Protocol between LGVs and horse riders

AdorableAlice

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 October 2011
Messages
13,000
Visit site
Certainly is interesting. I have long been convinced that the lack of manners that the minority of riders display affects the rest of us.

I regularly drive past riders who are chatting or on the phone who cannot be bothered to thank me for slowing down. I have been known to stop and strop !
 

cauda equina

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 February 2014
Messages
8,851
Visit site
Oooh ! What a useful lesson , to see ourselves as others see us .

I am not a 'gorgeous posh bird ' . I ALWAYS say thanks to anybody ( driver , cyclist , whoever ) who acts courteously when I am riding .

This TruckNet thread illustrates the dangers (to all of us ) of not !
 

Greylegs

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 December 2011
Messages
3,213
Visit site
Thanks for posting ROG. Interesting reading indeed. Seeing things from the other perspective really does make you think how we come across as riders. But it also highlights the lack of understanding between riders and drivers as specific groups. Personally, I always thank drivers for showing me courtesy when hacking on roads, but hack out with friends sometimes and am (sad to say) often the only one in a group who raises a hand in thanks or says thank you to drivers.
 

ROG

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 January 2010
Messages
8,934
Location
LEICESTER
Visit site
I have read threads on car sites and now this LGV site and it certainly seems that LGV drivers have a better grasp of the problems that horse riders face and what impact the presence of their vehicles can have on horses
 

AmieeT

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 December 2013
Messages
4,325
Location
Over the rainbow 🌈
Visit site
I really infuriates me when people don't acknowledge. That's what that whole thread was really about.

A simple nod, wave, thumbs up or even just a smile as they pass does wonders to make people feel better about seeing horses on the roads.

I ALWAYS over exaggerate my thanks, and usually get a thumbs up/smile from the driver.

Also where possible, I will later contact the company if it is a branded lorry/van to convey my thanks. Example- yesterday I contacted Royal Mail about an extremely patient postman! They replied with their thanks, and said they'd pass on the message- I was able to give a road name and time.

It's not much, but if it makes my life easier and people more aware and likely to drive responsibly around horses, it's worth it.

Ax
 

fattylumpkin

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 September 2013
Messages
767
Location
Sweden
www.thestoryofhorses.com
I always acknowledge and smile when people have been kind, or at least shown some sense. We have a lot of double articulated timber lorries in our area because of the forestry works and they never fail to stop, usually they'll have a bit of a chat too! :) Sadly the average driver leaves a lot to be desired and doesn't seem to realise that a horse coming through the windscreen is as deadly to them as it would be to me.
 

Flame_

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 November 2007
Messages
8,025
Location
Merseyside
Visit site
:(

The "arrogance" they're seeing is probably a mixture of concentration, fear, and pissed-off-ness with the last knob head that went past.

It shouldn't be purely optional courtesy to slow down on wide roads and stop on lanes for horses, it should be the flipping law, like not tear-arseing past a school is.

Too many drivers haven't got a clue what our issues are or just think that since we have them we shouldn't be there rather than they should accommodate us.

Saying that, there were lots of kind, responsible attitudes on that thread, and eta, its bad that the rider didn't acknowledge the op for stopping and shutting off the engine, etc.
 
Last edited:

Tobiano

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 August 2010
Messages
4,233
Location
Norfolk
Visit site
That is worrying to read - what idiots not to thank the driver. they are putting the rest of us at risk. I always thank people who slow down / stop including the queue of cars behind them. Sometimes it is a rictus grin because I am concentrating on the horse but always an acknowledgement. Thanks for posting ROG.
 

miss_c

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 October 2008
Messages
6,090
Location
Near Bristol
Visit site
Thank you for posting this ROG, it was a very interesting read. I drive a 7.5t as well as ride and can see both sides of the story - it annoys ME when riders do not say thank you, so how must it make drivers feel?! I have linked this to a local horsey FB group as there has been discussions about thanking drivers on there recently, with a shocking number saying they don't see why they should have to!!
 

