So don't they have horses in Belgium then? Idiot lorry driver!

Landcruiser

Landcruiser

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I've just got back from a hack during which my life flashed before my eyes and a few seconds later setting out and I'd probably be dead.

I was on a main road near home, which is pretty inescapable to access one of the main bridleways. Quiet time of day, most traffic passing wide and slow, including bin lorries, a cement mixer, aggregate trucks, etc. My horse is excellent in traffic, doesn't even look. At one point he spooked out at some horses behind a hedge, no cars around, no harm done. About 30 seconds later, as we were approaching a bend in the road, we were passed from behind at about 50mph by a large articulated truck, which made no attempt to pull out. I guess he didn't want to be on the wrong side of the road as a bend was approaching - BUT THE ROAD BEHIND WAS STRAIGHT, WE WERE COVERED IN HI VIZ, AND HE COULD SEE US FOR HUNDREDS OF YARDS AS HE APPROACHED US!

I'm not exagerating - I could have reached out and touched that truck. There was time, as the cab passed, to realise what was happening and know that the rest of the truck was coming by too, and the slightest step out by my lovely horse would kill us both. It was maybe a second or so at that speed for the truck to clear - I actually felt sick. Had time to notice a foreign plate as it vanished round the bend, and a "B" sticker. Belgium - or something else!

If I'd spent a few seconds more getting ready, and the truck had passed as we had our little spook at the horses, there is no doubt I'd be in casualty now or worse, and my horse would be torn to pieces.

What can I say? I suppose we were lucky despite that total imbecile. But it's shaken me up, and I needed to share...
 
I don't think it being a foreign truck is relevant to be honest. I'm sorry you had this experience, but very glad you both seem to be okay. Have a rest, take it easy for a while as it sounds like you were (and possibly still are) suffering from shock a little.

There really are some stupid people on the roads. :(
 
Pleased that you and your horse are o.k.
Unfortunately these things happen so quickly that one is unable to get the vehicles details. (If you had a hat cam you could have recorded it all).
It would have been lovely to get his registration number and reported him so that they could have stopped him at the ports and given him a good lecture.
 
Quite a few years ago I was hacking my bombproof horse on the road. I was riding there often and there is this car coming past, first I noticed was when his wingmirror his my foot, yes he was that close. I have also have had them touch my stick which was only slightly sticking out. I try not to think about what could have happened, just been glad horse was as good as she was.
 
If the trailer was Belgium registered you can be sure the truck that was pulling it was probably from another eu country further east. Wouldn't have seen you as would have been watching a DVD on their lap top!
 
Glad your both ok Hat cam is definitely worth having, a foreign truck has no excuse as the driver can see you more easily than the uk ones. What a total idiot.
 
Of course he saw you. He made a subconscious decision to pass way before he got near you, then kept left because of the bend.

This is one of those situations where you need to ride well out into the road, so that he can't pass so easily. It would have forced this guy to slow right down and wait until after the bend, or risk taking it on the wrong side - he obviously wasn't ready to do that.
It's much safer sometimes to ride slightly aggressively, and make it clear from your road positioning that he CANNOT GET SAFELY PAST.

-glad you're OK OP.
 
mutley75 said:
If the trailer was Belgium registered you can be sure the truck that was pulling it was probably from another eu country further east. Wouldn't have seen you as would have been watching a DVD on their lap top!
Click to expand...

I see, so all drivers from certain countries behave in exactly the same way do they? Idiotic assumptions.

There are dangerous drivers, and good drivers, everywhere. No country has the monopoly on either.
 
Similar thing happened to me some years ago. Spanish truck articulated wagon doing about 70mph. God bless my Arab boy. He never turned a hair. I could have touched the lorry easily. No excuses here about bends either. Straight road, plenty of room for the wagon. He just couldn't be bothered to move over. Hacking on same road with a chum some time later, lorry going in opposite direction to us never saw us. How do I know? Because he was reading the bally paper!! I kid you not!!! The roads are terrifying; for everyone frankly.
 
Gosh you were lucky. So glad you were both ok. I've experienced some right idiots on the road in my time, on the horse and when driving.
One idiot in a van was behind a car that'd slowed down for me on a road. The van revved it's engine like mad, in some weird attempt to either scare my horse or make the car in front drive faster. After the van passed I looked that them and both lads inside were sniggering. I stuck my middle finger up at those stupid little boys.
Stupid drivers are one thing that really grind my gears.
 
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