Passing horse on the road- mumsnet

Someone from here who is a member needs to go on there and thank them ALL profusely for their wonderful responses and for their recognition that we are deserving of car drivers slowing down. Perhaps link to this thread which will surely be full of horse riders being grateful, as I am!

I am having the worst day ever and reading those responses has really cheered me up.

Good on them!

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I thought that the OP came across really well. She clearly made a big mistake but was open to criticism and really seemed to take the advice on board.

The American appears to be psychotic.
 
I like how the OP backed down and accepted she was in the wrong. The replies started off really well but some of them are ridiculous...ie
* don't think horses should be allowed on roads, although unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done. By riders own admission, they can spook at a crisp packet, a hedge etc. They are unpredictable and therefore dangerous. Cars, motorbikes, bicycles are dangerous too, but it's the drivers who are in control, not some animal.*


:( :( :(
 
I didn't realise there was more than one page but it would still seem the vast majority of posters are being reasonable about it and the op has been very mature in her responses too. She didn't know, now she does. So that's a good thing. I'm sure a lot of people genuinely don't know how to pass a horse.

My horse is totally 100% in any and all traffic but I still don't want a car coming past at high speed, nor would I pass a pedestrian, cyclist or other vulnerable road user at excessive speed in my car.

As for the spooking thing, a cyclist can hit a pothole or debris and lose control, a pedestrian could trip. The vehicle driver slows down to make sure if something happens, they are able to stop. They doesn't mean horses or bikes or pedestrians are inherently dangerous and shouldn't be on the road.
 
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Mumsnet is always good for a *heated* debate :p

Mums/dads aren't always good drivers though - yesterday I was out hacking In a hi viz vest on my very large horse, on a B road. I was on a hill that had a blind bend, and I was very nearly at the top. In cases like these, I always walk horse a bit further out on road to make sure cars don't pass till its safe & I wave them on when I can see.
However the 2 cars behind me couldn't be bothered to wait an extra 30seconds and overtook me just before the blind bend. If there had been a car or tractor (very common here) coming around the corner then there would have been a huge crash and potentially fatal. The worst bit? Both cars had young children in the front seat - one has no seatbelt. For the sake of child safety you think they would have waited 30secs. Plonkers.
 
Erm........interesting, apparently we should ride a width of a horse out from the side of road to slow motorist down.....so more care is taken when overtaking.....says she who is currently teaching The Pony Cub Road Rider test to my bunch of young riders.....did like the fact that some of the responses were positive for the rider.
Just out of interest I would not send a car on around me in case there was a head on collision......could you not be found at fault by waving it on?
 
_OC_ said:
Just out of interest I would not send a car on around me in case there was a head on collision......could you not be found at fault by waving it on?
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I only wave on if I can see clearly that nothing is coming - it's up to the driver to decide if they want to overtake or wait until they can see :)

If I'm riding on my own out hacking I'm happy to stay close to side is I can hear the car slowing down; if the car continues to go fast then I'll move further out, which makes them slow down :p
but our roads wouldn't be as busy as English roads, our problem tends to be the pack of cyclists that buzz up close behind horses and then whizz past us very close to horse in their pack. If horse stepped sideways suddenly at a lone crisp packet etc. There would be an almighty crash & pile up of the cyclists - they pass far too close.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I didn't realise there was more than one page but it would still seem the vast majority of posters are being reasonable about it and the op has been very mature in her responses too. She didn't know, now she does. So that's a good thing. I'm sure a lot of people genuinely don't know how to pass a horse.
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I firmly believe that the Government should do a road safety campaign on how to overtake horses and televise it every evening after Emmerdale, Jeremy Kyle, and Corrors. I would love them to film me, my horse can spin on a sixpence, if someone put a 'big leaf' on the verge, Bailey would be an excellent demo model on how horses can spin in a millisecond into the road. People think that they can pass you at 40 so long as their off side wheels are in the gutter in the oncoming lane, on the other side of the coin, people also think that as long as they crawl past they can pass within an inch and clip your stirrup irons!

Furthermore drivers... it is not necessary to switch off your car engine and hold your breath whenever a horse passes you, although some obviously think it is! :)
 
_OC_ said:
Erm........interesting, apparently we should ride a width of a horse out from the side of road to slow motorist down.....so more care is taken when overtaking.....says she who is currently teaching The Pony Cub Road Rider test to my bunch of young riders.....did like the fact that some of the responses were positive for the rider.
Just out of interest I would not send a car on around me in case there was a head on collision......could you not be found at fault by waving it on?
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No you would not be legally responsible, the person driving the car is the one with the responsibility to ensure that the manover they make is safe and legal.
 
Actually Shakespeare added much to our language and would certainly have embraced text speak I think!
 
tallyho! said:
Actually Shakespeare added much to our language and would certainly have embraced text speak I think!
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I disagree - text speak adds little to the quality of our language, only the speed at which it's delivered. I imagine he'd have employed it to dramatic effect, but never allowed it to supersede his own, more creative offerings.
 
A good thread! Recently along with two other cars I slowed right down for a horse and rider on a local road, and was most annoyed that the rider made no attempt in any form to than any of the drivers that had passed her - Wide & Slow.

This really angers me - when drivers are courteous acknowledge that they have passed your horse with consideration. A nod, a smile or a hand raised to thank the driver will make motorist tolerance improve. So seeing red, I turned around and went back and got out of the car and approach the rider.

The conversation

Me "Three cars passed you with consideration, moving across to the far side of the road and slowing right down for your horse and you did not acknowledge them at all"

Her response "I did, I raised my hand"

Me "You did not, I was one of those drivers and you certainly did not raise your hand"

Her - Hangs head and silent!

Me - 'How can we expect drivers to treat us with respect if we don't thank them"

Her - Still hanging head and silent!

Hopefully she will now be a little more considerate! Raising a hand may not always be possible, but a big mile or a nod of the head is manageable regardless of what the horse is getting up to.
 
JFTD said:
I disagree - text speak adds little to the quality of our language, only the speed at which it's delivered. I imagine he'd have employed it to dramatic effect, but never allowed it to supersede his own, more creative offerings.
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What's not creative about it?
 
tallyho! said:
What's not creative about it?
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It's almost entirely abbreviations of existing words and phrases already commonplace in our vernacular - what is creative in that? I make exception for "lol" which serves something of a communicative niche.
 
JFTD said:
It's almost entirely abbreviations of existing words and phrases already commonplace in our vernacular - what is creative in that? I make exception for "lol" which serves something of a communicative niche.
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Abbreviations can be creative... whole companies, jobs and even certain lifestyles are built on them! I think they are undeservedly under appreciated :(

Since the brain can prces words as lnog as the frsit and lsat lerttrs are in palce i thnik we are jsut wtsanig lerttrs.
 
tallyho! said:
Abbreviations can be creative... whole companies, jobs and even certain lifestyles are built on them! I think they are undeservedly under appreciated :(

Since the brain can prces words as lnog as the frsit and lsat lerttrs are in palce i thnik we are jsut wtsanig lerttrs.
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Acronyms can be creative, I don't think abbreviations ever are.

As for your second point - only so long as the context is clear, plenty of anagrammatic words can cause a lot of confusion if you write like that!
 
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