Who keeps their horses next to a busy road?

I used to ride for a family who owned land on a main road. Only 30mph but was a constant stream of traffic throughout the day. When I hacked their ponies out, either the mum would usually come and see me out of the driveway. Most lorries were fine, it was the mums on school runs, men in expensive cars or old people that used to terrify me! It was only hacking for 2 or so miles on the road before getting to the local woods.

Did find that it was less stressful than country lanes - wide road and very straight, so easy to see us (plus lots of hi vis)
 
My equestrian proper is right next to a busy B road that takes traffic and cyclists straight into a hugely famous tourist attraction.
Hackings ok in the week - its usually just local traffic and big Ag machinery - and if the weathers bad, the traffics even more reduced. Although the traffic goes way to fast - at least the road is wide enough for people to get 'round' you. On a sunny sunday up here tho - forget it! the world and his wife are out there whizzing about - I do prefer it though to very narrow, windy country lanes - if you can hear someone speeding towards you, but they can't see you - that used to frighten me sometimes. Always wear my cloak of invincibility (AKA Hi Viz!).
I think, even on our most traffic proof of horses, it's always a bit of a worry about the flapping pheasant of doom flying at you from the left - but I think if you analyse the dangers in everything, we'd probably never get out of bed in the morning - just too dangerous!

Did I hear once that more people die from toaster injures than shark attack?
 
We currently keep our horses on a road that is meant to be 30 mph. The traffic rarely goes the speed limit and there is no path or verge. You literally step out of the field gate onto the road. We can exit down our landladys drive which she kindly allowed us to do as we have a better view of the road. It's not ideal and it has put us off hacking out. In fact we are moving at the end of month. The road isn't the only reason but I won't miss it.
 
We do. The road is a country road but at 50 mph speed limit can be a rat run. However we cross it we can get onto a country park +can ride for miles! I must admit that in the 26 years I've been at the yard, I've hacked out three times, I mainly stick to the large fields at the back. I lost my bottle last year when a friends horse was chased by a loose dog on the country park, friend fell off +horse headed out onto the road till she got to the yard still being chased by the dog!! Thankfully horse and rider were fine but could have been a lot lot worse!!!
 
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I used to be based where it was 1 1/2 mile hack on a busy A road to get anywhere. It was OK. Generally found cars worse than lorries. Although some of it had grass verges I found if I used them traffic noisily zoomed passed me at 60mph, so I stuck on the road to force them to slow down, (good viz no blind corners) but knowing we could leap onto verge if needed!
Actually last week this road was closed (I'm now at opposite end) took my youngster out on it, we walked in the middle of the road it was utter serenity! :-)
 
I used to keep mine on a yard which was/is on a national speed limit main A road and it's a very fast road as it is straight. Sadly there was only one entrance which was off that road! We did/do have the use of the cycle path running along side part of the road but if you turn right out of the yard you are riding against the flow. There is a blind corner at the end of the fenced part of the cycle path and traffic comes flying round it! It takes a very good horse to cope with that.
 
Share horse is kept at a yard which is just off a rat-runnish B road and it's about 1/3 of a mile from there down to a very busy A road (4 lane duel carriageway). We almost always hack down the side of the A road and it's actually a lot safer than the other roads as there's a wide footpath, two cycle lanes and then a grass verge.

Ok, so we pick our times and it does tend to be weekend morning hacks but the horses are both very good in traffic and if they spook at anything, it's the fly tipped fence panel in the grass, not the massive lorries on the A road or the flapping banners outside the pub!
 
I keep mine near a town centre does that count? We've got about half a mile of little housing estates that then eventually turn into the farm drive to reach it. Our hacking includes a 40mph road (and a few national speed limit bits if you keep going in one direction), traffic lights, mini-roundabouts, speed bumps and at the moment a lot of roadworks. Payoff is there's a few nice bridleway networks if you do brave the roads and we do have some field edges onsite we can go around as well. I used to keep him on a yard that backed onto a 40mph road that was a major route into the city centre and always busy and needed crossing whichever way you went. Once you'd crossed it there was miles of quite roads, fields and bridleways to enjoy though. Before that at a previous yard I used to hack several miles along national speed limit and 40mph roads (we were right next to a Biffa lorry park as well) but the bridleways once you got to them were amazing! It's "normal" to me to have at least some stretches of busy road to cross or ride along to get to the good stuff. Sadly I don't quite trust my horse to tackle the hairer bits on his own yet but he's generally ok in company
 
I have to cross an A road or a roundabout to access any hacking, even then it's not great. I've never had any problems with traffic, my horse is mostly fine with it, it's more those scary road signs that I have to watch out for!
 
I havent read through all the replies, but where I keep my mare there is a tunnel that goes under the busy dual carriageway which leads to the fields. The first day she was turned out after she arrived, she jumped out over a 4'6" wall and ran across the road back into the yard- cue heart attack! We are lucky to have good hacking on the farm and box out to the beach etc, I have only ridden on the road once but it was fine.
 
I SO admire those of you who have the courage to ride on or across these fearfully busy roads - I know that I would never dare to do it myself. The problem with getting older is that you have seen, heard of or experienced too many scary situations on horseback and self preservation kicks in big time. I can't believe some of the roads I rode along in my youth - although they weren't nearly as busy as today's roads and more to point most motorists had more courtesy and horse awareness.
 
We only really cross our mega A road in two places - one mini roundabout which we trot smartly round and then further up to get to a quieter section. Doesn't ever strike me as particularly scary to do so but I must admit I'm glad we have the verge/cycle lanes at the side to ride on. It would be pretty crazy to go on the actual road given the serious amount of traffic it carries.
 
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