerous occasions when driving to the yard, I have passed their young horses that are in for breaking. I always slow to a safe speed and give them plenty of room. Pulling in to gaps to let them pass where I can too!
I therefore did send a text message to the stud farm owner to complain. Something I hate doing as I know people are in a rush and sometimes it’s a genuine mistake. But this was downright stupid, aggressive and dangerous. I got a message back saying “Ok, I’ll speak to XXXX (Farmer). Thank U”. Not exactly apologetic for nearly flattening us!
I have also reported the incident on the BHS site for reporting traffic issues. www.horseaccidents.org.uk
It just makes me so sad that hacking isn’t a pleasure like it once was. It costs nothing to be courteous and if he had waited for us to reach the gateway and stop, it would have taken all of 30 seconds of his day. Just hope my poor mare isn’t going to develop a traffic issue now
As it is going to be so hot today, a friend and I decided to get up early to hack before work. We were tacked up and heading out by about 6.40am.
Where we live it is a rural area, but you have to ride someway before any bridleways, but as it was so early in the morning we didn’t anticipate meeting much traffic. It was a lovely sunny morning and we passed one or two cars on the narrow twisty lanes. We even met a MASSIVE truck, who kindly pulled into a layby and switched his engines off to let us pass! Thank you kind truck driver!
We were nearing home and coming up a slight hill on the lane towards a T junction, when we saw a tractor pull into the lane. We had just passed a gateway so we turned to go back to this, but we didn’t even get a chance to reach it. The stupid tractor drive continued to drive towards us at speed and my poor mare, who was behind, practically jumped into the gateway, to avoid being hit by the tractor, who sped past us!!! She also barged into the other horse, which luckily isn’t a kicker and bounced off the gate! Not like her at all!
My mare is brill in traffic, and we were also covered in hi-viz was there was no excuse for his behaviour. He was flying along and didn’t even attempt to slow down as he approached us on an extremely narrow lane (single track – your wing mirrors almost touch the bushes on each side).
I dread to think what could have happened if it had been another horse!! There are several horses who don’t like big traffic on our yard, as well as elderly and very young riders. It was extremely dangerous and could have caused a serious accident!!
To really rub salt in the wound, the tractor turned into the farm we had just passed, which as well as being a dairy, is also a stud farm!!! They therefore know all about horses and on numerous occasions when driving to the yard, I have passed their young horses that are in for breaking. I always slow to a safe speed and give them plenty of room. Pulling in to gaps to let them pass where I can too!
I therefore did send a text message to the stud farm owner to complain. Something I hate doing as I know people are in a rush and sometimes it’s a genuine mistake. But this was downright stupid, aggressive and dangerous. I got a message back saying “Ok, I’ll speak to XXXX (Farmer). Thank U”. Not exactly apologetic for nearly flattening us!
I have also reported the incident on the BHS site for reporting traffic issues. www.horseaccidents.org.uk
It just makes me so sad that hacking isn’t a pleasure like it once was. It costs nothing to be courteous and if he had waited for us to reach the gateway and stop, it would have taken all of 30 seconds of his day. Just hope my poor mare isn’t going to develop a traffic issue now
