What would you consider a reasonable speed to pass a horse at?

[motorcyclist]

I've registered here because I'm genuinely interested in the oppinion of horse riders after an incident this evening.

I ride a motorcycle. While riding on a c-class road I saw a pony and rider up ahead, accompanied by two people on bicycles.

Now my motorbike is a vintage one, it's quite noisy in a "pop-pop-pop" kind of way but is almost totally silent with the engine ticking over.

I figured by the fact they were accompanied it was probably either an inexperienced horse or rider (or both? a true recipe for disaster).

As is my habit on a narrow road like that. I dropped my speed to around 15mph and passed as wide as possible without being in the ditch with the throttle closed and the clutch pulled in. I'd probably have gone somewhat faster on a two lane road on the basis that I can pass wider.

The pony was clearly playing up as I passed, barging its backside round into one of the cyclists and, if I'm any judge, squaring itself up for a double barreller in my direction.

I went past to the sound one of the party roaring "SLOW DOWN!" at the top of their voice (obviously a common technique to calm a spooked equine).

So. Was this an unreasonable speed to pass at?

Had I slowed down to a crawl and ridden behind them, I doubt it would have been any less spooked. I'm certainly wary about passing too slowly because I have no particular desire to be kicked in the head. I know enough about horses to know some of them would go crackers no matter how slowly I passed.

Should someone have an animal that can't cope with a motorcycle passing at 15mph with a closed throttle (a speed I regularly do on my push-bike) on the road at all? They clearly did know it is an animal that would be easily upset by the fact that there were three of them accompanying it for a ride-out.

 

[BeckyX]

well i am not hot on mph but if the horse is playing up then its best to crawl past very s l o w l y !!! some riders can be a bit umm rude to drivers etc. which sometimes doesn't help!! just be considerate its not really your fault the horse was playing up just maybe go a tad slower in the future

 

[motorcyclist]

15mph is around the speed of a cyclist pedalling briskly but not hard on a level road.

 

[quirky]

Hmm, those old motorcycles do seem to be more scary than a 'modern' bike.

If I had been in your position and you could see the horse wasn't too happy, I'd have waited for them to get into a gateway, or maybe on a deep verge.

If the horse was fine, then 15mph seems a reasonable speed.

 

[Donkeymad]

15-20mph. We find any slower is far too slow and causes more problems than going too fast.

 

[RuthnMeg]

You sound like a very nice motor bike rider! Wish I could meet more like you who has the common sense to do ones best in avoiding nasty situations!
By the sounds of it, you didn't do anything wrong, just an unlucky situation where, by the sounds of it, the riders nervous and escualated the situation?
If it makes sense, my horse hates traffic loitering behind her... so you did do the right thing in my view.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[alsxx]

Hands out popcorn...

In an ideal world if the horse is playing up or not its a case of passing slowly, if possible stop and let them pass if its obviously playing up, for your safety as much as theirs. However saying that, when I ride out, if something is coming towards me that I know will set mine off, I will pull in somewhere (even if its just halting on the edge of the lane) and let them past instead of carying on jogging sideways (for example, misbehaving doesn't actually happen that often!) particulary as in my view the average driver I meet probably doesn't have a horse and wont necessarily think like I do..

 

[Weezy]

I think 15mph is very considerate TBH.

 

[ester]

I would always say 15mph is best for most situations, faster on a wide road though I prefer it if its less than 40... sometimes you can make the situation worse if slower than 15 as you are hanging around behind the horses. It is also well known that most motorcyclists are excellent at passing you, we have an annual rally up our way and they are all good

OP I would take heart that you arent going to get it right for everyone all the time as all horses are different. However I do think if there 2 people not on horse then if they thought the horse was going to present an issue than one of the party should have asked you to stop while they found a safe place to put the horse. That isn't really your decision to have to make.

Also... people can easily be paniced if they think the situation isn't in control.... and hence take there stress out on anyone to hand... ie nice passing motorcyclist. Don't hold it agains the rest of us

 

[frannieuk]

15-20mph. We find any slower is far too slow and causes more problems than going too fast.

Agree with this, and thank you for your consideration OP. In my experience bikers are some of the most considerate road users around.

ETA Obviously dependent on road type and location, but to emphasise that too slow is often as bad as too fast IMO.

 

[FlorenceBassey]

You cant say they know it would missbehave as there where 3 others with it at all, it could have been a group of friends! one of mine is great on the road and the other is a sod, i'd say about 10/15 mph is ok and remember to pass as wide as you can, also leave a large gap between you and the horse before you pull out, please dont think i'm patronising you but the amount of people that get close up before pulling around astounds me,

 

[Pedantic]

Hi, thanks for your consideration, I find most motorcyclists are courteous, which is more than can be said for some horseriders I pass, anyway I ride my Pony through a city center about once a month, and he is used to most traffic, but I think the old pop pop type engines would probably make him a bit edgy, some of the very large noisy Harley type motorbikes have spooked him in the past, advice would be if your not sure hang back until safe to pass for all concerned, apologies from the rest of us for the ignorant riders

 

[MrsMozart]

Firstly, thank you for coming on here and asking the question

It's a hard one to judge. For some horses going as you did would be just right, for others it would be totally wrong. I ride motorbikes and would have done the same as you in that instance, unless I knew the road and knew there was an area that the horse could be moved into.

