Road Users - a bit of a rant!

[flips]

I just need to get this off my chest and wonder if anyone else feels the same?

I live in a village, but it has a reasonably busy main road through the middle of it, which you have to ride on to get to nearly all the bridlepaths in the area.

Whenever I am on the road I always thank drivers who slow down and give me space by either getting a hand up or by making sure that I nod my thanks at a time when they can see me - this is not always easy as Bruno can be neurotic on the road, but I feel it's important.

What really gets up my nose is other riders who are having a lovely hack up the road and don't acknowledge any road driver, even when they have created a massive que and the drivers are still being considerate to them

What goes through my mind is - what happens if the next time the driver thinks 'well I shan't bother to slow down for horses if they can't even be bothered to thank me' and it's me they drive past next and Bruno goes into orbit

Does it really take that much effort to say thanks?

Am I being over sensitive?

Thanks - rant over - feel better now

 

[miss_c]

No you're not being overly sensitive, I completely agree with you 100%!

 

[Nats_uk]

Nope, not over sensitive. I feel exactly the same

 

[BobbyMondeo]

100% agree...it gives a bad name to everyone who is polite

 

[poppypoopicker]

yep makes me really mad when horsy people just wander up the middle of the road chattering away riding doubles and dont even notice you for about a minute as they are so ingrossed in conversation.

Then when they do finally notice you, they dont thank you for sitting patiently behind!

grrr gives us polite horse riders a bad reputation, and we have to use the same roads!

 

[Devon_chick]

i agree with Ginger_Nut, it will give us a bad name and also if you are on youngsters and they drive past really fast cos someone aint said thanks then that horse might get scared of traffic and go nuts next time because of it!

 

[Cliqmo]

Here here! I totally agree, also those people who ride on people's verges, ride along in the middle of the road on their mobiles, don't shut gates and generally cause a nuissance! They contaminate public opinions of us horsey folk and it just isn't cricket!

 

[NeilM]

I had this over the weekend, stuck behind two girls chattering away. The irony is, I was towing my trailer with our two in it at the time.

 

[doppler]

I totally agree with you - in fact was thinking exactly the same on Saturday when a car squeezed past me within an inch of me and parked car!!

I live near a livery yard and the amount of people that I slow down for and never thank me drives me mad.

 

[Quadro]

its such a shame as when people do slow down they should be thanked as the number of people who slow down is getting less and less and only spoils thing for sensible road users

 

[Fazzie]

When i met my partner, he flew past a horse and rider, I nearly had heart failure screaming at him and his excuse was they never say thank you, all stuck up etc, I explained about horses being unpredictable etc and he honestly didnt think about it before just baout the riders being stuck up

. he is now a horsey o/h

always slows down for horses but it does really wind us up when riders dont say thank you, we ALWAYS make the effort to nod, wave etc when people slow down for us x

 

[Hippona]

I used to have an old classic sports car......bit noisy, the engine......I was driving down a winding country lane and there were 2 horses in front of me...I slowed right down, but with the engine being fairly loud and me creeping along behind them it was really spooking the horses....so as soon as I could I went to overtake them....gave them plenty of room and passed at a decent slow speed. Well.....the rider was shouting and waving at me...really mouthing off. I couldnt have done anything other than what I did do......short of turning the engine off and going home Flintstone style

So I pulled up ahead and got out of the car. Dressed in my riding gear

......her face was apicture....

 

[Nosey]

Have challenged a few locally as this infuriates me too. Usually get loads of abuse and hand gestures but I know I am in the right. Livery yard near us is the worst. Suppose there is such a turnover a lot of them don't give two hoots who they offend!

 

[Donkeymad]

I rarely get any acknowledgement from riders and even as a horse owner myself, I find this extremely rude and thoughtless. I always thank drivers, and every rider should (I accept their are times when it is not possible)

 

[SaffronWelshDragon]

[ QUOTE ]
I used to have an old classic sports car......bit noisy, the engine......I was driving down a winding country lane and there were 2 horses in front of me...I slowed right down, but with the engine being fairly loud and me creeping along behind them it was really spooking the horses....so as soon as I could I went to overtake them....gave them plenty of room and passed at a decent slow speed. Well.....the rider was shouting and waving at me...really mouthing off. I couldnt have done anything other than what I did do......short of turning the engine off and going home Flintstone style

So I pulled up ahead and got out of the car. Dressed in my riding gear

......her face was apicture....

[/ QUOTE ]

And, and...?? This is like a what happened next!

 

[Hippona]

LOL!

She was very taken aback when I said her attitude was out of order and that I had done all I could......and I said if she had managed to piss me off as a horse owner imagine how she would have come accross to a non-horse owner.....I dont really think she got my point though so I left it at that .....then I was pooing myself in case I ever saw her again, but I didnt...I moved back up to Yorkshire ( not to avoid her tho!

)

 

[lady_annabelle]

i have a youngster so she is quite bad on the roads even when shes trying to ditch me when someone stops i make sure i say thanks normaly cuz u get a mouthful if you dont

 

[flips]

Dear All

I feel much better that I am not the only one who gets hot under the collar about this

Happy riding this weekend all and here's to lots of drivers being thanked!!

 

[M_G]

I always smile and wave or nod (like you would to a dressage judge) even if they pass a little too fast but give me plenty of room.

In this weather I always shout thank you at the same time as most drivers have windows open in this weather

 

[yethersgill]

I always try and thank drivers- how hard is it to nod and smile???? Agree it is really important to do this

 

[hairycob]

I always wave/smile & nod - whatever is safe at the time. I have on occasion stopped & told riders they should be wearing hi-viz as they were barely visible against the hedge. One teenager said "It's ok I've got one, it's in the tack room". I informed her it wouldn't save anybody's life in there!