Tractor driver rant!!

Love

Love

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Just need to vent about a certain tractor driver today! Grrrr.

Happily hacking along, me on my youngster and friend on her ex racer who hasn't been back in work overly long. Tractor comes up behind us. I know kenny isn't too keen on big traffic, nothing major just gets quite "looky" with bigger things, so we stuck tight to the verge to let him past, no where else for us to go. Tractor speeds up so close behind us which sets kenny off, bum tucked in and shot forwards followed by spinning to try and see it and cantering about backwards which of course set my friends horse off too. Now he can clearly see our horses are in the middle of the road and panicking yet continues to drive at us, revving the nuts off this tractor!! Horses were really panicking by this point so we made use if a gateway coming up and only just managed to steer them in whilst this idiot driver speeds off without even a look!!

Honestly!!!! The majority of drivers that pass us are really considerate. But I don't see the need in driving practically on top of us and deliberately revving right behind us!! Thankfully noone came off and the horses got over the whole ordeal pretty quickly. Could have been much worse though.

Rant over. Grr grumble grumble moan moan.
 
Perhaps worth finding a farmer who will let you get your horses used to big farm machinery. Sorry but if you are hacking about in the countryside at this time of year you have to expect to meet tractors, trailers combines and balers...
 
RunToEarth said:
Perhaps worth finding a farmer who will let you get your horses used to big farm machinery. Sorry but if you are hacking about in the countryside at this time of year you have to expect to meet tractors, trailers combines and balers...
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As said in original post, it was the Inconsiderate driving that was the problem. Not the tractor itself. Being "looky" is not a problem. Driving right up behind us and continuing to rev when the horses are upset is....
 
Love - you have my sympathy, nothing worse than ending up in a spot of bother while the person who has caused it does nothing to ease the situation which the driver could have done by backing off a bit till you had some room and not revving his engine.

I thought the suggestion about de-sensitising was a good one - it worked when I kept one of my boys on a farm. He was terrified of the machinery to start with, but we let him meet it all with engines turned off and gradually got to the point where he wouldn't freak when something trundled past his stable or he needed to go past something. It did take an understanding farmer to let us get to that point though. His head farmhand wasn't so nice, which was why we had to do it - either that or move yards.

RunToEarth - I think you've got hold of the wrong end of the stick. It is not the fact that the tractor was there at all, but the inconsiderate actions of the driver that gave Love the need to vent the annoyance that the incident caused. There was no implication that they wouldn't have expected to meet a tractor in such a location.
 
I totally agree desensitising could do no harm at all, sorry I forgot to mention in my previous reply that I wasn't bypassing the suggestion. Was just a scary situation that, in my eyes, maybe could have been avoided. There's also the option that the farmer didn't realise I just highly doubt it.
 
The majority of tractor drivers have an understanding of their responsibility to other roads users, sadly there are some who do not. It may be worth finding our who he is driiving for and having a word. Or if his driving is dangerous a call to the police may be worthwhile
 
Some don't realise - my OH is horsey and does sometimes assume that because ours are all very good with them that everyone else's are.

I was a bit bristly in my reply as I had an awful set to with someone last week whilst I was on the tractor. Met a lady riding up a hill, slowed down from 26kmph which did cause the tractor to rev as it was effectively gearing down - she told me the engine should have been switched off until she had got out of the way - if she is expecting every tractor driver to swicth their engine off when they meet her she may have a sharp shock when she meets OH!
 
My horses are so used to seeing big tractors. We often have tractors in their fields doing noisy stuff. They also get hay dumped in their feeders from tractors so they love them! When we meet any tractors (even the stonking great 8-wheeler ones that are bigger than most peoples houses!) on the roads their ears prick up and think it's food time :)

Some farmers don't know or understand that some horses aren't good with tractors. This tractor driver is probably local to you so maybe look out for him in the future and stop and have a chat with him. I always find if someone is doing something irksome it's always favourite to get onto friendly (ish) terms with them and you usually see them being more accommodating in future.
 
RunToEarth said:
Some don't realise - my OH is horsey and does sometimes assume that because ours are all very good with them that everyone else's are.

