trotting up from behind - rude or acceptable?

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darkhorse123

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If out on a hack you see a group of other riders are riding out way in front - approaching a main busy road to cross.
Is it rude or acceptable to (without them knowing until you are upon them due to bends in teh lane etc) trot up from a fair distance behind so you can cross said busy main road with them?
 
Personally I wouldn't mind if someone did it to me. I would think it would be safer to cross the road in a larger group so as to be more visible. Wouldn't you call as you did it though?

How about this one - I was got to the bottom of a bridlepath a few moments after a group of four other riders (we were approaching it from different directions so it wasn't as though I was trotting to catch them up:p, we were all walking). As soon as we got onto the bridlepath, them ahead of me, is it rude if they canter?
 
ty.
I am a novice unconfident rider and had this done to me today.
My horse was not happy and the group i was with thankfully looked after us when he went ballistic on the said main road when said horses and riders were by now trotting down it with us.
When our group could turn off we did and stopped - my friends stayed with me so me and my horse could calm down while we let the other group pass and go on.
Shook me up a bit tbh.
I was worrying it was me, wondering if it was me nto beign a good enough rider - I should be able to control him better - ty x
 
Well if I didn't know the riders and the horses in question, I wouldn't approach them in this way, it's entirely possible that there might be a horse within the group that has a problem with strange horses trotting up behind, and throwing a busy main road into the mix as well would make me wary of causing a load of trouble and possibly real danger to the other riders. If I felt the need to cross the road with them I would approach cautiously and call out to them rather than just trot up behind. The fact that there were bends in the lane would make me all the more cautious as the other horses would most certainly be aware of my approach but I would not be able to see their reaction.
 
unbalanced said:
Personally I wouldn't mind if someone did it to me. I would think it would be safer to cross the road in a larger group so as to be more visible. Wouldn't you call as you did it though?

How about this one - I was got to the bottom of a bridlepath a few moments after a group of four other riders (we were approaching it from different directions so it wasn't as though I was trotting to catch them up:p, we were all walking). As soon as we got onto the bridlepath, them ahead of me, is it rude if they canter?
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Well we were all hi-vizzed up at 10am on a bright clear morning - and in my hacking group noone changes pace without verbally asking all riders and checking if everyone else is comfortable doing so
 
unbalanced said:
Personally I wouldn't mind if someone did it to me. I would think it would be safer to cross the road in a larger group so as to be more visible. Wouldn't you call as you did it though?

How about this one - I was got to the bottom of a bridlepath a few moments after a group of four other riders (we were approaching it from different directions so it wasn't as though I was trotting to catch them up:p, we were all walking). As soon as we got onto the bridlepath, them ahead of me, is it rude if they canter?
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Yes unless they ask you if you are OK with it first. - There could be a lot of very good reasons why you were walking your horse and it's reasonable to expect that all the horses would want to canter together so you should be consulted.
 
Depends on the horses and group tbh. I wouldn't mind if someone did it to me, and equally I know many of the riders in my area, and those i don't I'd just say hello and cross with them.

I used to have a v stressy horse who if he saw someone ahead, would start cantering sideways/plunging along the road, if the horse in front turned off or went round a corner he would get worse. So on that horse, thinking ahead in that situation I wouldn't want to be left on my own on one side of a busy road sitting on an idiot, when a group (or single horse) has just crossed so I would purposefully catch up to join them.

On my current horse, I wouldn't accept the poor behaviour from him if he acted up, and would take that as my responsibility to control him whatever the circumstances, I accept not everyone wants to do that with their horse, but mine does know how to behave, even if sometimes he pretends he doesn't :rolleyes:
 
maresmaid said:
Well if I didn't know the riders and the horses in question, I wouldn't approach them in this way, it's entirely possible that there might be a horse within the group that has a problem with strange horses trotting up behind, and throwing a busy main road into the mix as well would make me wary of causing a load of trouble and possibly real danger to the other riders. If I felt the need to cross the road with them I would approach cautiously and call out to them rather than just trot up behind. The fact that there were bends in the lane would make me all the more cautious as the other horses would most certainly be aware of my approach but I would not be able to see their reaction.
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thats just what happened - my horse heard them coming before me so was very tense and anxious by time we approached the junction where we join the main road - was horrible tbh cos he was pulling to go and we did go out onto road he was in racing mode - not safe at all
 
If I was the lone rider behind, I'd do as others have said - get within shouting distance and then call out to see if it was okay to join the group. I would never assume it was okay to trot up behind strange/new horses because you just don't know how they'll react! Some won't be bothered by a new horse joining the group, but others could react very badly to it (mine would!!) and the situation could become very dangerous, especially around traffic. If they gave it the "okay" then I would be much happier crossing a main road with others, but would avoid it/hang back if I thought it would cause chaos or upset other horses.
 
