Who Was In The Wrong?

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Mithras

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When I was down in Surrey last week, driving about slightly lost on back roads, (and therefore not very fast) I came across two riders, one of whom was stationary on her horse in the middle of the narrow lane. I must have been driving about 10mph as I approached her and I stopped about 10m away and looked at her for a bit, puzzled. After a good minute or so of glaring at me, she rode her horse round to my car window, which I rolled down and proceeded to rant at me for "speeding around the roads" and, well, actually I can't remember the rest. But the point seemed to be that I should have been phsychic and pulled in a few metres away onto a low bank so she would not have to ride past my car. It was utterly bizarre. When she paused for breath I pointed out that I was a horse owner myself who competed at some pretty big shows and my horse had to be safe around children, bouncy castles and other horses, never mind cars. At this point her companion joined in to announce that she was riding a young horse and if it kicked my (stationary car) as they went past, I would be responsible.

Oh how I wished I had pointed out that they wern't even wearing safety tabards but I was honestly too taken aback. I did manage to say that I thought they gave horse riders a bad name and that they had no manners.

So to those two lovely ladies of a certain age who were out last week between Dorking and Guildford, if you really don't have the confidence to control your extremely quiet horses, please sell the poor animals onto someone who does before your ruin them. And please don't ride about shouting and screaming at drivers who have slowed down or come to a halt for you.

Honestly, you have to wonder about people. I think you just sit some people on the back of a horse and they instantly become very precious and self important.
 
Just imagine if it had been a non-horsey person in the car. They would have hated horse riders for ever more, so thank goodness it was you! What rude ignorant people, I'm not surprised you were taken aback!!
 
I agree...you didnt nothing wrong at all. After all you slowed down and you did stop for them.

Your right people should not have horses if they can not control them. I never had anyone stop what they were doing when i was getting Buddy more confident in doing things, they never get bomb proof unless they are made to face and deal with things. Silly cows you were alot more well mannered than what i would have been to them lol.
 
Christ, you're more restrained than I am, I'd have given them a right mouthful for being so rude!
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If their horse is afraid of a stationary car let alone a moving one then god knows what would've happened if they had met a speeding boy racer or similar... eek! If they're that worried why on earth were they on the road at all. My 4yo is almost totally traffic proof already and we've encountered all sorts (inc hedge cutters, sprinklers, speeding lorries, buses with airbrakes etc!). I would've pointed out that with that level of nerves on board it's no wonder their horses were uptight!!
 
I agree with Super_Kat I'd have got out and stood arguing for a good 1/2 hour or so. If the horse had kicked your car they would have had to pay damages ie: third party. I know I rant and scream after drivers passing me on a horse who are doing well above the 30 more nearer 60mph. But on country lanes where drivers have to go slow (yes some do speed even on here. She obviously heard you coming. But if she really thought you were speeding WHY did she stand in the middle of the road.?
 
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I agree with Super_Kat I'd have got out and stood arguing for a good 1/2 hour or so. If the horse had kicked your car they would have had to pay damages ie: third party. I know I rant and scream after drivers passing me on a horse who are doing well above the 30 more nearer 60mph. But on country lanes where drivers have to go slow (yes some do speed even on here. She obviously heard you coming. But if she really thought you were speeding WHY did she stand in the middle of the road.?

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I definately wasn't speeding. I was lost and bimbling around and if I had been going anything other than very slow, when I turned that corner and saw her in the middle of the road about 30m away, I would most likely have run into her. It was national speed limit anyway, but I was doing nowhere near that. I was going really, really slow. She seemed more annoyed that I didn't reverse or something out of her way as she sat there glaring aggressively at me. Unfortunately I had no idea what she was doing! I really was totally perplexed. And if the other one was on the young horse, why wasn't she behind instead of in front?

Maybe they had just had a run in with another driver? It was when I pointed out to them that I was also a horse owner and I was doing nothing wrong that they really started ranting. I wish I had had a go at them actually. I was having a pleasant holiday til then and they really ruined part of it.

Absolutely, if I had been a non-horsy driver subjected to that, the next time I saw horses I would have deliberately revved my engine and crawled right up their backsides.

Honestly though, their horses were dead quiet. They wouldn't have stirred if a bomb had gone off under their noses. They had that sort of resigned switched off look that horses that have seen all sorts of tantrums from their riders. The riders were the ones with the behavioural problem!

Does anyone on here know them? Two women about 35-40, horses about 16.2, a bit fat (the horses)both chestnuts or light bays, the women wearing sleevless vests and no reflective tabards, on the back road to East Horsely just down from Abinger Common?
 
They should come and ride on the road from my yard to the forest. That really would give them something to think about (ideally on a day when they're clearing out one of the chicken farms when thousands of birds are being driven off to meet their maker in massive HGVs with trailers behind).

Silly cows, who do they think they are
 
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