Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Who was BU, me driving or man on horse?

399 replies

EsmeraldaEllaBella · 20/03/2016 18:42

Sorry for another car thread! Name changed recently but am a regular poster

So today I was driving in the countryside, road is wide enough for 2 cars, 60mph road, very straight. There were 3 people in a line on horses coming towards me on the opposite side of the road. I was going about 40mph but slowed to 30mph when I saw them. The man on the front horse started waving his arms and looked really angry saying slow down slow down! Wtf? Angry horse people around here piss me off so much. Was I BU?!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
MrsOs · 20/03/2016 21:13

I was on a horse once down a quiet country lane when a wanker in a porsche came speeding up behind and raced past... It scared the life out of my horse and iwas lucky he didnt bolt off. Please go slow and be considerate..

Ameliablue · 20/03/2016 21:14

YABU if signalled to slow down, you should.

Gabilan · 20/03/2016 21:14

Re riding on 60mph roads - often that's the limit on rural roads by default, not because anyone's really assessed it. It is a limit, not a target, and doesn't mean it's ok to drive along at 59Mph all the time. These roads often bisect bridleways and riders are only on them for a few yards. And yes, they have a right to be there.

I know the OP's apologised but for some other pps, I've warned drivers to slow down because I can see a dog in a garden about to jump at a fence, or a tractor the other side of a hedge, or I can hear a pheasant stuck somewhere.

My horse is good. If I ask you to slow down it's because I'm aware of something that would probably make you jump too.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 20/03/2016 21:19

We have a lot of riders in our area, and I'm always so so careful. A few years back a car hit a rider and killed the horse on one of our roads - it was devastating, so so awful.

The riders here are very courteous, always give a wave for slowing down, and will often pull in to let me pass safely.

A fair few drivers I see, however, are impatient, inconsiderate and frankly, a danger to life.

Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 20/03/2016 21:25

I have had a bad experience (nothing even comparing to some of you lot this evening)... My old pony, who was a right plod, trying to cross a country lane with a 4x4 behind us. Driver tried to be clever and after having initially slowed down, literally revved the engine and overtook us at about 40mph. Pony spun and bombed, at flat out gallop down the road, I was powerless (managed to turn him into the hedge eventually). Lucky there was no-one coming on the road ahead or we would have been killed. Never took pony out on the road again. He was terrified, as was I. And before the whole 'horses shouldn't be on the road' brigade jump on the bandwagon, we were crossing a 100 metre stretch of road from one field to the next to try and avoid the road work. And yes I do have insurance, as a responsible rider, just like I insure my car.

NataliaOsipova · 20/03/2016 21:25

Consideration is undoubtedly the key....but it has to be mutual. Three people side by side chatting and blocking a busy road means that someone is bound to get frustrated and try to overtake. Just as if you drive at 30mph in the right hand lane in the motorway, someone will inevitably undertake you. It's not just horses, to be fair - I overtook (safely) two cyclists the other day, but then judged it unsafe to overtake two more further up the road and pootled behind them.....only to be undertaken by the first two who clearly felt it was an inconvenience for them to have to slow down....

Lanark2 · 20/03/2016 21:27

Take signal from rider for sure. If you know horses, (as I do a bit)/you can also tell if the horse is freaked. I went past a horse from the front today at about 25mph, but everything about the horse and rider was calm, and you could tell horse was completely comfortable (as from the front can clearly see me) not even an ear flick.

Not all horses are like this at all, and I've been on one that stood across the road when a van arrived quickly (daft bugger!) .

Some will freak if you slow too quickly too, so I gas down and brake carefully watching the horse very carefully and ready to stop, and even cut the ignition. If you do cut ignition or go into neutral bloody remember otherwise you might rev crazily!

When I have been on a scooter its wide as possible to allow the horse to see, sit up as straight as possible so as to look human, watch the horse like a hawk and crawl round. Bikes spook me for chrissake!..:)

Lanark2 · 20/03/2016 21:28

I don't agree.. Whatever makes the horse comfortable is OK. If it's three abreast so be it.

hollinhurst84 · 20/03/2016 21:30

I held my hand up the other day for a cyclist and a car both about to pass round me. They couldn't see it but a car was approaching at speed around the corner (I saw it over hedge)
Poor cyclist nearly got taken out by my whip as I went "hang on! Stop!" But he and car were v grateful to avoid a head on
It's mutual consideration. And it only adds a few seconds or so to a journey to wait
I don't like riding on the roads particularly but to get from my yard to off road riding it's a 30 min road hack
Plus the off road bit is open to quad/scrambler type bikes so it's 50/50 which is more lethal sometimes

Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 20/03/2016 21:33

I also have to walk my mare to her field which is up the road from the yard. It's a quiet country lane with width restrictions etc. The amount of people who roar past in their Porsches/4x4's is astounding, it's like they have gone through the width restriction and therefore are entitled to drive as fast as they like before the next one. For the PP who said that you have less control from the ground, you are absolutely correct. I don't enjoy having to walk her up there but it is unavoidable. This may make me sound horrible, but at least if I am on the ground and some twat goes roaring past enough to make her go crazy (yes she is a chestnut mare and yes she is a thoroughbred), then at least I can let her go... Oh and for what it's worth, we always go in pairs, the horses are calmer that way, but we are always courteous to road users, and wait for them to go past when we can.

