RIDERS PLEASE REMEMBER YOUR MANNERS

Totally agree. IME horse riders are by far and away the rudest and most ignorant road users there are!! I cycle and drive a car - on horseback I've never had problems with cyclists, and only the odd small issue with a t**t in a white van. Never have a problem with motorbikes when I'm cycling or horse riding. Horse riders, however, seem to mostly think they own the road. They don't move over, rarely thank you and when they do, it isn't genuine. When I thank drivers, I make a point of smiling, waving and saying thank you. Most that I meet don't, if you're lucky you get a cursory nod with a sneer.

So I completely echo the OP's sentiments - remember your manners, horse riders!!
 
I understand the mentality behind thanking every single driver even if they do not slow down. However, I always make a point not to thank those who do not slow down because I always think it simply enables them, as they never realise they are doing anything wrong. I would say the majority of drivers who do not slow down do it out of ignorance of the dangers posed by a horse on the road. Therefore, telling them thanks when they do not slow down is counter-intuitive. Aside from not waving, I would never be rude to a driver verbally or otherwise.
 
Goldenstar said:
I think you are talking nonsense to be frank most riders you meet when driving are very polite and the manners of an other party are not a reason for driving without paying attention to the hazards you meet.
Why on earth would any sane person risk injury to them selves or others because of the manners of a third party . Bad drivers around horses are either heedless and don't understand or knobheads.
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Depends where you live! I used to see plenty of riders out as I commuted to my horse before and after work, many wore no hi-viz even after I was driving with headlights on, and a very considerable number ignored me carefully passing them - too busy chatting to their fellow rider or on the the mobile a lot of the time I'm afraid.
 
Whilst there are plenty tut of polite horse riders there are far too many impolite horse riders. We should All be polite, all the time, apart from when we meet totally stupid road users of course
 
if they slow down or stop I always say thank you to drivers- usually raise my hand and say, but if I cant risk letting go with one hand I nod and still mouth thank you. there are not enough considerate drivers on the road and I don't want them to stop being so because of snotty horse riders.

similar with cyclists and dog walker, always say thanks, especially going round the common when we share a path, and nice cyclists call out to warn they are passing. also sensible dog walkers who control there dogs... hehe don't get me started on them! there have occasionally been a few with no recall (on a massive common which also has cows and wild ponies) who have chased, want to shout my horse could kick and kill your dog, but try not to!

I think cyclists and horse riders need to get a long, we are both battling the cars that 'own' the road it seems. and don't have 5 seconds to slow and pass ride for either bikes of horses.
 
Yes, please do remember your manners; and also remember that the vast majority of drivers and people in general know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about horses, riding, how horses are going to react or how difficult/dangerous it is to control a frightened horse. Cyclists don't know they are scary, drivers don't know that horses are scared of them, etc. etc. and to get angry at drivers, etc. for not knowing is just silly and not helpful at all. Being polite and gracious is the very least you can do to help improve things.
 
Cortez said:
Yes, please do remember your manners; and also remember that the vast majority of drivers and people in general know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about horses, riding, how horses are going to react or how difficult/dangerous it is to control a frightened horse. Cyclists don't know they are scary, drivers don't know that horses are scared of them, etc. etc. and to get angry at drivers, etc. for not knowing is just silly and not helpful at all. Being polite and gracious is the very least you can do to help improve things.
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Go and look in your Highway Code book - How to pass animals on the road is in there for all to see - Ignorance is no excuse - drivers are supposed to know the rules of the road!
 
When I was out hacking at the weekend (full hi viz) I was passed by two vehicles towing horse trailers, with horses in. Neither slowed down as they passed. If other horse owners don't slow down there is no hope for the public.

In general I find 50% of traffic I meet slows down a bit and makes an effort to move over. 30% pass far too close but have slowed and the remaining 20% go by at top speed and too close and don't even look.

I had a motorbike come from behind and squeeze through a gap between me and an oncoming car, I was watching the car and didn't even realise he was there until he knocked my schooling whip (which I carry primarily to make traffic give me more room) out of my hand...

I thank all drivers who pass me whether they slow down or not. The exception is when I need both hands to hold the reins if we are passing something scary, even then I attempt a nod, although I know most people won't actually be able to see that from a car.
 
Completely agree with previous posts that riders should be aware of how they look to other road users. Cyclists, horse riders, pedestrians, motor bikers are all vulnerable road users and should try to help each other out to improve road safety. However, there will always be inconsiderate or just plain ignorant people around.

