Strangest thing said to you while out riding?

[poiuytrewq]

I was riding and leading and had to pass roadworks. My partner had already mentioned the workmen weren’t local, (simply because I’d commented they seemed to be there constantly then not at all and so on, he said they were working flat out 4 days on staying in hotels then home for 4 days- this is relevant ? they were from inner city somewhere)
One asked if he could come up to the horses, I said yes and he was really interested in them and after a while asked if they’d mind him touching them. Then exclaimed “oh that’s so weird, they feel nothing like a cat”

He was a lovely guy, but it blew my mind an adult had never touched a horse!

 

[nikkimariet]

‘You should pay road tax’

Lols.

 

[scruffyponies]

I've had several offers to buy my little Dartmoor stallion from travelling Irish gentlemen whilst hacking out. He has the look of one of the mini cob types that were very popular a few years back. Being fair, he is quite handsome.

 

[EllenJay]

Riding my 18y year old black Welsh D, with my friends 5 year old shirexTB, I was asked "when your horse grows up are you going to put shoes on him"

 

[Fleece Navidad]

I was riding and leading and had to pass roadworks. My partner had already mentioned the workmen weren’t local, (simply because I’d commented they seemed to be there constantly then not at all and so on, he said they were working flat out 4 days on staying in hotels then home for 4 days- this is relevant ? they were from inner city somewhere)
One asked if he could come up to the horses, I said yes and he was really interested in them and after a while asked if they’d mind him touching them. Then exclaimed “oh that’s so weird, they feel nothing like a cat”

He was a lovely guy, but it blew my mind an adult had never touched a horse!

I've had similar "oh, he's soft!" Not sure what they were expecting to be honest!

 

[M&M&G]

Cute one - small child exclaimed "oh look mummy that horse has been sick".
Had no idea what she was talking about then realised that the hedgerow snack combined with her mouth foam had resulted in green 'sick' down her chest!

 

[Chappie]

I always put hi-vis leg wraps on my cob when hacking and I can honestly say 4 times out of 5 we will have someone remark "Oh look at his socks!" or "He's got legwarmers on!"

Once someone said "How old is that horse?" maybe as he is roan; the white hairs? Or maybe as he was extraordinarily ploddy that day ?

Years ago had a couple berate me as being "far too fat to ride that horse." It was a ploddy day and I had on a big blouson jacket over a body protector. Im about 8.5 stone and my legs are like twigs, it was just my upper body that was looking round!

And we often get stopped and he gets told what a handsome chap he is ?

 

[MereChristmas]

Years ago had a couple berate me as being "far too fat to ride that horse." It was a ploddy day and I had on a big blouson jacket over a body protector. Im about 8.5 stone and my legs are like twigs, it was just my upper body that was looking round!

I had that in reverse. I wore my body protector under my jacket and wasn’t recognised on foot. I was expected to be fatter.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

“Is that a zebra?” More than once, on my old leopard spotted appy.

“Can I have a ride on your horse?” A naked man, on a beach adjacent to a well known nudist spot. When I explained she was a bit difficult to handle, he asked if he could sit behind me! ?

And my lovely (and very pretty) German friend had a total wimp of an 18hh warmblood, who was having a meltdown at a young man who was out for a run. He was snorting and shaking so she said “he’s fine, he is just smelling you.” And the man, with much concern, said “I did put deodorant on before my run.” ??? ?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I was hacking a few years ago and came upon a couple walking, one of them flung themselves into the hedge shouting "I am terrified of horses, they're so big!" I am quite short and I was riding a 13 hand pony...

