Tractor driver rant!!

[martlin]

Read animals?! Don't be silly. My partners family have had sheep for the best part of 80 years. They still have no idea of how to read a horse!
He probably didn't realise or thought slipping past quickly might have been the better option. I do not believe it was in any way done nastily . After all he could have just ploughed past you right away should he have had the inclination. Definitely worth finding out who it was and explain that the horses were scared as were you and what he could do differently.

Not to mention that the arable boys often have no other animal experience than the yard cat/dog The wheat tends not to be terribly frightened in general

 

[suestowford]

One of mine was a bit scared of tractors for a while, I did wonder if he would ever get used to them (even though there are several which go past his field every day). Then one day I was out riding, and along came a tractor, carrying a bale of hay on the front forks. As it passed us some hay fell off and my pony was thrilled. Of course, he cleared it up (can't leave a mess in the road, can you?) and he has never forgotten it either. He quite likes tractors now

 

[Spring Feather]

Ummm 70kmph = too fast on single track bendy road when driver has one finger on the wheel , half an eye on the road and 20 tons on the back... and they meet a horse or a pedestrian or a child on a bike. The top speed isn't a problem, it's the insistence on using it for inappropriate locations that's dangerous.

Very true! Only an idiot would drive anything at that speed on little single track lanes. Thankfully OP didn't meet a Fastrac tractor.

It bloody well is if it runs into you!! Christ!

My horse and I had a collision with a bicycle about 30 years ago, that was bad enough!

 

[RunToEarth]

The laws on tractor's legal speeds are a little bit confusing though, whilst the vast majority (which are not just small old dodderby tractors but include 90% of all tractors) are limited to 20mph on roads, there are a small few which include fastracs and the large challengers which are legally allowed to go 40mph - that is because their brakes/suspension/chasis is designed to bear extra force. Realistically any tractor with a laden trailer/machinery should not be going above 26mph on the road because that is stupid, unfortunately there are some stupid people about.