It's VERY rude IMO (and my horse wouldn't turn a hair).

If the riders thought that they were safe enough to cross the road by themselves when they set off on that route, there was absolutely no need for them to join you anyway.

Try to take the positive from this incident, you coped, you will cope again, should any-one else be rude enough to do something similar.

I wouldn't hack with a group that did anything different from yours - that's only good manners and common sense, no matter the ability of horse or rider.
 
It's rude - a rider who considers others would not take it for granted that all horses and riders woud be comfortable with that as we all know how easily some horses can become upset. The racehorse strings around near us have been very rude doing this to people riding on public bridleways basically just barging through and one member of our yard rang up the trainer and complained they haven't done it since. The thing is most of the riders are on very young unruly youngsters and look petrified so I don't think they would like it if it happened the other way around.

Unfortunately some people have no manners or empathy for others and simply do not understand.
 
starryeyed said:
If I was the lone rider behind, I'd do as others have said - get within shouting distance and then call out to see if it was okay to join the group. I would never assume it was okay to trot up behind strange/new horses because you just don't know how they'll react! Some won't be bothered by a new horse joining the group, but others could react very badly to it (mine would!!) and the situation could become very dangerous, especially around traffic. If they gave it the "okay" then I would be much happier crossing a main road with others, but would avoid it/hang back if I thought it would cause chaos or upset other horses.
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it wasnt a lone rider - there were 2 of them, one on a very quick and "wanting to go" horse that totally stressed my cob out
 
darkhorse123 said:
ty.
I am a novice unconfident rider and had this done to me today.
My horse was not happy and the group i was with thankfully looked after us when he went ballistic on the said main road when said horses and riders were by now trotting down it with us.
When our group could turn off we did and stopped - my friends stayed with me so me and my horse could calm down while we let the other group pass and go on.
Shook me up a bit tbh.
I was worrying it was me, wondering if it was me nto beign a good enough rider - I should be able to control him better - ty x
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They were rude and inconsiderate. It sounds like you have a very modest opinion of your own ability as you class yourself as a novice unconfident rider, but remember you are riding out with a group of people who sound like exactly the right sort of people to accompany a novice rider. Please do not let this knock your confidence too much - this is an "experience" which has been dealt with successfully, no one got hurt, your friends looked after you, you now know how your horse behaves in this situation, it may well be worth discussing with your hacking friends how you might handle such a situation in future. Personally I would have asked all riders present to come down to walk as a faster pace often adds to the excitement - but I know some horses who are actually better kept moving forward in this situation. Please remember that if you think it is safer to do so you can always ask one of your group to ask any traffic to stop for a few moments, and a few stern instructions warning the approaching riders to hold back may also be needed.
 
maresmaid said:
^^ This sounds like a lovely group of people to ride with!
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sounds bloody boring to me - I consider it a dull ride if my horse stops to ask me before changing gaits :D:D:D he knows the drill inside out - if he's in company / someone else riding he waits to be told, but when we're flying solo he knows exactly what I want him to be ;)

I can't see that it would be a particularly good idea to join a group and risk upsetting horses at a main road though. Presumably they're capable of crossing it by themselves - otherwise what would they have done without anyone there :confused:

Personally if I'm out with my horse I tend to go to great lengths to avoid other riders unless I know them - too much risk of upsetting them by mistake or them gettting in the way of us enjoying ourselves - it works both ways :D
 
maresmaid said:
They were rude and inconsiderate. It sounds like you have a very modest opinion of your own ability as you class yourself as a novice unconfident rider, but remember you are riding out with a group of people who sound like exactly the right sort of people to accompany a novice rider. Please do not let this knock your confidence too much - this is an "experience" which has been dealt with successfully, no one got hurt, your friends looked after you, you now know how your horse behaves in this situation, it may well be worth discussing with your hacking friends how you might handle such a situation in future. Personally I would have asked all riders present to come down to walk as a faster pace often adds to the excitement - but I know some horses who are actually better kept moving forward in this situation. Please remember that if you think it is safer to do so you can always ask one of your group to ask any traffic to stop for a few moments, and a few stern instructions warning the approaching riders to hold back may also be needed.
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ty so much - i purposely ride out with very trusted freinds and riders with their steady horses for this very reason, i know they will and do look after us both. - they said it was rude and not my fault but its so nice to get other peoples opinions.
Friends can sometimes just want to say nice things. I shall put it down to experience :)
 
