Some riders give us a bad name - unbelievable

C

cyearsley

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 September 2006
Messages
677
Location
Kent
Visit site
Went out earlier to walk a couple of dogs in the next village and came accross two riders out in the torrential rain.....

One adult - riding along on the road with poor visibility with no hat on....escorting a child! Both with no flourescent gear on at all - UNBELIEVABLE!

The fact that she was soaking wet and her hair was dripping in her face was the least of her worries - she is obviously a complete loon! Can't imagine being stupid enough to hack out on the roads without a hat....let alone in such conditions.....with no hi viz....and with a child.....the world has gone mad!!

Enough, i have finished my rant!
blush.gif
 
sheer stupidity.I can understand if they set off before the rain and got wet but no excuse whatsoever for not wearing a hat.Wonder why the child wasn't at school? Some people don't deserve kids or horses,riding out with no hiviz on,especially as most cars have got their headlights on given how poor the visibility is today.
 
OH would say they seriously need taking out of the gene pool! Can't understand how some people don't see the consequences!

We saw two rider just after Christmas when it was freezing cold, wet (possibly icy) and very poor visibility. Neither were wearing hi-vis but were wearing hats. The worst thing was that one of the riders, a child, obviously couldn't reach her stirrups so had feet through the leathers instead. She wasn't being led and this was on a road that although not a main road is extremely busy with traffic. I was horrified.
The day after I saw them again as pony spooked in front of a lorry, both then trotted across the road and this time child was riding without any stirrups at all.
 
I saw a girl approx 14-15 last summer riding in shorts and T-shirt, listening to an I-pod with no hat riding down a main road!!

Shouted 'where's your hat' and she just smiled at me in response - probably couldn't hear me over her ipod...:-(

I was stunned and couldn't believe anyone would be quite so stupid!
shocked.gif
shocked.gif
shocked.gif


On another note, a yard behind us has lots of polo ponies and they regularly ride up the road riding one and leading 4! I know this is common practice in Polo but this is a narrow, windy country lane and the ponies pretty much take up all of it, a car wouldn't have to be going very fast, it could just meet them on one of the bends and I don't know how they would avoid a crash! I wince every time I see it and think its an accident waiting to happen
shocked.gif
 
I'm sorry but what's it got to do with anyone on this forum why the child was not at school?

It could have been home educated. Could be at home recovering from an illness or bereavement. It could have even been on holiday from a different country.

I agree the rider was not well equipped to be on the roads in those conditions and was not setting a good example to the child but let’s not go overboard and make sweeping assumptions about things we have no knowledge of.
 
It jst keeps happening again and again and again. I think it is going to be a very hard and long battle, and with no chance of actually converting everyone.
 
oh goodness, it was only a general comment, not meant quite so literally
crazy.gif
....if it was ill though, am not sure a hack in torrential rain would be much help........
wink.gif
 
Do you know the worst thing, it's those type of people that nothing bad happens to! It's usually those who do things properly that incur problems!
mad.gif


It's likely they'd cause an accident with the no hi-viz... you can picture it, car coming round a blind bend, sees them last minute and swerves to avoid them. Now imagine the consequence of that! Hitting an oncoming car, a pedestrian on the path, going into a tree.... the list goes on!
mad.gif

gggrrrrrh!

Rant over
wink.gif
xx
 
I am one of the few riders new me that wear hi-viz to hack out - sadly most who don't are teens/children.
At the end of the day it is up to the adult to wear a hat and hi-viz (it turns my stomach when I don't see either being used) but to take children out on the road without hi-viz is discusting. Sadly it may take an accident to make them consider wearing such items may help increase the safety of themselves, horses and other road users.
Sadly I have to agree with Lauracross83, sods law nothing will ever happen to people like this.
 
Our RC keeps plugging away at this, insisting that people joining our social rides etc wear hi-viz. More and more members are now wearing hi-viz at other times, so it is having an effect in our area. There are still quite a lot of riders who don't though
frown.gif
confused.gif
frown.gif
 
I will probably get shot down in flames for this...

Quote Taffyhorse:
" I saw a girl approx 14-15 last summer riding in shorts and T-shirt, listening to an I-pod with no hat riding down a main road!!
Shouted 'where's your hat' and she just smiled at me in response - probably couldn't hear me over her ipod...:-( "

If you weren't on a different continent I would say you had seen me! I am now 20+ but have ridden like this on hot summer days since I was 12.
I would only do it on a horse I know well, and while you can never predicit everything that could happen, I reserve the right to ride MY horse on public property (ie roads) with as much or as little tack / safety equipment as I like. It is MY LIFE and MY CHOICE!! 'Freedom Of Choice' is what we have fought so many wars to defend and the whole point to democracy.
If I was to take all possible measure to avoid injury I would spend my life in a padded room.

The only angle I will agree with you was irresponsible was riding down a main rd. Could you define main road? Width? Size of shoulder/verge? Thanks.
 
I'd agree it's your choice BUT when you do something dangerous in a public place you have to be aware of the impact it has on other people.
For example - your horse spooks & you weren't aware of a potential problem because of the ipod. You come off, no hat leads to serious head injury. Now, coming across you lying half/completely dead on the bridleway is going to be a major trauma for the person who finds you. Hopefully it won't be many hours before the search team, sent out when your horse gets back to the yard sweating & panicing, finds you. Of course that's if it didn't get hit by a vehicle galloping home, perhaps straight through a gap in the hedge onto the road.
Of course that couldn't happn to you!
 
^^^^ What she said.

To define main road - its not classed as an A road, but is constantly used by a heavy volume of traffic as its a main route between two towns inc heavy good vehicles, tractors, motorbikes etc.

