MOTORBIKES.

I also find motorcyclists very considerate. We have a dirt bike track on one of our hacking routes so do meet a few. Most stop their engines when they see us, and one pair of trail bikers who we thanked profusely for pulling off the road and turning off the engine told us that their club have a rule that bikers must turn off their engines when they meet horses.

My horse doesn't mind motorbikes but one I hack with is nervous so it is really helpful.

Have never had a problem with cyclists either, my horse is used to bikes as we used to hack out with OH on his bike regularly. Occasionally if they approach quietly they make her jump in just the same way a jogger can or a bird flying up from a hedge. I try to speak to cyclists and encourage them to announce themselves as this normally reassures horses. Though we did have an encounter with one recently where he apprached quietly from behind spotted us and hung back unsure what to do, and proceeded to follow us for quite a while before we spotted him and waved him past - don't know how long he'd been there, we didn't hear him and it was the sort of quiet lane where you relax and have a chat - we appologised, he said he wasn't sure what to do because he didn't want to startle the horses, we said that normally they are fine if you call hello or excuse me first so that we know you are there.

Most of the time the problem with cyclists is that they don't know what to do for the best, I have discussed this with serious cyclists a few times and apparently there is debate about it in cycling circles. I always suggest calling out a cheery hello/morning/excuse me as it is polite (rather than coming through or bike behind) and unlikely to spook a horse as a bell or horn might. I suggest the same with hikers too as they often complain of being startled by cyclists!
 
I have never met an inconsiderate motorcyclist yet, I imagine they (as I used to do) are pulling the clutch in to pass you as quietly as possible, sadly you can't keep the clutch in forever & have to accelerate at some point... Bikes are noisy such is life
 
Beth321 said:
Does anyone else have trouble with rude, inconsiderate motor cyclists when they are out hacking? I mean is it really necessary to silently crawl up behind you and then just as they over take open up and speed off very loudly?! Does make me very cross as I'd never do anything that could cause a horse to spook, they just dont seem to care about anyone else! Has anyone found anything that works to slow them (and all other speeding b*stards) down?!
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Are these people just random bikers or the same ones each time just trying to scare you? Could you take a mobile phone and take a pic of the number plate , at least then you could have a word with your local bobby and see if they could have a word.?
 
pinball said:
My son has not long passed his cbt,and one of the questions he asked me was how did he pass a horse on the road,as that wasn't covered in his test,can not understand why it's not addressed in the test.Thankfully he has spread the word around his friends how to pass a horse safely,i was very proud of him today i saw him in the village with a lady who's horse was having a breakdown so he stopped his ped and asked her would it help if he took his helmet of so the horse could see him.
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Oh what a lovely thing to do . . . well done your son.

P
 
I live not far from The Bikers Bash and find them marvelous.In the words of another poster,"Cyclists,on the other hand...........!"

"But are non-horsey people also judged to the same extent if they don't say thank you? Ie do drivers rage at pedestrians or cyclists for not explicitly waving to thank them if we slow down, give them a wide berth, etc?"........so agree
 
Like most it seems, I've always found motorbikers very considerate. A few years ago we had a problem with every 2nd teenager riding dirtbikes illegally (better than the previous year, they all had airguns as the teenage toy du jour) but the horses got used to them fairly quickly and they gave up going in the fields when they got chased by cows with calves at foot. One of them also ended up in a ditch when they lost a game of chicken with a horse on a narrow track...

Cyclists on the other hand - again some years ago, we had 10+ racers surround us (on a public road, no signs to notify that there was a race that day), refusing point blank to slow down or pass wide. My horse was already a bit nervous of bikes approaching as he had a bike actually crash into him previously and he exploded. Two cyclists were stood on and one of their bikes was trashed. IIRC there was only one cyclist in the whole group who managed to stay upright and carry on and that's what he did, not even checking on his mates! The two who were stood on were very lucky that my horse was unshod so they escaped with bruises rather than broken bones but what was really, really shocking was their behaviour afterwards. They were rude, abusive (including the stewards who arrived afterwards) and would not accept that they may have been at fault in any way, demanding compensation, threatening to sue etc, etc. Anyway, various residents, car drivers and walkers weighed in and I really thought there was going to be a punch up before the police arrived. We'd already had trouble with this club setting up races with no notice and their regular weekend rides were notorious for the stroppy attitudes shown to other road users...

Needless to say I wasn't sued ;) nor did I replace the bike (£2Ks worth apparently) but I was left with a horse that previously had been twitchy about bikes but now was terrified of them. Not helpful.

In saying all that, most cyclists mean no harm but many do seem to think that the bike will levitate to keep them safe - just look at them on the roads!
 
Sorry i have to say i find motor bike riders the best - they always tend to back of the throttle and give a wide berth with a wave to my wave of thank you - prefer a bike rider to a car driver any day. my ex was a biker and he understood how car drivers were with him so had paitences and understanding to horse riders as i think most bikers do :)
 
reading the many replies is it not about communication - maybe we as horse owners need to get out there and talk to cyclists etc - I dont think anyone sets out to cause problems but dont understand how a horse can be more startled by a quiet push bike than a motor bike - Im always telling people how to come up behind a horse - cough a hello etc - and Pinball your son is a star good for him :)
 
Totally agree babymare I try to talk to cyclists about approaching horses whenever possible and mainly they want to do the right thing.
 
Pinball. -

It is silly yes but the reason its not really addressed in the test as most test centres are in towns and the "test" route (its not really a test its FAR to easy to pass one passer in my group mounted a kerb on his U-turn on an ungeared ped for christsake!) is short as designed for 50cc mopeds with a very low speed limit so they dont get very far very fast! Indeed in my CBT from what I remember we only went on 30s and 40s lol! I didnt find the big bike test particularly hard either but it certainly addresses the issues as to whether you are safe on the road or not :). Its really silly the government cuts down on what we can and cant drive to the extreme and yets 16 yr olds loose on peds after a joke of a test! Good on your son though sensible lad :)
 
Having stalled my motorbike during my CBT because I was to busy worrying about where the horses were going on the other side of the road, I can tell you inconsiderate riders are in the minority. You could always try what my gelding did 10 years ago when faced with a bunch of Carl Foggarty wannabies on a county road - leap of the bank into the middle of the road in front of them and then demonstrate that the spanish Riding School had arrived in the North East. I dont know who was more shocked me or them but I bet it taught them a bit of respect. It also taught me he didnt like motorbikes!
 
We live in the Forest of Dean and find that the problem motorcyclists are the ones that ride illegally on the forest tracks. The horses live on a farm so are used to all kinds of vehicular and animal noises, but these seem to be far noisier than the standard road bikes and seem to put the fear of god into them.

We were once riding in the Forest and were confronted by 6-8 youths on motorbikes riding illegally and coming towards us. The motorcyclists stopped at a barrier and there was a bit of a standoff. Rather than upset one of our mares, who hadn't long been broken at the time, we did an about turn and went in the opposite direction. The yard owners heard the bikes going through and we very worried about the young mare's reaction. Luckily, the horses were none the worse. The police have since cracked down on these people, but we still occasionally getting youths trying their luck until they're caught.

Generally, most cycle and legal bike riders are pretty considerate, but the scramblers are a constant worry.
 
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