To be honest-if your horse is that upset by another horse trotting beside it, maybe it shouldn't be near main roads? Maybe some more work on that is in order? Strange horses don't tend to upset mine that much, maybe as they know who's inc harge when I'm riding?
 
Pearlsacarolsinger said:
It's VERY rude IMO (and my horse wouldn't turn a hair).

If the riders thought that they were safe enough to cross the road by themselves when they set off on that route, there was absolutely no need for them to join you anyway.

Try to take the positive from this incident, you coped, you will cope again, should any-one else be rude enough to do something similar.

I wouldn't hack with a group that did anything different from yours - that's only good manners and common sense, no matter the ability of horse or rider.
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ty pearl you are so right - they were going to cross the blooming road anyway! I hadnt thought of that!
 
SusieT said:
To be honest-if your horse is that upset by another horse trotting beside it, maybe it shouldn't be near main roads? Maybe some more work on that is in order? Strange horses don't tend to upset mine that much, maybe as they know who's inc harge when I'm riding?
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my horse is fine with others trotting beside it in a group - not them coming up from behind and then overtaking
 
SusieT said:
To be honest-if your horse is that upset by another horse trotting beside it, maybe it shouldn't be near main roads? Maybe some more work on that is in order? Strange horses don't tend to upset mine that much, maybe as they know who's inc harge when I'm riding?
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You are lucky that you haven't yet experienced a problem with your horse when strange horses approach - but that doesn't mean that it can't happen to you.

There is another thread on here about classifying an "experienced" rider - well an "experienced" rider has enough "experience" to know that horses are not 100% predictable and will take this into account in any situation, there are some horses that just ARE upset by this sort of thing and WILL react if other strange horses approach in trot or canter from behind and no amount of re-schooling will change that. (This is why it IS rude to approach in this way.) The rider learns to manage the situation to control the horse and minimise the reaction - and that management might well involve politely asking approaching riders to pass considerately. Anyone who simply says that horses should be trained to behave before going out on the road is very naive.
 
darkhorse123 said:
my horse is fine with others trotting beside it in a group - not them coming up from behind and then overtaking
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in fairness, that's something you will have to deal with - people will want to overtake you at some point, and it isn't always possible / practical to do it in walk. Obviously, it is unwise to trot up behind an unsettled horse when approaching a busy road, but once on the other side, you can't expect others to keep your pace forever.
 
I can see your point, but look at it from theirs... you're on a forward going horse, approaching a junction you have to cross, and your horse has spotted the other horses ahead and is wanting to catch up. You get the idea that the group ahead is not going to wait and see if your horse will be ok standing at the junction when traffic is possibly going past when it can see your horses moving away on the other side... It is quite likely the fact that you didn't wait would cause the horses in the group behind to dance around an make crossing the road more dangerous for them... So rather than let that happen, you trot to catch up the group in front..

Yes they should have perhaps called out, but in my opinion your group should have waited to make sure that both groups got safely across the road, then decided that their group or your group should go ahead while the others let them have some space - but the road crossing wouldn't have been a danger for anyone. A bit of communication goes a long way ob both sides. We have to share the road/bridleways now and again, and should really be thinking of each other.

I personally think its rude to trot up to or trot away from others without politely asking if the other ones are ok with it.
 
JustFindingTheDecorations said:
in fairness, that's something you will have to deal with - people will want to overtake you at some point, and it isn't always possible / practical to do it in walk. Obviously, it is unwise to trot up behind an unsettled horse when approaching a busy road, but once on the other side, you can't expect others to keep your pace forever.
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Very true, but this post was about approaching a group of strange horses in trot, from behind, near a busy main road. Once away from the busy traffic it would not be difficult to sort out a controlled and sensible way for the horses to pass, all it would take is a bit of co-operation and consideration from all parties. We should remember that we were all novice riders once, and even experienced riders can find themselves in tricky situations where a bit of consideration can make all the difference.
 
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