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!

shelbu - And how do you suggest we get to these "fields"? Unfortunately, bridle paths cross roads or run along roads for short distances. Perhaps all the horseriders you know are impolite to you simply because of your bigoted and ignorant views.

It was pre mobile phone days or I would have done!

She should have moved her horse back and into the gap.

I ride and have my own horse. Ignorant and selfish horse riders do my head in

So many around my way will keep a horse at walk for miles and let traffic built up behind them. I always look back and nip into driveways/ field entrances to let any back up of traffic pass.

But in answer to the OP, who is asking a genuine question. I do suspect the rider was not asking you to reverse at all. Horses ideally should continue going forwards when vehicles pass the other way. Vehicles should pass slowly enough to stop if an unpredictable non-machine gets a fright. If the lane is narrow, a well trained brave horse will still be able to keep coming and pass a slow car in a narrow gap. But the driver should be aware that some horses are young and still in training and some riders are nervous, and make their horses nervous. If this makes you feel nervous, you could stop your car and switch off the engine.

shellbu have you ever been in a field, or touched a real live large animal for that matter? You sound a bit...unworldly.

DiseasesOfTheSheep said it just like I was going to.

Seriously, if you can't either back up or turn a circle into a passing space to let a car past, your horse shouldn't be on the road. If its that young/inexperienced/silly it should be with another, more experienced horse.

shelbu

It might have escaped your notice , but most fields are owned by someone . Who is probably growing a crop on it (certainly round here where agriculture is multi million pound businesses rather than the touristy idea of a farm . If I were to ride on those fields , my name would be mud literally for miles around . No one would deliver hay or straw to me , no one would move my muck heap , andi'd probably struggle getting a farrier . Besides which , it's totally inconsiderate .

And another thing you might not be aware of . Some councils have been requiring horse owners who ride in the fields their horses graze in , to apply for planning permission to do so .

bigoted and ignorant views - because i dont think horses should ride on roads ? really ? and the horserider would know this and be rude ,hmm ok ,from what ive seen horses are kept in fields so no need to go on roads .

Northern, those rules just prove that OP should not have been expected to reverse 200 feet.

Stop, yes. Reverse up a narrow country lane, no.

SHELLBU The huge majority of fields are not accessible to riders. Where I used to keep my horse was wall to wall green fields for miles and we were not allowed in any of them.... on pain of death. Local farmer would have killed us.

Well I come at this at a slightly different angle in that we own an old car that doesn't have reverse - only forward.

And because its so old it counts as a historic vehicle so is road tax exempt. If you meet anything coming the other way it tends to be an "all out and push" job which we accept seeing as we are a bit of an anomaly.

With horses - if we meet one - we tend to pull over and turn the engine off - 2 stroke engines are pretty noisy. Probably would have pushed a bit in this case and then the horse past - the horse can move faster (and quieter) than us.

When she waved you backwards, I would have waved her over the hedge. Horses can jump better than cars. In fact, couldn't it have just jumped over your car?...

I am not a good rider, and can confirm that horses are very good at going around in tight circles rather than straight lines. Even I could have got it back to the passing place.

Oh once more I ask WHY SHOULDN'T SHE REVERSE? The only reason appears to be ego. It's not like she had to peddle is it?

As for shellbu and her horses live in the fields words fail me.

shellbu have you ever been in a field, or touched a real live large animal for that matter? You sound a bit...unworldly................really ? and you sound a bit patronising !

shellbu have you ever been outside? Genuine question. Not in a car, I mean.

I find that what goes around comes around.

I once met a lady riding a horse which was obviously wary of my car and started dancing around backwards, reversing all on its own, so I pulled over and switched off the engine. It calmed down, she waved a lot of thanks and then rode it up the verge into the field so I could go. I felt very chuffed at my helpfulness.

A couple of days later I was out with MyDog who I had only had for a few weeks. He was about four months old and not remotely trained yet. The same lady came round the bend on the same horse and MyDog just froze before frantically pulling backwards on the lead. He was scared of the great big animal coming towards him and bless her, the lady stopped and just stood the horse there absolutely still whilst I coaxed my puppy up the verge and along the edge of the field until we were well away from the fearsome beastie. She smiled and I smiled and waved thanks and karma was restored.

If all road users just gave each other a little more consideration the works would be a better place.

northern lurker words fail you halleluya , the word horsebox springs to mind if you want to transport a horse from one field to another .

shelbu Well, you implied that all the horseriders you knew were rude and unhappy - I suggested a reason why that might be the case.

Horses are kept in fields or stables, in the same way that cars are kept in garages. How do you suggest people hack out without occasionally having to follow a road? Unless your stables happen to back on to Dartmoor or something, you have no choice.

read my last post malinos .

Not everyone has a horsebox .

The word obtuse springs to mind also .

World obviously.....

Oh and to all those people who primly remind said car drivers that they really don't want half a ton of horse landing on their bonnet. I can claim on your insurance and my car can be fixed. Your horse might not be fixable after it's sat its arse on my car. For goodness sake, who might come off worse?

shelbu that would be a great hack wouldn't it. I can see it now...

3 miles of bridle path but we have to get along the B2153 for half a mile here so let's make sure that someone is waiting with a horsebox, oh and we need to cross the A215 on the way home - so let's phone ahead and make sure that we get the other horsebox ready there...

It would take some pretty impressive logistics, not to mention ownership of multiple horseboxes. Oh, and of course having a few paid drivers.

There is no excuse for rudeness either in riders or drivers or cyclists or pedestrians or anyone else; it just winds everybody else up and leads to bad feeling and more dangerous roads.

There are some occassions where a rider may ask for a driver's consideration in inconveniencing themselves to reverse, e.g. some horses get very wound up by standing still, some get upset at having to turn back, some are unhappy about having a car pass too close. I don't think any rider voluntarily chooses to ride on roads when there are alternatives but sadly in some areas there are literally no alternatives. Roads are used by a variety of people for their hobbies and fun, e.g. leisure motorcyclists/walkers/cyclists and their use is not the prerogative of any one group.

Northern, because she had to reverse 200 feet. The horse and the rider were still half in the closest wide space!

Why shouldn't they reverse? Why shouldn't they turn round?

Enough riders are on this thread saying that they would, so it can't be impossible.

I don't like rude riders either - I always wave and thank people who slow down for us (although plenty of drivers dont..). I think they let down the horseriding community.

However it's hard from OP's description to know if this rider was in the wrong (although she should certainly have thanked the driver).

Reversing (doing a "rein back") is an advanced manoevre that many horses couldn't do and I'd say the majority of riders these days could not perform. I could do it on my hunter because he was an exceptionally well schooled show horse. When he went to Horse of the Year show (where the judges ride them) he scored very highly for his rein back - which is when you squeeze a horse with your legs for it to move but resist forward movement with your hands so they know to walk backwards.

You can of course turn a horse around and tuck them in (which seems to be what should of happened) although an experienced horse should also be reasonably able to squeeze past a slowly moving car on a country lane without mishap.

Shellbu - sorry but you're coming across as a bit of a loon. How can we just ride in fields? We probably don't own the (grass) fields we hack past and even if we did we may churn them up unless the ground is very firm and there may be other horses/livestock in them.

Horsebox? I wish.