tactics for road users and a dangerous driver with red cheeks

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Agent XXX999

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Now, after a few near miss – jumping on the pavement to get out of the way – cringing with the speed – feeling the wind as the car passes incidents on the roads near us, resulting in scared horse – cross rider – and some language that my mother would definitely not approve of, I have had an interesting incident and found and interesting tactic which seems to work…wonder what you do? Sometimes, killing with kindness is quite useful....

1. ‘The incident’ ….woman in ford fiesta goes so fast and close to horse we have to jump into the undergrowth to get out of the way and come to a grinding halt as horse spooking at blue monster. Calm down, trot to nearest car park, find woman parked with flash dog in tow, applying various layers of clothing and a pair of (very clean) hiking boots. Stand and wait for her (politely) and thank the local rambling club (!!!!) for nice comments. Then approach lady and politely asking “ Did you happen to know you are supposed to slow down for horses?!” QUE very red cheeks, round of applause from ramblers (!) and lots of apologies.

2. ‘The tactic’ Is now to walk in the middle of the road. If someone is coming towards me they slow down, and if they are behind me they slow down, as they can’t just wizz round.

What do you all do? I have found this quite useful, but I was wondering if it was legal?
 
I have to admit that occasionally i do the same thing. If something is coming fairly fast i purposely move out a bit as it forces them to slow down, and then come past a bit slower, then thank them when they past, hopefully they will slow down a bit next time!
 
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The tactic’ Is now to walk in the middle of the road. If someone is coming towards me they slow down, and if they are behind me they slow down, as they can’t just wizz round.

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I never ride tight to the curb, and more often than not ride in the middle of 'my side' of the road.

People slow down very quickly when confronted with an 18hh heavyweight hunter that's not going to give any ground!
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I thought you were maent to ride in the middle of your side of the road otherwise you encourage drivers to pass quickley. Mind you..is 20yrs since I took my Riding and Road Safety Test!!
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With the pointers we always used to be in the middle of the roads (B roads, so reasonably quiet but could be speedy!) so that at the least we had somewhere to go but if you are already hedge creeping, you have nowhere else to go do you? We ALWAYS made a very big point (alright, we went overboard with the smiles and waves and probably all looked like fruitcakes!) but it worked for us and regular drivers would wave and smile back even if horses were having titty fits! Even if drivers hadn't slowed down, we'd all wave and cheer, then next time when we saw them coming, we'd start waving and smiling - most of the time they slowed down or opened the window so we could shout " thank you so much, really kind of you!", used to work a treat!

I love the car park episode, well done you; would love to have seen her face!
 
We used to have to ride on a nasty piece of road, well still do but a different one...

Asti is usally a total saint in traffic, whereas Byter can get a bit nervy if she gets someone whizzing too close.

In that situation I have been known to get her to tuck inside and ride 2 abreast, or I'll pull out a bit wider and take control of the traffic and stop and wave them past as I see is safe!

I'm quite prepared to change my whip hand too and hold it by the thin end and bounce the handle (Thick rubber) on their roof - well I can't help it if they drive so fast they knock my whip hand can I?)

And for one obnoxious white van man, who pushed past us in a traffic calming zone (bollards and speed bumps!) and actually hit my stirrup he was that close, I whacked my schooling whip right across his windscreen - and you should have seen him & passenger jump!!!

I know in most circumstances you are better off ignoring them and being polite and smiley and wavey at people - which I always am - but I DO have a temper and I'm not scared of letting it loose!!!
 
I have to hack out on busy ish country road and i find that you have to make yourself command your road space. I always listerning out for traffic making eye contact with drivers, esp ones coming up from behind. If some is driving very fast i will ask them to slow down with hand by correct hand signals (not the one i really want to do). If riding out in company we always ride two by two, to make them slow down, but i always thanks drivers. Over the years I've had a few dangerous moment but if some did do something dangerous and then i saw them just up the road. I would defo go and speak to them and so them how big my horse is and how much power equines have. And try and explain how much room they really do need to give equines and that their not machines.
But some folks are just plain rude, arrogant etc... and think we shouldn't be on roads well, in factor, it should just be them on the roads and nobody else! cos they are the most important people in the world!!
 
Well done!
I never pull in right to the edge - my horse is fine in traffic but quite likely to shy at hedge.
I also wave like a demented loon as long as the car doesn't actually accelerate and bellow thank you lots of times.
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On the other hand, if they are deliberatley dangerous I can become a little confrontational!!
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I go completely overboard with thanking people who slow down, always wear my 'young horse' fluorescents and ride in the middle of my side of the road. I do have a bit of a temper tho and if someone is driving inconsiderately and dangerously it shines through. Hitting the car with a whip works well, certainly makes them jump. Took my boy out for his first ever hack on his own with my mum walking with me. He was an absolute saint, but one driver didn't slow down at all, and was so close she hit my mum with her wing mirror!
 
Yes - well done on embarassing the driver. We use a "fairly" quiet lane to access bridlepaths, etc. & most of the drivers will slow down / pull over for us & we always make apoint of thanking them - smiling/nodding (we must look like those "noddy dogs" you used to get !!). But I came adrift from my horse on our lane the other day while riding down the centre so I could be seen (mega spook/spin - ouch!) and as there had been a VERY serious two car accident on a nearby main road our lane becomes the escape route for traffic going both ways (it's usually fun as it is VERY narrow in places & they don't like getting their cars stuck in the mud) anyway two lovely drivers stopped to help me, a third caught said horse near yard & the first one gave me a lift back to the yard (covered in wet yuk) without a thought for her car interior even though she had been going the other way initially !! So riding out in full view of traffic coming both ways & thanking them does work !!
PS I've been known to "lose it" a bit when they drive dangerously - upturned whip hit by a mirror (especially the hunting one with nice solid handle) makes a nice loud noise which thankfully my horse ignores but it makes the driver jump!!
 
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I meant riding down the middle, as in along the white lines!

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This is what they mean by taking up a defensive position. I agree with your theory but I would be terrified that some idiot haring round country lanes would not be able to see you quick enough to slow down and let you move over.

I also think that some idiot drivers might be tempted to sound their horn if they thought you were 'hogging' the road.

I went for a hack with a mate on Saturday and her house is on an a road. We have to hack about 200 m to get onto a proper country lane and away from speeding traffic. Despite this I still felt slightly safer on the a road than on the normal backroads I have to use to get to the toll rides. Traffic was faster but the a road was wider and straight and most people were well prepared to slow down.
 
aaah - better tactic than that - is to make horsey do alternate shoulder in and travers - gets the driver thinking horsey may be leaping imminently

in the middle of the road may be dodgy - although you could aways claim that you saw broken glass at the edge of the road if challenged.
 
I am tempted to turn my tabard inside out and write with large lettering "Police traffic survey Mounted division" but dnk if I will get done for this? any thoughts??
Fed up with drivers that will not slow down.. getting worse out there.
 
Impersonating a police officer is an offence

As for riding down the midle where the white lines are, then no, I wouldn't do that - I would ride in the middle of your lane, never right at the edge on either side - you would, if on or over the white line, be on 'their' side of the road, where they have every right to be, so if resulted in an accident it would be your fault (morally if nothing else)
 
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