webble

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 August 2012
Messages
4,763
Location
Border of Cheshire/Wirral/ N Wales
Visit site
Hmmm I can see both sides, it annoy me riders not wearing hi vis and not thanking people. AA there have been so many times I have wanted to do that, this is how we get the stuck up reputation

At the same time I do agree that if your horse is the type to be spooked by everyday things such as tractors motorbikes trailers etc you possibly shouldnt be on the road, other vehicles shouldnt have to switch off their engines in order for you to pass them
 

ElleSkywalker

As excited as Kitty about to be a bridesmaid
Joined
9 March 2011
Messages
11,988
Location
Tiny farm some where in UK
Visit site
Very interesting, thanks ROG.

I always say thanks to drivers, even if its just a nod (if horse being a stupid), but a super exaggerated one :D

I have also called a local skip company & Argos to say Thank You to some very good drivers who slowed down & stopped for one in one case when my horse was injured :)

The only thing that gets me is the comments that 'why don't they ride in feilds' we'd love to, sadly the farmers don't agree :(
 

webble

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 August 2012
Messages
4,763
Location
Border of Cheshire/Wirral/ N Wales
Visit site
Very interesting, thanks ROG.

I always say thanks to drivers, even if its just a nod (if horse being a stupid), but a super exaggerated one :D

I have also called a local skip company & Argos to say Thank You to some very good drivers who slowed down & stopped for one in one case when my horse was injured :)

The only thing that gets me is the comments that 'why don't they ride in feilds' we'd love to, sadly the farmers don't agree :(

Yes I have done this, there are some houses being built near our yard so lots of diggers etc up and down the lanes. My mare isnt bothered by it but they are all still lovely (some very lovely :p) so I called to thank them
 

TigerTail

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 November 2011
Messages
3,420
Visit site
I actually find that the larger vehicles seem to be much more aware of how scary they can be and therefore much more considerate in passing. Its tescos delivery sized vans downwards to cars who seem to think they can zoom past at 60mph and it totally fine :eek: Or little old ladies who try to overtake me when Im riding past a parked car :eek:

I always grin and mouth thank you if I can't safely take my hands off the rein to wave - so many don't around here though and don't wear hi viz which drives me insane grr.
 

webble

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 August 2012
Messages
4,763
Location
Border of Cheshire/Wirral/ N Wales
Visit site
I actually find that the larger vehicles seem to be much more aware of how scary they can be and therefore much more considerate in passing. Its tescos delivery sized vans downwards to cars who seem to think they can zoom past at 60mph and it totally fine :eek: Or little old ladies who try to overtake me when Im riding past a parked car :eek:

I always grin and mouth thank you if I can't safely take my hands off the rein to wave - so many don't around here though and don't wear hi viz which drives me insane grr.

Old people arre a nightmare!! Thee lack of clutch control which means they need to rev the engine is just bizarre
 

Slightlyconfused

Go away, I'm reading
Joined
18 December 2010
Messages
10,832
Visit site
My sister and i are always saying thank you to drivers yo slow down for us. We are lucky that our roads are mostly quiet......its the blooming Tuckwell tractor drivers that are dangerous round here, charging through the village speeding and not slowing down for horses or if they see any other danger like the local lower school kids coming out. They scare me silly.

its a good thread to read thank you:)
 

Fides

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 August 2013
Messages
2,946
Visit site
It was rude...

But I thought vehicles coming downhill had right of way because if is far more difficult to reverse uphill to a passing place? (Not directly related to this situation though)
 

leflynn

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 September 2010
Messages
2,784
Location
Oop Norf
Visit site
I actually find that the larger vehicles seem to be much more aware of how scary they can be and therefore much more considerate in passing. Its tescos delivery sized vans downwards to cars who seem to think they can zoom past at 60mph and it totally fine :eek: Or little old ladies who try to overtake me when Im riding past a parked car :eek:

I always grin and mouth thank you if I can't safely take my hands off the rein to wave - so many don't around here though and don't wear hi viz which drives me insane grr.