There was a guy that used to cycle along the same track we hacked rhe racehorses on. You would quite often see the bike dumped - peddles still turning - and no human in sight. I headed out on Deli myself one day and came across the bike. The guy shouted down from the top of the 8ft banking that he was terrified of horses. So we had a chat, he gradually creapt down the bank, inching closer. I hopped off as he got to the bottom of the bank and he plucked up the courage to come pat the horse. 45 mins it took him. I had the time to kill, he wanted to conquer his fear a little and whilst yes Deli was a racehorse she was the sweetest mare you could wish for. I don't mind stopping and chatting to people if I have the time and he appreciated it too. He got to the point where he could stop and stay on his bike at the bottom of the bank if there was 1 or 2 horses but any more than that and he was back off up the banking.

I often get asked at shows how big my foal is going to be when it grows up. Yup, it's a 15yo shetland, it ain't getting any bigger!

 

[Caol Ila]

Drunk guy staggering along the road in S. Lanarkshire, speaking in broad and very very slurred west of Scotland accent: Can I drive it?
Me: What?
Drunk dude: I used to know how to drive.
Me (giving this guy too much credit): Drive? She doesn't drive.
Drunk dude: You're driving it. Can I have a go?
Me: Um, no. (rode away quickly)

 

[Sleipnir]

I was out hacking when noticed a man with a toddler standing on the side of the trail and looking excited about my big guy. I stopped for a quick chat and the man asked, if his toddler could pat the horse, to which I agreed. After a few pats, the man suddenly, totally out of nowhere, tries swinging the toddler up in the saddle - and my gelding is 16.3hh! He shied away and I, shocked, asked the man what in tarnation he was trying to achieve!? Apparently, he thought it would cause no harm if I gave his kid a ride, so the obvious solution was to throw him up in the saddle with a stranger, on a huge horse, ready to take off!!

 

[little_critter]

I saw a guy walking his dog, as we approached he mumbled something to me:
Me: [taking a couple of steps closed] “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that”
Him “mumble”
Me: [taking a couple more steps closer] “pardon?”
Him: finally speaking up “can you keep your distance, my dog is scared of horses”
Me: ?

The dog looked fine by the way.

 

[PapaverFollis]

"Are those to keep her ears warm?" Hi viz ear bonnet. I've had to explain that it's just to help drivers see us several times! Surely that's kind if obvious?

 

[Sprat]

I used to ride around a village where the houses were significantly lower than street level, so you could always get a good look into peoples houses if you so chose to.

One Sunday morning, I was riding through the village and noticed some movement in a window to the left of me. It was a chap having a good old sing and dance to himself while doing his ironing, completely starkers. We had a very cringey moment of catching each others eyes - I trotted off quick sharp. Made sure to NEVER look up at the particular window again while hacking!

 

[TotalMadgeness]

The hi viz ear veils always get comments. 'He has horns!' 'He looks like a viking!' 'Can he hear OK?'

 

[HollyWoozle]

"Just like a big Dalmatian!" from a passerby whilst hacking my Mum's Appaloosa.

 

[Scotsbadboy]

Someone asked me if they could pet my horse once and i kinda said yes whilst inwardly rolling my eyes and within a second she was CUDDLING my horse!!!! A full on cuddle!!! I wouldnt have minded so much but she had just put her horse on the trailer having finished a hack so its not like she wasnt horsey. It was very bizarre i must admit, i felt like saying to get 'go cuddle your own horse'

 

[SJJR]

Not whilst riding (sorry!) but as I was bringing the horses in a man was wandering down the track to the field and asked 'what weight is that horse?', told him, 'what about that one?'. He asked no other questions and it left me feeling that he was eyeing them up for a horsemeat scandal.

 

[alibali]

Can I SMELL your horse ??

 

[WandaMare]

I had a lady in a jeep shout out of her window 'was that horse cut late?' it really took me back. I just shouted back 'why do you need to know?' and she looked a bit annoyed. She then pulled up along side me and asked how he was bred and how much I'd paid for him! I obviously didn't tell her, nosey old thing.

 

[GinaGeo]

Out on my super gelding, we walk past a chap with a dalmatian, straining on it's lead. "Can I let her off so they can play?" he asks. I began to chuckle thinking he must be joking, notice him going for the lead and realise he's being quite serious. I shout a bewildered "No - I don't think that's a very good idea" and I must admit we did get out of there pretty quickly. He seemed like a nice enough bloke who genuinely thought his dog and my horse might quite like to play.

