To be annoyed at horserider?

[MsSpentYoof]

I was on my way home and in the distance I could see three figures, it looked like two ladies and a man, but as I got closer it was actually a horse with a young girl on it (def not over 8/9)

I always slow down when it is people but when it is a horse I usually slow down to about 5mph because I know they scare easily, but as it didn't look like a horse I didn't slow down until quite close, when I had to break pretty quick.

It was a dark horse and just looked like a taller guy with dark clothes on.

It really shook me up, and what made it worse is one of the woman who was there was mouthing obsenitites at me.

I ALWAYS slow right down for horses, ESPECIALLY if there is a child on the back.

AIBU to think that if they are going to take a child out for a horse ride they should EITHER put a reflective jacket on the horse OR go off road so it isn't near cars (especially as it is a long straight road that goes down a hill, so it is easy to gain speed without realising it)

I still feel shakey at the thought of what might have happened if it hadn't noticed then.

[MsSpentYoof]

And it's not that my eyesight is bad, it is great when I have my contact lenses in (which I did) or that I wasn't paying attention, I am still a fairly new driver so always keep my eyes strictly on the road

[CurryMaid]

What time of night was it and how dark was it?

[KingRolo]

They should have made sure the horse was visible, a reflective jacket would certainly be a good idea.

[hercules1]

I would have assumed the child should have had a reflective jacket on.

[foxinsocks]

lol at mistaking a horse for a man with dark clothes on

but seriously, yes, they should have had a reflective shirt on definitely (the riders normally do around here). It's very poor that none of them did, especially with this weather when the sky is very dark already. If you knew where they came from, I would have suggested you said something.

[Rindercella]

YANBU, but it was probably their initial reaction of shock too. In the past when I have been out riding, I have had drivers who really couldn't give a damn, fly past me, too close to me, etc. and it can be very scary - especially if the horse I was on was a bit of a nutter green.

Perhaps though you want to have a rethink of how you drive along country lanes? I am really not trying to be funny here, but there are so many potential hazards it's an idea just to back off a little when you see something up ahead.

[MsSpentYoof]

It was about 30 mins ago or there abouts, so it wasn't really dark, one of the walkers was stood half in front of horse.

I felt bloody awful about it but at the same time annoyed for the woman being so nasty.

[NetworkNanniesSurrey]

I thought that horse riders had to have some sort of reflective clothing on. You would think it common sense on a road anyway, regardless of the law.

That said, i regularly see cyclists without high vis or lights.

[MsSpentYoof]

Rinderella, if you read the op, I do ALWAYS slow down (in my short time driving) but if I go past a horse I slow down much more.

[CurryMaid]

It's hard to tell really - what was the speed limit when you were approaching the horse?

If you were only doing 30 and it wasn't dark and you really couldn't recognise a horse until you were right next to it then I would think that was a bit

But if you were on a country lane or something and going pretty quickly then I can see it would have been easier to make a mistake.

Even so, horses are pretty big, so as rindercella says you maybe need to brush up on your hazard perception.

[MsSpentYoof]

I did think about going back to suggest that she make them more visiable, but it was a few miles down the road before I calmed down enough to think that.

It's not even road thats that quiet, it is often used as a shortcut for people trying the beat the traffic.

[CurryMaid]

Presumably if you saw a man walking on the road which is what you thought you saw, you'd slow down anyway?

[Rindercella]

I did read the op MsSpent, which is why I said that I really did not want you to take what I was going to say in the wrong way. BUT...if you had to break pretty quickly - so much so that it scared you, then I suggest that you were driving too fast for the situation.

On reflection, I do not think any of you were actually in the right. They shoul've had appropriate cloting on the rider/horse and you should have been driving at a speed appropriate to the road conditions.

[MsSpentYoof]

It was a 60 limit, on a long straight road that goes down a long hill, loads of people bomb down there.

[Rindercella]

Doesn't mean it's right to do so though does it?

[MsSpentYoof]

OK, like i said in the OP, if it is a bunch of people I slow down, but if it is a horse I usually slow down to a walking pace so as not to scare the horse, I am not going to slow down to a walking pace to pace every set of walkers I meet.

You lot are clearly bonkers if you do that.

[Saltire]

I think horses should have bells round their necks so that if you are walking in a field alongside a very busy road which causes a lot of noise you don't get scared half to death by an enormous horse creeping up behind you

[Rindercella]

You say you passed your test just recently MsSpent...?? Perhaps that might tell you something.

[MsSpentYoof]

Rinders, I didn't say I was bombing down there, at the end of this hill there is a curve and the amount of times people come bombing down and go around it in the middle of the road and nearly hit me is unreal.

I don't speed, I have once sped and when I realised it scared me, I was on a duel carriage way and had got carried away with the traffic, I don't go around speeding.

I don't appreciate being made out to be a crazy driver.

[foxinsocks]

think leading a dark horse with a child on it on a dark day on a 60mph road with no high vis/reflective jackets on is total madness tbh

were they actually on the road?

you may also find, as you are a new driver, that your hazard perception gets better the more you drive tbh

[themoon]

They should have been wearing reflective bibs. All the horse riders round here do.

Sometimes it IS hard to make out shapes in the distance and your mind can play tricks. Obviously you cannot crawl everywhere at 5 mph in anticipation of this.

You hit the brake as soon as your realised.. I don't see what else you could have done. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[MsSpentYoof]

I passed my test nearly two years ago but only, two months ago got a car after 6 months without one. So I still feel like a new driver.

[MsSpentYoof]

Yeah, they were actually on the road, and although the road is wide enough to fit two cars passing, there isn't much 'spare' room.

Also, the grass either side is overgrown so they had to stay on the road as I passed.

[MsSpentYoof]

You are near me HT, It has been a crap day hasn't it (I got caught out in it when it really started chucking it down )