I was a bit bristly in my reply as I had an awful set to with someone last week whilst I was on the tractor. Met a lady riding up a hill, slowed down from 26kmph which did cause the tractor to rev as it was effectively gearing down - she told me the engine should have been switched off until she had got out of the way - if she is expecting every tractor driver to swicth their engine off when they meet her she may have a sharp shock when she meets OH!
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To be honest my first post was rather bristly anyway, still in shock I think ;) that's a good point re the tractor could have been gearing down... It just didn't seem to be slowing down at all which was the main problem! It was quite a wide straight road with nothing coming i thought he could of pulled over a bit more and given us some more room. We met some more big traffic further along and neither horses were fussed so no harm done! Think he just surprised us by speeding up so fast, you get into the habit if knowing drivers slow down so expect them to pass slower if that makes sense?
 
Tractors really can't go very fast tbh, even at top speed. They do rev when changing down gear, that can't really be helped unfortunately. I think it's because of their size and the noise they make it probably frightened you and your horses more than it should have. Why don't you see if you can take your horse into some farm yards to get used to tractors?
 
Spring Feather said:
My horses are so used to seeing big tractors. We often have tractors in their fields doing noisy stuff. They also get hay dumped in their feeders from tractors so they love them! When we meet any tractors (even the stonking great 8-wheeler ones that are bigger than most peoples houses!) on the roads their ears prick up and think it's food time :)

Some farmers don't know or understand that some horses aren't good with tractors. This tractor driver is probably local to you so maybe look out for him in the future and stop and have a chat with him. I always find if someone is doing something irksome it's always favourite to get onto friendly (ish) terms with them and you usually see them being more accommodating in future.
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The funny thing is there is a tractor on our yard anyway that takes the muck away so the horses are well used to seeing it trundling about and will happily ride past it whilst its out and about. Just new tractors obviously need to be viewed with caution! ;)

A pic from today of the pony eating cows (if there is any desensitising needed its with cows! ;))

 
Spring Feather said:
Tractors really can't go very fast tbh, even at top speed. They do rev when changing down gear, that can't really be helped unfortunately. I think it's because of their size and the noise they make it probably frightened you and your horses more than it should have. Why don't you see if you can take your horse into some farm yards to get used to tractors?
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I meant speed in relation to how fast we were plodding along :p
 
Spring Feather said:
Tractors really can't go very fast tbh, even at top speed. They do rev when changing down gear, that can't really be helped unfortunately. I think it's because of their size and the noise they make it probably frightened you and your horses more than it should have. Why don't you see if you can take your horse into some farm yards to get used to tractors?
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We clocked them at 40 thru our village on the community speedwatch which is fast enough with big rattling trailers and turnips falling off.
 
Just a quick post to say: and not defending tractor driver, but our farmers are under massive pressure at moment, because they do not know what weather is going to do: and they must get crops in, when our local farmers are able to get onto fields, we, their neighbours know to give them complete right of way. After all, it will affect all horse owners this winter, as they are still playing catchup.
 
Freddie19 said:
Just a quick post to say: and not defending tractor driver, but our farmers are under massive pressure at moment, because they do not know what weather is going to do: and they must get crops in, when our local farmers are able to get onto fields, we, their neighbours know to give them complete right of way. After all, it will affect all horse owners this winter, as they are still playing catchup.
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Totally agree they have work to do and we were just plodding about having a jolly time. Again just think a few seconds of his time would not have been unreasonable to ensure we were all safe. After all, he would have been alot later if one of us was under his tractor wheels! :o:o
 
RunToEarth said:
I expect you could also add that these vehicles can have Bad tempered, inconsiderate drivers who can, you must admit, be a liability. I would expect a farmer to be able to read animals & anticipate the reaction this sort driving would start. Not ALL (the majority are great by the way ) drivers of farm vehicles drive in a sensible manner & some will provoke trouble for fun or spite.
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My horse is alright in traffic now but he was twitchy when I was first taking him out earlier this year (though never with tractors because they are something he has seen a lot of). But when he was still twitchy I used to thank the driver as the vehicle approached and then just trot off to find the nearest gateway, just in case the driver couldn't recognise the horse was twitchy. Drivers are then easily able to recognise that you are getting out of their way and are happy to wait. Sorry for your rubbish experience :(
 
Spring Feather said:
Tractors really can't go very fast tbh, even at top speed. They do rev when changing down gear, that can't really be helped unfortunately. I think it's because of their size and the noise they make it probably frightened you and your horses more than it should have. Why don't you see if you can take your horse into some farm yards to get used to tractors?
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Ummm modern massive ones do! Not trundly old ones, biut giant Fastrac ones do.