Exactly this, I always try and wave to considerate drivers for giving us room (plus I always wave a kids in cars :D)

Very interesting reading ROG, thanks for posting. I feel lucky to have only had one bad encounter myself via a UPS van exceeding the speed limit round a corner and doing an emergency stop when he saw us - it was the parcels shooting forward that caused out two horses to freak out... I have also had a super lovely HGV driver stop and wait for me while horse was being a tad unsettled, I didn't ask as couldn't take hands off reins but he was courteous enough to do the thnking for me and I wrote a letter of thanks to the company who kindly passed it on.

I have also had to restrain myself for not getting out of the car and yanking one of the local girls near where I live off her horse for riding on the road with a fag and on her mobile phone, blissfully unaware or unconcerned with her horse/traffic and no high viz round a very tight bend so I completely understand their rants
 

samlf

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 August 2011
Messages
749
Location
Kent
Visit site
I hate it when people don't say thankyou, I always say thanks unless it's completely unsafe to do so, in which case I nod my head.

I have experienced it with many riders, not being thanked or those who are just too plain dangerous/idiotic/inexperienced to be riding on the roads.

That said, I think the majority of riders are respectful. I have met the odd lorry driver who passed too fast/close but I don't stereotype them all like the OP on that link has...

By far the worst people are cyclists!!
 

View

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 March 2014
Messages
3,662
Location
exiled Glaswegian
Visit site
It was rude...

But I thought vehicles coming downhill had right of way because if is far more difficult to reverse uphill to a passing place? (Not directly related to this situation though)

I was taught that it was the vehicle travelling downhill that should give way to the vehicle travelling uphill, the reason stemming from older vehicles (the ones I trained on, half cab buses with no syncromesh on the gearbox): trust me, you really don't want to have to do a hill start with a fully laden vehicle, which often involves a snap change, because if you get it wrong you will be rolling back down the hill. In comparison, reversing uphill is easy (or at least, it is for me).

Decades later, I still have to talk myself through a snap change every time because it feels so, so wrong: start off in first, get the vehicle moving at walking speed, count to two and then move gear stick from 1st to 2nd at the same time as pushing the clutch pedal down. Breathe when it goes right, and carry on.

I hacked out with a group from a riding school the other week, and I was at the back. As far as I could see, I was the only person that thanked any driver for slowing down or giving us a wide berth. I had words with the RI when we got back, and will be pointing them in the direction of the lorry drivers thread.

As a few others have noted, in general, the drivers of big vehicles are far more aware of the effect of their vehicles on others.
 

Caol Ila

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 January 2012
Messages
7,518
Location
Glasgow
Visit site
Some nice people on that thread. If you wanted to stereotype truck drivers........

I always smile and wave at vehicles who slow down.
 

Fides

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 August 2013
Messages
2,946
Visit site
I was taught that it was the vehicle travelling downhill that should give way to the vehicle travelling uphill, the reason stemming from older vehicles (the ones I trained on, half cab buses with no syncromesh on the gearbox): trust me, you really don't want to have to do a hill start with a fully laden vehicle, which often involves a snap change, because if you get it wrong you will be rolling back down the hill. In comparison, reversing uphill is easy (or at least, it is for me).

Decades later, I still have to talk myself through a snap change every time because it feels so, so wrong: start off in first, get the vehicle moving at walking speed, count to two and then move gear stick from 1st to 2nd at the same time as pushing the clutch pedal down. Breathe when it goes right, and carry on.

I hacked out with a group from a riding school the other week, and I was at the back. As far as I could see, I was the only person that thanked any driver for slowing down or giving us a wide berth. I had words with the RI when we got back, and will be pointing them in the direction of the lorry drivers thread.