I have been on a mission educating local cyclists since moving to this area several years ago and it has been slowly working. They now shout or make a noise when approaching from behind me so we hear them! A lot of cyclists genuinely don't know to do that so getting angry at them will not be helpful.

Car drivers round here are usually very good and I am always in hi-viz and they get thanked multiple times. Still get the occasional mad one but I try to make a note of their reg number. One woman buzzed me twice in the same week and when I circulated the reg number round local horse riders by email after the second time with a warning to watch out for this car, it turned out it was a relative of one of the local farmers! A quiet word was had by the farmer to his mother who didn't realise that she was causing upset. It has never been an issue since and I got a few thank yous from other locals who obviously experienced the same but never wanted to complain because of local politics. Sometimes being a stranger is useful!

If anyone has masses of bunches of cyclists round their way, find out the local cycling clubs and make contact with them etc.... Yes even the ones that take the cycling seriously when doing time trials will be responsible when not racing. Just make sure you don't get caught up on one of their routes - usually early Sunday mornings.
 
Most riders around me are generally very good when it comes to thanking motorists and other road users. The only problem around here is that a lot of riders ride down single track lanes two or three abreast, sprawled out across the road, which is fine if motorists can see you because they're generally travelling slow enough to slow down, but when there are high hedges and blind bends galore it is just madness. About a year ago I had a run in with a couple of horse riders who were doing just this as I rounded a blind bend at about 25mph and came to a screeching halt about a foot from the back ends of their horses. I rolled my window down and said "you should really ride on the left so that vehicles can swerve around you if they can't stop". They replied with a torrent of abuse and that wonderful theory - "we have to ride in the middle of the road to stop people driving past us too fast". Yes, because using your horse's back end as a car-break is a real stroke of genius.
 
I always try to say thankyou and at the least nod, and wave if I can. If the car has sped past it made no effort whatsoever to pass considerately they may get a sarcastic "thanks for slowing down"...

I also find that motor/cyclists are pretty great-unless its a group of cyclists racing in which case I'm sure they have blinkers and/or a death wish!

When talking to non horsey people I try to explain why we might not always get out of the way etc. For example, taking tb out for the second time in a long while, doing v well, boxed in by my cob on busier road, and past anything scary to keep him moving... But only walking as gets a bit wound up if start asking faster...Nowhere to pull in safely so driver had to wait a few mins... Yes hr had to wait behind us, but not for giggles, and we went on the quietest lanes at the quietest time of day...

We have also decided to ride abreast on the short bit of busier road-otherwise people just try to shove past. If we take up the whole lane, they have to overtake us properly rather than shove!
 
Goldenstar said:
I think you are talking nonsense to be frank most riders you meet when driving are very polite and the manners of an other party are not a reason for driving without paying attention to the hazards you meet.
Why on earth would any sane person risk injury to them selves or others because of the manners of a third party . Bad drivers around horses are either heedless and don't understand or knobheads.
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Hi, you seem to be lucky if all the horse riders in your area are polite.
I think you may have misunderstood me. manners and bad driving are two separate issues
If a driver is polite slows down or even stops passes wide do you think he should be entitled to a thank you?
Well the truth is that this doesnt always happen
I have been on a cycling forum to gauge their thoughts and reactions .
They face the same problems as us with one exception bicycles dont get frightened.
The cyclists i chatted to seemed to feel that sometimes [not all the time] that horse riders felt it was their right to be on the road and show no respect
Whether of not you want to believe me this is how other road users are viewing all horse riders because of the actions of a small few
 
I always try and say Thank You to each and every driver that passes me. If there's somewhere for me to pull in to let them pass I will, if there isn't then I will trot on to get out of their way. I also avoid peak times, people in a hurry to get to work or to pick up children from school are less likely to be patient.

I've ridden out with rude people in the past, I won't do it again - I find myself apologising for their rude behaviour, and feel guilty - it's not much fun. As it happens the number one offender of this doesn't drive herself, so doesn't understand it from a car driver's perspective.

I passed a couple of ladies on two very fat cobs the other day, it was 5.30pm on a weekday, the weather was a little miserable and they were riding down a bit of a rat run. They didn't have a stich of hi-vis on, looked utterly miserable and were totally oblivious to what was going on around them. People were clearly getting irritated as the road's tight anyway and involves a lot of stopping and starting to pass parked cars. I waited for them as opposed to squeezing past and thus made a lot of traffic wait behind me. They didn't so much as make eye contact - I was more than a little peeved.
 
