My ninja cyclist gets an earful from a horse rider!

Tiddlypom

Tiddlypom

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My OH was out riding his bike earlier today. He's my trained ninja cyclist who accompanies me when I hack out, but on this occasion he was on his own. As he was nearing home on a busy NSL country road, a woman wearing dark clothing and riding a dark coloured horse (no hi viz of any sort) rode out into his path from a side road. She didn't look up from the phone in her hand at all as she crossed the give way line, and she didn't see my hi vizzed to the gills OH, who braked. Her horse did see him, though, and spooked and leapt about on the main road. She faffed about trying to regain control, then had a right go at my OH for frightening her horse! To which he retorted 'Get your head out of your phone, and get some hi viz!'.

Gah. If it had been me riding the bike, the language would have been much fruitier. If you're going to ride out in camouflage clothing, then do at least concentrate on the road.
 
Hmm. Agree in principle about taking notice, etc but much depends on sight lines. I have had a bike ride straight into my carriage horses, when there's no way we could have seen or heard him, but he could have heard us and shouted a warning.

Not a fan of totally silent vehicles, of any description.
 
scruffyponies said:
Hmm. Agree in principle about taking notice, etc but much depends on sight lines. I have had a bike ride straight into my carriage horses, when there's no way we could have seen or heard him, but he could have heard us and shouted a warning.

Not a fan of totally silent vehicles, of any description.
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But it was the cyclist's right of way, she was behind a giveaway line. If it had been a car she'd likely have been dead from the impact. If the junction is so bad that you can't see sufficiently surely you don't choose to ride that way?
 
scruffyponies said:
Hmm. Agree in principle about taking notice, etc but much depends on sight lines. I have had a bike ride straight into my carriage horses, when there's no way we could have seen or heard him, but he could have heard us and shouted a warning.

Not a fan of totally silent vehicles, of any description.
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Whilst I agree that silent vehicles can be an issue especially when they come from behind, in this case the rider simply wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings. Also, this is a signed sustrans cycle route, so cyclists are to be expected ;).

OH's view as he cycled along on the main carriageway. The side road that the rider emerged from is on the left, she was hidden behind the hedge until very shortly before she rode into his path.
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Horse rider's view of the upcoming junction. She rode past a give way sign and then crossed over the give way lines to turn left onto the main road without looking up from her phone.

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OH had to brake, and was momentarily uncertain whether the best thing was to call out to to alert her to his presence, or to keep quiet as he was already very close to her. The horse detected him first and spooked.
 
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I suspect looking at those pictures of the T junction the rider had used her ears only to judge if it was safe to come out onto the road. Possibly she didn't hear anything coming either way so happily plodded out into the path of your OH on his bike. I am betting her cross and very unjustified rant at your OH was partially caused by the shock and hell of a fright it gave her! Good job to - hopefully she has learned a lesson without killing her horse let alone herself or anybody else on the road.
 
MrsJingle said:
I suspect looking at those pictures of the T junction the rider had used her ears only to judge if it was safe to come out onto the road. Possibly she didn't hear anything coming either way so happily plodded out into the path of your OH on his bike. I am betting her cross and very unjustified rant at your OH was partially caused by the shock and hell of a fright it gave her! Good job to - hopefully she has learned a lesson without killing her horse let alone herself or anybody else on the road.
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Trouble is that some newer cars is quite silent. I was out on my box trike some months ago, and didn't hear the electric sort of car which can't drive so fast, until it was almost at my back wheel.
 
Why would you ride out from a junction on your phone? It's illegal to use a phone when you are driving on the roads, I don't understand why the same doesn't apply to other road users?
 
Hopefully this lady has calmed down now and as suggested above, learned her lesson. She was lucky that OH is fairly horse savvy (well, I try) and hadn't tried to whiz past her.

I've not yet met a silent hybrid/electric vehicle whilst on the horse, they're a new level of hazardous, aren't they. They're scary enough in a car park when I'm a pedestrian.

Going back to scruffyponies' post above, how was it the cyclist's fault for not calling out a warning as he approached a junction if he had right of way? Did you emerge from a blind junction with your carriage into his path without checking it was clear? I have friends who drive, and I thought the correct procedure at blind junctions is for your assistant/backstop (whatever they're called) to get off the carriage and check the way is clear on foot?
 
Totally the riders fault; I may use my phone at times while hacking (long straight country roads!) but I would ALWAYS look up for junctions and always stop!! Horse is well trained so he knows the points to stop lol.

Weirdly horse is more suspicious of humans walking on the roads than bikes, although if I see a pack of cyclists coming I always move out towards central line so they have to slow down, most are great but the odd bunch are the worst - there is a very horsey cyclist group who can be good but can also take full advantage of the downhill and whiz past - maybe they expect the horse to behave, not sure.
 
I use my phone when I'm out too - but mostly when I'm on bridleways, pulled off the road or, occasionally, in very quiet places on the road I might check something quickly - but always looking around and never using it at a junction or anywhere you can't see what's coming. It's so narrow round us, I spend my life pulling off the road for other people and avoiding them - I can't imagine blithely walking out without looking!

Though actually I mostly just avoid roads entirely at my current place - the bridleway networks are insane!
 
I can't pretend that I never get my phone out whilst hacking either. I use it briefly occasionally to take a photo, to check my location on Viewranger if lost and, when the lads were still at school, to screen incoming calls/texts in case they were ill and needing picking up. But as with the other sensible types above, I pick my moments when it's quiet, visibility is good and all is clear, and I have the horse firmly on the aids and one hand still on the reins.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if you could get done by the police the same way you can get done whilst driving a car if you use your mobile phone whilst out. At least if there was an accident and use of phone was involved, then you would struggle to argue that you were fully concentrating. No need on roads unless an emergency, fine off-road do what you like, it's just so unnecessary, enjoy the countryside instead.

I haven't seen her for a little while but there used to be a [...] of a young woman riding with long flowing hair, flicking it regularly in the wind, on her phone all the way down our fairly long country lane where people drive 60mph and paying no attention to anything happening around her. No hi viz, no hat and not a particularly road safe horse either, it used to regularly throw strops and bounce sideways.

As for the original post, mind boggles what horse riders do sometimes, they give good riders a bad name as it's much easier to remember badly behaved ones.
 
mariew said:
I wouldn't be surprised if you could get done by the police the same way you can get done whilst driving a car if you use your mobile phone whilst out. At least if there was an accident and use of phone was involved, then you would struggle to argue that you were fully concentrating. No need on roads unless an emergency, fine off-road do what you like, it's just so unnecessary, enjoy the countryside instead.
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you can do, the charge is something like "causing a danger on a public highway". its the same one they can get you under if you ar riding under the influence of alcohol
 
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