Makes for easier relations with drivers as they can do a decent lick but they are at times driven like maniacs by young lads with mobile to the ear and go straight over verges and pavements.

Agree where poss horses should be desensitised to heavy farm machinery but they need to bear in mind what a lethal combination the weight and speed is, and especially bear in mind that most horses will not regularly come across them and them being frightened is predictable and therefore the driver should in accordance with the highway code proceed with great caution and care.

I think revs from changing down is a bit like bus brakes hissing - its hard to be cross when the driver was trying to be helpful but a lot of Giant Fastracs are driven too fast and carelessly (a lot of farmers on farming forums agree and would like some better regulation of young lads driving something that in the normal vehicle world they would never be allowed to drive at their age and experience).

NB I have a small farm and am v pro farming and living alongside, it's all about exercising common sense on both sides.
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
Ummm modern massive ones do! Not trundly old ones, biut giant Fastrac ones do.
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I don't know about old trundly tractors as we only have modern big ones and they still don't go very fast on the road, maybe 50kph max, less if we're hauling full wagons behind. The Fastracs only go about 70kph top speed don't they? Not exactly what I'd call fast.
 
Spring Feather said:
I don't know about old trundly tractors as we only have modern big ones and they still don't go very fast on the road, maybe 50kph max, less if we're hauling full wagons behind. The Fastracs only go about 70kph top speed don't they? Not exactly what I'd call fast.
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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.
 
Some horses can't be desensitised from my experience. I own (although she's out on loan) a saintly cob mare who is 100% with everything except tractors. We have tried EVERYTHING! She has even been a Monty Roberts demo horse and although she was marginally better in the ring with him, back to square one back out on a hack! Even though we redid everything he had said.

Unfortunately I don't own a tractor, and the only farmers I know will let you borrow one for the day at a high cost. I would have needed one for more than a day to desensitise this mare to any reasonable standard. Think it would take a number of weeks of work, doing something with it every day and sadly... I don't have the money. As I am sure many people aren't.

We just have to accept that with this mare, we get out of the way into a gateway.

Majority of tractor drivers round here are very good. In fact, I met one on a narrow section a couple of days ago, when i was hacking my welshie. it was a young-ish lad who pulled over next to a gateway when he saw us and switched his engine off which was very kind.

My welshie is usually bombproof and rather blasé about tractors but sadly I did have an incident a couple of weeks ago now, whichever I did report on here, where a tractor driver literally drove at us on a very narrow space and pushed us off the road. Aforementioned bombproof welshie had to leap sideways to avoid being hit as he does past us at speed, without even slowing down. That is just plan dangerous and inconsiderate, and did give me a skewed view of tractor drivers for a while. Lovely young lad I met the other day restored my faith a bit! And helped with my work on re-bombproofing my previously unflappable welshie too!

Consideration is not a lot to ask. And for all road users. Whether rider, hiker, dog walker, cyclist or fellow driver. We all share the road and if people were a little more considerate of one another I'm sure we would all have a much nicer time on the road.
 
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.
 
Blimey, this post is quite funny. Some people get quite a cob on..

Op, he sounds like a twit. I'm glad your both safe! There's no justifying driving at you and revving. Let's be honest, it doesn't take a genious to work out that two jumping horses in the middle of the road are spooking.
 
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My horses see tractors every day, but tractors are BIG and I don't blame any horse being frightened. The driver should have been more considerate and let you get out of the way without frightening the horses. Everyone has a right to use the road.
 
Spring Feather said:
I don't know about old trundly tractors as we only have modern big ones and they still don't go very fast on the road, maybe 50kph max, less if we're hauling full wagons behind. The Fastracs only go about 70kph top speed don't they? Not exactly what I'd call fast.
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It bloody well is if it runs into you!! Christ!
 
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