 

[Leandy]

I have been told several times, whilst out hacking in walk up gentle inclines, that I should get off and walk up the hill myself as it is too much strain on the horse.

 

[Brownmare]

I had a cyclist once ask if he could hang onto my horse's tail (very feisty tb mare) to get a tow up the hill! I told him only if he wanted his teeth kicked out....

 

[Tarragon]

Passer by - "Are you a Policeman?"
Me, riding my 13hh Exmoor pony, but i was wearing the blue and silver reflective chequered pattern around my riding hat!

 

[Brownmare]

Passer by - "Are you a Policeman?"
Me, riding my 13hh Exmoor pony, but i was wearing the blue and silver reflective chequered pattern around my riding hat!

Reminds me I had that too, and in fairness I was riding a big black warmblood with the Polite hiviz but I also had my whippet with me and they asked if he was a police dog! I managed to keep a straight face while replying yes but he was used exclusively for high speed chases ??

 

[scruffyponies]

I have been told several times, whilst out hacking in walk up gentle inclines, that I should get off and walk up the hill myself as it is too much strain on the horse.

Avoid giving this impression by allowing your horse to 'spring' the hill; raises eyebrows up the main road, but at least it's clear the horse isn't struggling.

 

[Gloi]

I had a cyclist once ask if he could hang onto my horse's tail (very feisty tb mare) to get a tow up the hill! I told him only if he wanted his teeth kicked out....

We used to do that as teenagers when we went out with my tolerant pony and a friend on a bike ?

 

[NA85ISH]

I do love a good non horse person, 2 below which i always laugh at below

Another good one was when i was out hacking on my old boy, he was a very pleasant horse, a over sized haflinger so very much a look at me kind and he loved the attention. We were riding past one of the fields with the horses grazing when i saw a guy approaching with his young daughter on bikes, we stopped and moved over. The guy then asked if his daughter could stroke the horse, which i agreed, the horse is lapping up the attention as usual when the guy turns around and asks me how much meat i need to feed one of these......... i looked at the field of grazing horses next to us and replied around half a cow a day (thinking he was joking) he was absolutely flabbergasted and couldnt wait to go to the pub and tell his mates how much cow horses eat

The other random one which i am still not sure which way it was meant. Out hacking on the haflinger above and on the lines we hacked on there are seats along the way, an older gentleman would often be sitting on one of the seats, normally i would smile and shout morning etc. Well today this man decided he would like a chat, of course the horse obliged straight over to be fussed, i am sure he could understand people, we were chatting about the weather etc then i announced we would have to get moving as we had the silly cob to sort still, this older guy then says randomly out of the blue "it must be nice to have 15 hands underneath you" ????? make of that what you will, because i smiled and made haste away, changing our hacking route for a few weeks

but one of the not so nice, but we can laugh about now was when my friends horse had to PTS in the field, shes away and the field is only small and has a road running right next to it, the road is mainly used by the yard but you get a lot of cyclists and pedestrians. we covered the horse in rugs until he could be collected, but hes still in plain sight, we decided to remove a shoe and take some mane and tail hair for our friend. The road had been so quiet all day and it literally turned into rush hour, the amount of people commenting to their kids, ah look at that horse having a nap theyve even tucked him in, ah isnt he a quiet horse letting you pull his legs like that (trying to remove said shoe), wow can i get a picture with the horse asleep, how do you get a horse to stay so still, when we we knew it was nearly time to be collected we had to literally tell a couple who were having a conversation that he was dead and they really didnt want to see what was going to happen next

 

[Annagain]

We frequently get asked if Archie and Monty are brothers and if they're police horses in training. To be fair they're both nigh on 17hh, grey, very chunky and usually dressed head to toe in hi-viz so they're not that daft as questions.