to expect horse (and rider) to reverse for me!

[AliBingo]

Genuinely puzzled here- I live down a single-track lane which is very narrow and windy so you have to drive slowly, anyway I met a horse-rider when I went out earlier.

Where we met, the rider was just past a field gateway passing place - the horse was about halfway past it, so its back legs and the saddle, and the rider herself, were still alongside the passing place. I stopped in plenty of time (couple of car lengths away) and waited for them to get into the passing place.

I waited and after about 30 seconds, rider did a hand gesture to indicate that I was to reverse! I duly reversed about 200 feet back down the lane and then sat waiting for about a minute while the rider proceeded to the passing place alongside me.

She looked a bit grumpy and didn't thank me, presumably because I hadn't reversed straightaway. But I had expected her to go into passing place!

So I am now wondering if it's not even possible to get a horse to back up/turn around/reverse etc - can you tell that I know nothing about horses!

WIBU to expect them to go into the passing place practically next to them, or does car etiquette not apply when the other vehicle is a horse!

Thanks!

Mehrida

I have PM'd you, I do differentiate between 'plods' and other police officers who are doing their jobs.

Lazyjaney

I didn't say it did. I was merely illustrating that there are people for whom it is difficult or impractical to dismount.

Pixel - I may have overstated how difficult the rein back is but I've just done a straw poll of the 4 other people in my office who ride regularly and only one of them said they knew their horse could do a rein back properly and they didn't think it was normal. Mind you I work with people who mostly have ex racehorses or eventers so not sure of my sample.

I always remember Alwin Shockemohle and the German riders of his era asking their horses to rein back before the start of show jumping rounds but you don't see this so much nowadays.

Rein back is easy, just tilt your weight off seat bones onto your pubic bone, legs slightly behind the girth and a little pressure on the reins. Any horse who has been passably well schooled should respond by reversing. Possibly not in a straight line tho!

My ex racehorse reined back beautifully , reverse was one of her best paces which is probably why she never won any races

I remember that Butkin. Don't they do it now?

lol Floral

Alwin Schockemöhle - what a blast from the past! I think his son show-jumps now.

Butkin, then I guess your friends aren't required to do anything as mundane as open a gate (impossible if your horse won't go backwards). Perhaps they are more likely to be jumping over them .

Horses can go backwards!, but they usually don't teach you how to make them do it. She was probably grumpy cos she felt a bit ridiculous and embarrassed. She should have got off and man-handled it into the space, but its funny how you don't think of those things under stress.

I havn't read all the replies so apologies if I repeat something already said. A horse can rein back, but it is not something you teach a young horse to do until it's work is quite established, because it can turn into a bad habit of the horse running backwards as a way of evading the rider. Even if she had reversed or turned into the gateway, horses do not have "handbrakes", and could have rushed forwards if something startled it. I ride on narrow lanes at times, and sometimes I would have to keep turning back to passing places several times if a stream of cars came past. That would end up with a very frustrated and irritated horse. It is extremely rude not to thank drivers for giving way, but at times you do need to keep both hands on the reins, and the driver may just be looking elsewhere if the rider gives a quick smile or nod. Unfortunately, us horse riders aren't all blessed with off road riding on our doorstep, and we do need to ride on the roads. So please don't say we shouldn't take inexperienced horses on roads, we have to do this to give them experience and road sense! I am not going to defend any idiot horse riders who ride along chatting on their mobiles or listening to music and not concentrating on the road or being rude to drivers, but please car drivers have a bit of consideration for us, horses and riders do break if hit by a car! It's unwise for riders to signal that it is clear for a car to pas, if you were involved in an accident we would possibly be liable....!

Lazyjaney there's a whole section in the Highway Code about riding and leading a horse on the road - still doesn't make a horse a 'vehicle'. There is also advice about dogs and pedestrians - they're not vehicles either!

I hesitate to resurrect this really old thread but I met a horserider again today, this time they were in front of me, and my heart sank as I imagined myself driving at 2mph for the next 2 miles (and hour, lol).

Anyway there was a really thin muddy passing place almost straightaway, and the rider deftly steered the horse into it and held him completely still and indicated that I should pass.

I was so amazed how well the horse stood even as I passed pretty close, I was very impressed with horse and rider. Rider gave me a jolly wave too.

So I thought I'd post a positive story to make up for my original grumble!