We say NEIGH to #GenderWooWoo

Police horses are generally not easily spooked. These horses were really spooked. So the crossing is actually dangerous for horse riders?

Very good point. Police horses are usually literally bomb proof.

Police horses are generally not easily spooked. These horses were really spooked. So the crossing is actually dangerous for horse riders?

My sister sometimes rides on the roads and is a damn good horsewoman - imagine someone not as confident/strong being on the back of a horse who reacts like this when approaching a flipping zebra crossing? It’s daft if this is the reaction a horse is likely to have.

I’ve been on a horse twice who did this - once I ended up head first into a wall (bloody thing threw me at it, I swear) and the other time on my back in a wood (my fault, I was a child and panicked and slipped off).

Horses will cross white lines painted on black with no problems,as they hack on roads with white markings. Cattle I can't be 100% sure,as we don't have to herd ours on the road any more,but they never seem overly fussy about where their feet are going on other surfaces. Sheep don't bother about white lines at all,and have been known to circumvent cattle grids by rolling over them.

I'm dredging my memory, but Temple Grandin wrote in her book...was it 'Talking with Animals'? That cattle won't cross painted lines (white on black) as they perceive it as if it was an actual cattle grid as Serenity suggested. Could be the same for horses? I really recommend the book, btw, she's fascinating and carried out interesting research.

Hilarious thread don't you be fucking following me

Does anyone know how other animals might react to this sort of crossing? I'm thinking particularly of guide dogs. Would be rather horribly ironic if a supposed symbol of inclusion made the environment less safe for disabled people.

I'm skint because of the horses ( eyes £630 vets bill).🙄. I don't even ride,they are for my DD's. Currently we have a 25 year old ex eventer cob who is semi retired,and his new friend,a 25 year old Shetland pony who arrived last week. We live on a farm,so don't have livery/ hay/straw costs. It's the only way it's doable for us,and I don't even own either of the ponies. I'm in the process of looking for s horse that they can actually ride,but Covid has sent horse prices into orbit. I'm hoping mucking out on cold wet dark winter mornings takes the gloss off horse ownership and prices come down a bit.

Perhaps you could get a horse and it could identify as a budgie?

Hadn't thought of that Fleegs.

But see, I have a Canary, Norman, and I'm told Canaries can be scared of Budgies because they peck the legs of Canaries.

My Budgie identifying horse might feel terribly invalidated if he realises my Norman aint scared of him in the way he would be if he were born in the right Budgie body. I don't trust Norman not to be a bigot about this.

(Yes, I have had and I'm terribly bored )

I have horses. They don't spoil because another horse in their company has spooked.

That's interesting to hear, thank you 😊

I'm so jealous-I'd love horses but I'm skint. That, and I live in a flat, so I don't think the horse or the neighbours would appreciate it

We have the standard pride colours in Nottingham, they are on a semi-pedestrianised bit of road, don't seem to have a function beyond a spot for drunk students to lie down and have their photo taken.

Semi-pedestrianised as it's open as a road at times.

This made me laugh. I have horses. They don't spoil because another horse in their company has spooked. Mine have always been excellent on the roads,but I had one that wouldn't walk on a new patch of tarmac,because it was darker than the surrounding road,and another who wasn't impressed when the rumble strips on the way into the village were repainted blue. Oh and a little pony we had jumped the rumble strips as he thought they were higher than they were.
If those horses had patrolled the area frequently,and one day were suddenly presented with a rainbow on the floor,I'm not surprised that they reacted how they did.

My imagination, I found a clearer picture.

sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk/news/rainbow-crossing-pride/

Tending off topic, but does that sort of rainbow paintwork have any legal significance? Has the law/highway code been changed to mean it operates as a pedestrian crossing, which I guess is the intent? Or can we treat it as decorative? Potential insurance complications in the event of pedestrian/vehicle collision?

I think it’s completely on topic. Uniform road signage, the Highway Code etc is there for a reason.

But clearly other things take precedent on the roads over road safety...

As long as you don't do it in the street and frighten the horses

Tending off topic, but does that sort of rainbow paintwork have any legal significance? Has the law/highway code been changed to mean it operates as a pedestrian crossing, which I guess is the intent? Or can we treat it as decorative? Potential insurance complications in the event of pedestrian/vehicle collision?

Horses can see blue and green shades, but not reds and they’re not good at intermediate shades.

I don’t know exactly what the horses reacted to, but assume that to them it appeared to be unknown and potentially unsafe footing, perhaps like a cattle grid.

Horses are careful about putting their feet into or into strange surfaces, because a stuck horse is a dead horse in the wild.

Not sure - my sister keeps horses and whereas one may get spooked by something, unless it’s something that should spook them, the rest can be blissfully ignorant, or just look as if to say ‘and what’s your problem?’.

They really didn’t like it though did they? The riders were wrestling them - and these are big, strong cuddies.

Me too, I'd love to hear from someone who knows horses.

They both had the same reaction, but do horses pick up on the body language of others horses, kind of like dogs do? Did the second one freak out just because he saw the first one freak out?

I am actually curious as to what it was visually that upset them so much. Did it look like water or a vertical drop or something or was it simply the unusual nature of it on a road?

That could have been a lot less cute if the horses weren't well trained - they both reacted so presumably it's something horses in general don't like for some reason?

Love it.

Pity the Pony Club's Equality and Diversity statement conflates sex and gender.

Horses know wots wot

Kinda worrying though when the animals have more sense than the people...