As a few others have noted, in general, the drivers of big vehicles are far more aware of the effect of their vehicles on others.

Yeah I was surprised when I read it too in the Highway Code as I had always thought it was the other way round too...

I know all about the whole uphill crawl snap thing :( not natural lol
 

blood_magik

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 January 2011
Messages
6,227
Location
Scotland
Visit site
I think it goes both ways.
A lot of drivers have no clue how to pass horses and it appears that a lot of riders don't bother thanking those who do.

We don't have bridle paths or fields to ride in near my yard so if we want to hack, we have to go on the roads. The majority of people we meet are great but there's always a few who pass too fast or too close. Thankfully most of my horses aren't bothered.

Even if I can't take my hands off the reins, I can usually still manage some sort of thank-you.
I do wish that I'd written to one company to thank their driver for waiting for us to get off the main toad before passing us a few months back. Next time, I'll definitely write.
 

amandap

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 June 2009
Messages
6,949
Visit site
Very impressed with most of the drivers posting there ROG, sensible and safe attitude.
Sad that some riders need to pay attention to their manners though.
 
Last edited:

exmoorponyprincess1

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 September 2013
Messages
601
Location
Lanarkshire Lass trying out Somerset for size :)
Visit site
Oh it makes me soooo mad that some riders cannot even acknowledge other road users when they have gone out of their way to make things easier for the horse!!!! Argh! We are stabled basically next to the M5 and every hack we need to do roadwork, one of my mares is still slightly wary of anything really big (or bikes!) and whilst it's not always safe to take a hand off the reins to wave thanks, i ALWAYS make sure I nod and give my biggest smile to anyone who is showing me the generosity of their time by slowing down and allowing my girl to get past safely! Heck, I even thank those who don't slow down so I don't give us riders a bad name!!!!
 

AmieeT

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 December 2013
Messages
4,325
Location
Over the rainbow 🌈
Visit site
Also the way I think about it, I have a really grand horse that isn't fazed by traffic.

If I didn't acknowledge someone passing wide and slow, that person may think 'oh sod it, I won't bother again'- then the next person they come across could be a novice, or an unexperienced/spooky horse and it could be a catastrophe.

Plus it makes people smile when we smile. I like smiles.

I particularly liked the comment that said something along the lines of many riders have no choice but to ride on the road, he's such we'd prefer not to- give the man a gold star!

Ax
 

brucethegypsycob

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 May 2011
Messages
335
Location
west wales
Visit site
Horse riders can also look arrogant because we are taught to keep our heads up, being that the head is actually quite heavy and by keeping it up it helps to prevent the upper body from tipping forward. In a stressful situation there is a natural tendency to tip forwards so by consciously holding head up helps to keep rider in a safer position. Unfortunately the non rider sees this as the rider looking down there nose = arrogant.
 

Booboos

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 January 2008
Messages
12,776
Location
South of France
Visit site
There are stupid, ignorant, rude people everywhere, some are on horseback, some are behind the wheel of trucks. Luckily the driver in this case was kind and patient and willing to avoid an accident rather than make a point - shame the same can't be said about the riders! Everyone should be considerate and careful when on the roads, because it's really not fun being involved in an accident whether you are the victim or not.

ROC are you on that forum? Perhaps you could direct them on this thread.

It's also important that drivers realise that riders cannot go on fields which are private property and no more open to riders than they are to other types of traffic. Given the choice I don't think a single rider would want to risk their lives on the roads, but sadly very, very often there is no other choice.
 

pixie

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 July 2005
Messages
4,983
Location
Malton, N yorkshire
Visit site
Yes, despite the fact that my pony and livery yard are on my inlaw's farm, we still have to ride on the roads. The farm tracks literally just go up to the fields, and there are no circular routes, so nowhere at all to ride. We'd like to put bridlepaths around the field, but sadly it would cost a lot of money to do so, and we'd also lost the money from where we'd have to take the crop away.
 
Top