I ALWAYS nod my head (and mouth 'thank-you') as a thank-you to drivers who are courteous to me and my horse. But I very rarely do much more, as I'm usually on some young lively not-quite-traffic-proof animal who is still learning the ropes.
I hope the drivers don't think I'm rude not waving, but quite often it really isnt practical or safe to take a hand of the reins, especially if there are other vehicles in the vicinity who aren't being quite so polite!
 
harveysmom said:
Hi, you seem to be lucky if all the horse riders in your area are polite.
I think you may have misunderstood me. manners and bad driving are two separate issues
If a driver is polite slows down or even stops passes wide do you think he should be entitled to a thank you?
Well the truth is that this doesnt always happen
I have been on a cycling forum to gauge their thoughts and reactions .
They face the same problems as us with one exception bicycles dont get frightened.
The cyclists i chatted to seemed to feel that sometimes [not all the time] that horse riders felt it was their right to be on the road and show no respect
Whether of not you want to believe me this is how other road users are viewing all horse riders because of the actions of a small few
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Yes I do think drivers who behave well deserve to be thanked and always do so , however I don't accept that drivers who behave like idiots have been affected by riders not thanking them they are just idiots .
It IS a riders right to be on the road like pedestrians cyclists car drivers tractor drivers lorry drivers etc we all have a right to use the road ,.no one has more or less right to be there .
I don't need to show respect what does that mean ? when riding I am equal to other users I thank those who show me consideration just as I would another car driver when driving , cyclists rarely thank drivers for stopping round here they are very very rude but I dont run the the next one into a ditch because of it .
I do not accept that bad tempered drivers are bad tempered because people have not waved at them they just bad drivers .
 
Goldenstar said:
Yes I do think drivers who behave well deserve to be thanked and always do so , however I don't accept that drivers who behave like idiots have been affected by riders not thanking them they are just idiots .
It IS a riders right to be on the road like pedestrians cyclists car drivers tractor drivers lorry drivers etc we all have a right to use the road ,.no one has more or less right to be there .
I don't need to show respect what does that mean ? when riding I am equal to other users I thank those who show me consideration just as I would another car driver when driving , cyclists rarely thank drivers for stopping round here they are very very rude but I dont run the the next one into a ditch because of it .
I do not accept that bad tempered drivers are bad tempered because people have not waved at them they just bad drivers .
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No not sugesting idiot drivers are idiot drivers because they havent been thanked in the past.They are, and probably always will be idiots.
But i can tell you from personnal experience that being ignored by a horse rider when you have slowed down for them does get me angry and im not alone judging by some of the other posts
I have horses so im morse sympathetic to horse riders. If i had no interest in horses and didnt know one end from the other then i might feel differently
For example if you were out hacking on a very narrow road and car then reversed up the road so that you could pass, you would thank the driver. Right
well imagine how you might feel if you are the car driver and the rider rides past without even looking in your direction. How would you feel?
That is you are a car driver that knows nothing about, and has no interest in horses
You may be tempted to think ignorrant cow.Might you be tempted next time this situation came up to sit there and let the rider turn round and go back
The driver isnt being dangerous just not very helpful
 
If a horse rider does not thank me I don't get angry. I see many more things on the road which do make me angry. OP what are your own personal experiences of road riding?

I always thank drivers who slow down and are courteous - in the UK and in France. I used to ride and lead on a busy road several times a week for 8 years.

However, the BHS in their video aimed at motorists, explain that a rider may not always be in a position to wave hello or thank you - they may need to keep both hands on the reins and focus their full attention on the horse. This is not being rude.
 
I will thank any driver who makes an effort to slow down for me. Because of this it drives me mad when other riders Dont bother to thank me!

On my last hack out I went along the old railway lines,where there are often cyclists. I noticed that not one of them stopped for me, I was always the one to stop and make Bertie stand to the side. One man and little boy didn't even say thank you. Most of them always smile and say thanks, but it annoys me that I have the unpredictable animal and they have a lump of metal. What's easier to control?! Thankfully Bertie is good but we had to stop on a narrow part of the track and had trouble making him stand still while the cyclist carried on at exactly the same speed.

Grrr!
 