Given that your bike makes the loud 'putt putt' noise, I would rather you were out of the way and past us and gone, rather than sat behind.

One of our ponies is scared of motorbikes, but he just sort of tucks his bum up and shakes a bit. Frequent outings is making him less worried about them. He would stress for a moment as you went past, but would chill quite quickly once you had gone.

The usual bugbear is people who go past slowly, then get just past the head level of the horse and open up the throttle/put their foot down. That's left many a horse and rider spinning in someone's dust.

 

[Maisy]

I dont think you can say what is a reasonable speed, as it depends where you are and what the conditions are like. I ride on a lot of busy roads, and I would rather the traffic kept flowing around me....my horse doesnt mind traffic and is clearly not prancing around or being spooked by anything. If she was spooked, I would think it reasonable that the traffic slowed to a crawl....however, there is no way I would go down the roads I ride on if I thought for one minute that she would perform!!!

Unfortunately, there are SOME horse riders who take up the entire road and expect traffic to stop until they have finished their ride, because they think they 'have the right' ......You sound like you were being considerate and I assume you wouldnt have put yourself in any danger either, being on a bike rather than in a car, you would have felt the impact if anything had happened, too!!!

There is only one way a horse can get used to traffic, however the owners/riders should be grateful that you were considerate enough to slow down that much!!! I get boy racers passing me on regular occasions!!!

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

I think 15mph is very considerate TBH.

Totally agree

 

[motorcyclist]

Thanks for the replies folks.

You often see the "slow down for horses" bumper stickers but I was just interested to know how slow is slow.

And just thought I'd mention something something that I find quite funny. Those day-glo bibs people wear when out riding. Any time I see one with "Horse and Rider" written on it I always have a wee chuckle to myself. If I can read that and not realise it's a horse and rider, I REALLY need to get my eyes tested.

 

[humblepie]

A friend's OH has vintage bikes and some of them are very noisy. Very nice of you though to come on here and ask and echo the fact that sometimes too slow is worse provided plenty of space is given. On my old horse who wouldn't have liked such things, I would probably have put my hand up to ask you to wait and trotted on fast until I could get out of the way. To be fair, though nowadays I wouldn't ride him on the road but in those days there was much less traffic.

 

[appylass]

Totally agree

Me too. And thank you for your courtesy and taking the time to ask

 

[Eaglestone]

Thank you for your concern, as it clearly shows that you care about others

TBO I think it all depends on the road conditions and if there is anywhere for the rider and their companions to go .... if there are ditches and barbed wire alongside the roadside, I would be very concerned, if I heard a 'pop pop' type of motorbike coming along.

If one of my horses was 'playing up' along the road, for whatever reason, then if a cyclist whizzed passed me at 15 miles an hour, I would be rather annoyed and shocked, but doubt I would say anything ....

As others have said, I would think that if you ever encounter that situation again (which is very rare tbo) then, hold back and wait for everything to calm down ..... it is better to be late then never get there

I also do not think the horse would have been squaring up to give you both barrells, as to be honest most horses would never attempt to hurt a fly.

I hope this helps in some way

ETS I always thank people and even tend to thank those who zooooom past for some odd reason ...........

 

[dizzyf]

If it was my horse spooking at a noisy bike, car or tractor (and he probably would) I would've stopped in a safe place and let you pass. As long as you were making an effort not to spook my horse (which you obviously were) I would've thanked you, then told my horse off for being such an idiot (only metaphorically, not beating him!!).

I agree that most bikers (my fiance is one) are cautious of horses, it's the car drivers that don't give us any room that annoy me. Or cyclists that silently whizz past!

 

[dizzyf]

Thanks for the replies folks.

You often see the "slow down for horses" bumper stickers but I was just interested to know how slow is slow.

And just thought I'd mention something something that I find quite funny. Those day-glo bibs people wear when out riding. Any time I see one with "Horse and Rider" written on it I always have a wee chuckle to myself. If I can read that and not realise it's a horse and rider, I REALLY need to get my eyes tested.

Yes, I have often wondered why they say that- its a bit pointless!

 

[Brownmare]

I can see your point but - to address your last point first, how on earth can you be expected to train a horse to be safe in traffic on the road without taking it on the road first? Obviously the people you met were taking precautions by giving the horse and / or rider a bit of moral support using a "human herd" (for want of a better description)

This is a subject close to my heart as I have a very highly strung horse who was once terrified by a numpty on a scooter going as fast as he could past us. It then took almost a year to get that horse safe again with bikes (yes it put her off pedal bikes too) so it is also possible that the horse you met was in rehab from a previous encounter with a biker less sympathetic than you.