Gabilan · 20/03/2016 21:43

Hollin I've done that before only to have the driver completely ignore me, overtake anyway, and have to swerve and brake to avoid a collision. There's no helping some people. Fortunately I'd put my horse in a driveway and just sat and watched it all unfold.
Why people insist on overtaking when they can't see the way forward is beyond me.

wavingnow · 20/03/2016 21:47

Actually OP may have helped a lot. I never knew if I was going stupidly slow but now I know my speed is good (a thank you wave by the rider was always reassuring). Can I ask why riders don't help educate drivers by having something like "pass wide at 10" or something on their fluorescent jackets? It would help, especially for those who have no clue/aren't aware how dangerous it is. Not everyone's fortunate enough to live near horses.

Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 20/03/2016 21:52

Most riders do! I never go on the road without wearing a 'pass wide and slow please' bright yellow tabard, plus horse is fluoresed (new word!) up to her eyeballs in reflective fluorescent gear - boots, browband etc. I do the same if I am on the ground. That said, I only ride on the road if it's unavoidable. And as a pp said, often we can see better over hedges etc as we are higher up, so it is in drivers' interest to listen to us!

TrixieBlue2016 · 20/03/2016 21:53

For those with horses - should you ever overtake a horse? By that I mean we live in a housing estate near a farm. Every Sunday there are at least a dozen riders taking their horses from the farm (down a 60 road) to the bridle path behind our houses along a 30 road.

They go at different times each week so you can't plan to avoid them. So today I had to crawl behind them the whole way home which took about 15 minutes as there were several children learning to ride on the road. There is no other road to my house.

Is it ever OK to overtake them? I never do but just wondered if you can. Thanks

Balletgirlmum · 20/03/2016 21:54

I wouldn't have slowed to less than 30 on a 60 road if the horses were on the opposite side. I'd have slowed to a crawl if I was overtaking them on my side of the road.

Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 20/03/2016 21:57

Depends how much you value your car/life/their lives. It's annoying I know, but they should have the courtesy to stop where it is safe and wave you on, although that is not always possible and depends how far it is that you have to follow them...

Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 20/03/2016 21:58

ballet Shock seriously?

SpringHasNearlySprung · 20/03/2016 21:59

Can I ask why riders don't help educate drivers by having something like "pass wide at 10" or something on their fluorescent jackets

Lots of drivers don't care of you wear fluorescent or not, they still roar past. I always wear hi viz as do my horses and it never makes a bit of difference. I wish more drivers were like you but sadly they're not. I'm lucky where I live as most people know me and my horses, the locals always slow down. DH has his practice right next to our house and we have a lot of patients visiting whose owners don't seem to realise you can't do 60 past horses. I often catch them on the way out to remind them I live here and have a right to ride on the roads without them driving like lunatics.

hollinhurst84 · 20/03/2016 22:00

Yep you can overtake as long as enough room and you don't whizz past

It's tricky, my horse prefers people crawl past closer than whizz past slightly further away but I'm always aware if she kicks out then she will do a lot of damage
I try to trot to a passing place or lay by or something so I'm not holding people up. If I'm on a bend and hear a car, I will wait before the bend because from experience I know people fly round them

Always always say thank you or mouth/smile/wave and mine will patiently stand for children to pat

Nobodyspecialanymore · 20/03/2016 22:01

I'm absolutely sick of riders of horses and bikes in my area not getting over, taking up a lot of roadspace, so larger vehicles have no room to pass them safely. Riding two abreast, like they are the only things on what is actually a busy road, with nowhere to go. We were pushed into the side of the cliff face, ruining our awning on the rv. We have no choice but to use that road, it's the only way out. People's hobbies should not impAct other road users. It's selfish, dangerous and the horse/bike riding mafia always get rather histrionic on the subject. Use trails, or private land. Unpredictable creatures and cyclists don't belong on roads.

Balletgirlmum · 20/03/2016 22:01

Yes seriously. On the opposite side of a side road I wouldn't give them a second glance, too busy looking at the road ahead of me.

SpringHasNearlySprung · 20/03/2016 22:03

Is it ever OK to overtake them? I never do but just wondered if you can. Thanks

Some horses are ok with overtaking. All of mine are otherwise I wouldn't hack out. It's a bit rude if they don't wave you to pass them though. I've come across drivers crawling behind me and will stop and wait if I can on a verge then wave them past.

Gabilan · 20/03/2016 22:03

Trixie, difficult to say without knowing the road layout. Basically you would need to be on the wrong side of the road throughout the manouevre. So can you see that your way forward is clear to pass them and get well in front going at 15mph? If not, then there's not much you can do.

Round where I live you can usually pass horses but there are often sheep or cattle on the road.

My take on it is that roads have always been public highways open to all. Sadly drivers are forcing vulnerable road users off them but I'll defend my right to be there.

SpringHasNearlySprung · 20/03/2016 22:04

nobody clearly you're very bored.....

QOD · 20/03/2016 22:04

I run with a group and WE walk past horses Grin

Taken on the chin op. Well done Flowers

Swipe left for the next trending thread