This thread was started as a result of an incident that happened to me a couple of weeks ago.Where a cyclist decided to ignore my very polite request to slow down. Which resulted in my horse rearing the cyclist then weaved between the two horses and cycled off calling me all the names under the sun
I wondered if this cyclist had, had a bad experience with a horse rider and this might have caused his rather extreme reaction.
I posted on a cycling forum asking for cyclists views.
They believe he is an isolated case.They also believe that horse riders dont always remember to thank them if they slow down, stop etc.
They believe this goes for all road users not just cyclists and horse riders
So i started this thread to find out what you all thought
As to my experience riding horses on the roads. I have been riding on the roads for over 35 years so im not new to it.
I have in the past also had to ride and lead.
I have never forgotton to thank any other road user
I have ridden horses on some very busy roads as i used to hack to shows.
for those who know the area in question, i used to hack from kingswear devon to ipplepen to torbay and district riding club. compete and hack home in the summer traffic on a TB
 
The thing I simply don't get from this post is how easily so many people on here get annoyed .
Get annoyed because someone does not wave you , I know I am often told I am laid back but I can't grasp this.
 
Very rude ignorant riders round my way. There's a couple of women I see regularly when I'm out riding. I ALWAYS smile and say Hi (we are all on horses, after all!) and they barely let on at all. A grunt and a fleeting "mouth smile" if I'm lucky. I always ride on cussing under my breath to Tuga...and yet next time, I'll say Hi again, because I just couldn't not! I don't understand how people can be so flippin' ignorant!

And yes, we have the 2 abreasters holding up the traffic, the texters, the non thankers...GRRRRRR. I'm turning into a grumpy old woman.:mad:
 
I always smile,nod and lift my hand in a 'thanks' gesture to everyone who slows down or gives us a wide berth. I usually also mouth 'thankyou', or say it loudly if the car window is open/it's a cyclist/motorbike.

Why don't we all make next week our own,non-official,HHO 'National-give-all-road-users-who-slow-down-a-massive-full-teeth-smile-with-a-thankyou' week?
Even if you are a grumpy,late for work or something else car driver or a horses-shouldn't-be-on-roads road user,*everyone* has their day brightened by a big,unsolicited,cheesy smile!
I'm gonna do it:)
(Those that don't slow down or are ignorant will not be in receipt of my cheesy smile,tho;))
Spread the happiness people!
Ps I *may* have had a couple of Cosmopolitans and therefore am feeling the love...:D
 
harveysmom said:
Following my other thread "A HAIRY MOMENT" i have been chatting on a cycling forum and the feedback is interesting.
We complain when other motorists ignore our requests to slow down or stop etc.
But is this because most of the time we are rude and dont thank or acknowledge them in the first place so next time they meet a rider on a horse they arent so happy to help
I think this could be the case as i myself have met riders while im in the car and they ride along like im not there side by side blocking the road, obviously i should thank them for getting out of my way. Can you see how this might look to non horsey peeps
Or do you think us horse riders are polite?
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Venevidivici said:
I always smile,nod and lift my hand in a 'thanks' gesture to everyone who slows down or gives us a wide berth. I usually also mouth 'thankyou', or say it loudly if the car window is open/it's a cyclist/motorbike.

Why don't we all make next week our own,non-official,HHO 'National-give-all-road-users-who-slow-down-a-massive-full-teeth-smile-with-a-thankyou' week?
Even if you are a grumpy,late for work or something else car driver or a horses-shouldn't-be-on-roads road user,*everyone* has their day brightened by a big,unsolicited,cheesy smile!
I'm gonna do it:)
(Those that don't slow down or are ignorant will not be in receipt of my cheesy smile,tho;))
Spread the happiness people!
Ps I *may* have had a couple of Cosmopolitans and therefore am feeling the love...:D
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Im with you
 
I have to add, that I have noticed that a some drivers seem to have forgotten the High Way Code and always seem to be in that much of a rush to get from A to B that they forget their manners.
 
I don't understand how anyone could drive based on whether they normally get a thank you

I wonder whether the cyclists would think it ok for cars to bomb past them and simply think to themselves 'oh that's ok because he probably got cheesed off by a cyclist at some point'

Thank you or no thank you people should ride or drive with consideration
 
When I am driving and I stop to let another driver through a gap, I get annoyed when they do wave at me. They are negotiating a narrow gap, with some intricate steering and instead of focussing on the task, they do it 1 handed, whilst looking at me and waving.

As a cyclist I never wave at drivers (roads around here are terrible so I prefer to keep my hands and eye where they should be). As a horse rider I do sometimes, but I don't feel obliged to. Similarly if I pass a group of "yoofs" I don't thank them for not stabbing or mugging me.

I had a nasty incident on a recent hack when some tattooed oaf in a brand new Range Rover wound his window down and berated me for not thanking him for slowing down. 1. there was a speed bump so I had assumed he slowed for that. 2. I had done and if he hadn't been so busy on his phone he might have noticed!
 
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