From my point of view I always ride with a fluorescent tabard saying "Please pass wide and slow" which I find effective for most people. However, I do expect drivers / bikers to pay attention to my horses actions and most people (especially lorry drivers) will if necessary stop and cut the engine until I am safely past or have dived into an open gateway.

It sounds like you carried on regardless when the horse became agitated which only makes things worse. You don't say if they were going in the same direction as you or not but if they were coming towards you and the horse started panicing I would expect you to stop if asked and wait until the horse was past but if they were going away from you I would probably expect you to do as you did. It was really the riders reponsibility to direct you to overtake or stop etc and if they did not you cannot be blamed for continuing.

Personally, I would have asked you to stop then circled back so I was coming past you not the other way round (less pressure on the horse that way as they feel more in control of the situation). I don't think the actual speed is relevant it is the speed combined with the proximity that is crucial and even though your bike may sound quiet to you they do have a distinctive sound which upsets many horses....

Lastly, if you want to offer your services to help bike-proof horses I'm sure many people on here would gratefully accept

 

[ester]

BM, the op did say he was behind them

 

[Eaglestone]

Thanks for the replies folks.

You often see the "slow down for horses" bumper stickers but I was just interested to know how slow is slow.

And just thought I'd mention something something that I find quite funny. Those day-glo bibs people wear when out riding. Any time I see one with "Horse and Rider" written on it I always have a wee chuckle to myself. If I can read that and not realise it's a horse and rider, I REALLY need to get my eyes tested.

Glad you still have a sence of humour, as I always think that too .... everyone should wear Hi Viz, even you should, if you do not already ..... I love the use of 'day-glo' lol

 

[Wishful]

I'm not a biker (too wussy) but I have quite a loud car (boy racer exhaust, installed by previous owner!). I tend to go with the high gear, low revs, low speed approach when passing a horse, waiting until I'm certain I can pass wide and slow with adequate visibility.

If a horse is coming towards me on a single track road, then I look for a passing spot where I can turn the engine off, but if I'm coming up behind them and the horse is getting wound up, I don't know what the best approach would be. I could stop, but if the horse is not in sight, how do I know when to go again (most of the roads around here are twisty). Surely the best thing is to get past when it is safe rather than be lurking behind the horse for miles, winding it up with the unavoidable engine noise.

Easier with a bike than a car to give a wide berth on a narrow road, most of the passing spaces round here wouldn't really give enough space - would have to wait for a side road to pass safely...

 

[Chestnuttymare]

I think you were absolutely right in what you did. I think loitering behind them on a noisy bike would have been worse. I agree that any slower can pose a problem.
If they thought there was going to be a problem, they ought to have asked you to stop and certainly not yell at you like that.
Don't tar us all with the same brush though, I always make sure I say thank you and always give them a smile. I pass riders and they often look like they have a hot poker stuck up their erse!! No wonder drivers think we are all stuck up.

 

[Spit That Out]

My yard is down the road from a "bikers" pub and on the whole are very considerate to horsey folk. Most pass wide and approx 10 - 15 miles an hour, some even stop and turn their bikes off.
I think most bikers have a better understanding on how dangerous riding on the roads can be as they, like horse riders don't have the luxury of a metal can covering themselves with airbags, seatbelts and at least 4ft of car bonnet in front of them.
However bikers can also get a bit giddy when it comes to the twists and turns of the lanes and start to think they are competing in the TT!!!
I think if you pass on a narrow lane then go as slow as you can without wobbling off.
Horse riders should move over or stop themselves if their horse is playing up.
Horse riders, Use your hands to give signals like hand out in front of you, palm facing out towards the oncoming traffic, flat and fingers together which means stop. Cars coming from behind, stick your arm out straight to the side and wave up and down which means slow down...I know this might seem like an ideal world situation but we need to communicate with drivers/riders they aren't mind readers and they don't know what your horse is going to do anymore than you do.
Don't forget your high vis...it might not be fashionable or a pain in the bum to put on but a rider Wearing luminous and fluorescent items can give vehicle drivers a valuable THREE seconds extra ‘reaction time’ that could save the life of both you and your horse! To put it into context those three seconds are equivalent to a car, driven at 30 mph, travelling the length of a full size dressage arena!

 

[Persephone]

Hmm, those old motorcycles do seem to be more scary than a 'modern' bike.

If I had been in your position and you could see the horse wasn't too happy, I'd have waited for them to get into a gateway, or maybe on a deep verge.

If the horse was fine, then 15mph seems a reasonable speed.

Agree totally.

 

[SpockkyBoy]

I think 15mph is quite resonable. So long as the rider has noticed your presence, as Im sure a horse would see you long before a rider does!

Motorbikers round me are quite good, pedal bikers and cars are just a different story! They can be so rude and fly past! Im quite lucky my pony is good with cars and normally very good with pedal bikes.

 

[Katie__Connie]

15mph is perfect... it isn't your fault they have a horse that isn't safe on the road and you did your best to help the situation