How wide is it - well you can drive two lorries past each other fairly comfortably in places but it does get quite narrow and windy and there are no verges along most of its length - its either high banks either side or its wooded almost down to the edge.

And I'm all in favour of freedom of choice and of course its HER life - but with freedom also comes responsibility and this act to me indicated irresponsibility and a total lack of concern or respect for how her actions might impact on other people - and her horse too for that matter.
 
OK I will agree it was not a sensible road to ride down.

But I dont think you should stereotype all ipod /mp3 users as 'probably couldn't hear me over her ipod'. It is possible use them and still hear very clearly conversations/cars etc.

Hairy cob - if I come off hard hat or not, and my horse clears off home I don't stand a cat in hells chance of catching him and neither could Urasian Bolt. I can only hope he has enough traffic sense to not get hit. And yes I do assume that falling and suffering a major head (or any major) injury won't happen to me, becasue if I did I would never get on a horse again.

I have come across an unconcious cyclist (who was wearing a helmet) on a ride and had to gallop to where I had phone signal, call the air ambulence, navigate them to the nearest landing site and then help move the cyclist. And while it was not a pleasant experience I would hardly call it traumatic.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I will probably get shot down in flames for this...

Quote Taffyhorse:
" I saw a girl approx 14-15 last summer riding in shorts and T-shirt, listening to an I-pod with no hat riding down a main road!!
Shouted 'where's your hat' and she just smiled at me in response - probably couldn't hear me over her ipod...:-( "

If you weren't on a different continent I would say you had seen me! I am now 20+ but have ridden like this on hot summer days since I was 12.
I would only do it on a horse I know well, and while you can never predicit everything that could happen, I reserve the right to ride MY horse on public property (ie roads) with as much or as little tack / safety equipment as I like. It is MY LIFE and MY CHOICE!! 'Freedom Of Choice' is what we have fought so many wars to defend and the whole point to democracy.
If I was to take all possible measure to avoid injury I would spend my life in a padded room.

The only angle I will agree with you was irresponsible was riding down a main rd. Could you define main road? Width? Size of shoulder/verge? Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes your life your choice, typical selfish attiude this country seems to have bred, it's not "just" YOUR LIFE YOUR CHOICE, it's the lives of the people who have to live with killing or permanently maining you or your horse for the rest of THEIR lives, or maybe the rest of society having to pick up the peices with permanent care for another 50 years+ for you,
also the other innocent party may very possibly get seriously injured or killed hitting you, IT'S NOT JUST "YOUR" LIFE, grow up and open your eyes.
 
Just to point out Felicity_09 lives in NSW, Australia, so don't think its necessarily this country that has 'bred' her
wink.gif


TBH, I do kind of agree with her, whilst I wear a hat (althougth sometimes have ridden without) and pretty much always wear hi-vis, if I thought when I got on my horse that I might fall off and kill myself, I wouldn't be getting on.

And tbh, if you do get on your horse with that attitude you probably will end up like that - confidence is key when you're on the back of a horse people.

And Felicity_09 don't know what the roads are like in NSW, but I know in WA there are generally large gravelly shoulders on most roads. In the UK, lots of the roads we have to hack on are 2 lanes with no pavement or verge, we just have to play chicken with the traffic. Its not ideal, but if we stop riding on the roads, people with never expect to see a horse, therefore will drive even worse. If they keep seeing them around, hopefully, just hopefully drivers might learn to not be total tw*ts
smirk.gif
 
Felicity_09.

You are young & obviously have very little life experience & for your information, despite being an older lady, I own an ipod & am well acquainted with of how they affect your awareness of your surroundings even at low volumes. It isn't the conversations you need to be aware of - it's that rattly Ifor livestock trailer heading up from round the bend behind you, it's that chainsaw you can just hear in the distance that night make you change your route, it's the dog walker the other side of the hedge who may not have seen you (never seen someone with no hat wearing hi viz!).
Of course we all take a risk every time we get on a horse but we can mitigate the risks. If we choose not to we are showing a complete disregard to the people who have to pick up the pieces - the family who love you & don't want to have to spoon feed you as well as the emergency services. I hope you make substantial contributions to your local air ambulance. Remember about 25% of calls to air ambulance in rural areas are for equestrian accidents.
 
Sorry Stencilface England did 'breed' me...=)-

My point seems to have gotten slightly lost. I realise that road conditions vary considerably between here and England and am not advocating reckless riding on narrow roads, or no high-viz stuff in poor light etc. Just that people shouldn't be judged so harshly for doing something you may deem irresopnsible.

For the record I am the only person I have met in Australia who rides in a reflective jacket (when I deem it nessecary).
 
QR

I may be in the minority here, but I dont actually get hot under the collar at all about people not wearing hats. Hi Viz is one that I do get narked about as by not wearing it, you are arguable compromising the safety of others by not being visible to them. But even then, Hi Viz is no guarantee of safety on the road. As far as wearing a hat is concerned though...hey, it's your head, your choice.

I relate it to the issue of smoking in a way. I will never understand why some people smoke, and I would never choose to smoke myself - much in the same way I dont understand why anyone would hack without a hat, and would never do so myself. The same with wearing a seatbelt - yes it is mad IMO to not wear a seatbelt, but ultimately it is YOUR choice, and if you choose to compromise your own safety, so be it. I think campaigns to get people to wear hats are pointless - much in the same way that the anti smoking campaigns will never work, not totally.

Just coming back to the OP - I see no problem with anyone hackin out in the rain if they so choose - they're no more 'mad' than you are walking your dogs in the same weather!
wink.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top