Horses on the roads - AIBU to think its just not safe anymore - who is at fault?

[Heliom]

I am a rider, I consider myself a sensible and safe rider. I've been riding for over 25 years and feel the roads are becoming increasingly dangerous, drivers increasingly inconsiderate and quite literally now forcing riders off the road. I've worked really hard with my horse to make sure she is completely as road safe as possible, trained her to be calm around bikes, motobikes, tractors, buses, lorries etc and thank god I have after today...
this is the list of what I encountered today on a 'quiet' hack on country lanes.

1. Three motorbikes speeding down the road who saw us some way off and didn't even slow down, came thundering past.
2. A car speeding around a blind bend on a single track lane nearly took us and had to mount the verge to avoid us before speeding off
3. a HUGE tractor which took up most of the road which went straight passed a pull over spot and just stopped on the road. He expected us to pass inbetween him and the plough he was towing where we had less than 6inches either side and he refused to switch off his engine. Our horses are extremely good on the road and did pass but this was at their limit!
4. A massive group of cyclists who just came charging pass
5. A car who refused to pull off the road at all (there was room) forcing us to basically ake the horses down a ditch
6. Being beeped at (yes someone actually through it was sensible to beep their horn loudly at us) when they were behind us and we were going round a blind bend trotting as we knew we could pull in just a little way up and let the car pass. This was without doubt a particularly bad hack and probably one of the worst I've had but other roads users behaviours made it a horrid and quite frankly dangerous experience for us. If I had been on a younger or more inexperienced horse I have no doubt today would have ended very badly! Of course there are lots of very courteous drivers on the road, and we always make sure we move over when can, let people pass, say thanks, wear fluorescent clothing, etc. But I do feel it is becoming increasingly dangerous to ride on the road and the attitude seems to be that its my fault for taking on my horse on the road. Sadly I have few places left to ride and all bridleways need some road work inbetween. So AIBU to ride on the road, AIBU to expect drivers to take care of horses or am I being reasonable in thinking some/ many (not all) drivers are increasingly not caring about horses and other on the road....

We always wear hi viz jackets and boots on the horses. Dh wants me to buy a head cam so I think that's next move, just disappointed today. We were ok because we really do have fab horses that are so sensible but so easily could have been different. And as I say lots of drivers are very helpful and considerate, just seems to be a rising number of arsehols!!!

I live in a national park that has horses, ponies, cows etc in the roads every day of the year and even here animals are hit at an alarming rate. There are even signs by the side of the roads telling drivers how many horses/ponies have been killed so far this year but it seems to make very little difference.

I have no idea what you do to change things.

YANBU

I love it when i see horses and riders on rural roads. Heck even a residential road (maybe not a motorway!).. We slow down to a very low crawling speed and pass so carefully. And DCs have a good look as we pass, as it's such a treat for them.

People are idiots if they don't! (Same with cyclists too, but horses even more so!)

There isn't anywhere i have to be so urgently that being patient for a few minutes and making sure you don't spook a horse, or a cyclist, would make such a difference to my life, but is respectful & kind to the horse or rider. I despair when others don't. If we saw it, you gotta know my DC would be pointing them out in the car as "idiot drivers!"

I'm just saying that, so you know other people notice the idiots too... And we welcome seeing your lovely horses!

YANBU. I was out in my very rural area today. There are certain roads I wouldn't ever consider riding on due to twattish drivers and narrow, windy bends. On one short, straight stretch I could see a car approaching and waited for it to slow. When it didn't I gave a very polite indication to the driver to slow down. The look of confusion on her face was extraordinary as we passed. She honestly looked like she didn't have a clue why I was asking her to slow down.

Sadly, an increasing number of people seem to be selfish, entitled twats with no consideration for other people. It is absolutely your right to take your horse out on the roads.

Sadly this behaviour has led to me totally losing my nerve and giving up all together. Too much has happened too many times. Including a friend's daughter who a driver tried to sue after he hit her horse with his caravan when passing her. She had broken bones and an injured horse to try and get home but he felt it was her fault because horses shouldn't be on the road so berated her at length then got his solicitors on the case

Bridle paths cannot be accessed without going on roads. No one likes riding on roads but it is unavoidable now because cars have taken over. As riders we accept this and just ask for a few moments of consideration so it can be done safely for everyone.

It's just another illustration of the "I'm alright Jack, screw you" attitude that seems to be the in thing these days

I'm another horse owner/rider and have now taken the step of moving my horse to a yard where we have an area of farm land and woods to ride in so as to avoid this very issue. Not all horse owners are so lucky. Cars are getting faster, drivers are getting less considerate and there are far more of them on the roads than ever before. On the very rare occasions I am compelled to ride on roads, I don't expect all drivers to know and understand how a horse thinks, but I do expect them to treat me and my horse with respect.

Yanbu. I'm not a rider but a cyclist and have always gone really slowly past horses whether cycling or driving.

I hate riding on the roads but it's difficult to avoid some of them in order to get to the bridle path.

Lots of my problems come from cyclists on the road/tracks though which is annoying since you would think we would all be working together to keep everyone safe. Sadly not

I think a lot of car owners don't understand that horses and mountain bikes on the road are not going for miles down the road, like tractors were mostly going less than 1km to get from one bridleway or field entrance to another.
Those who wonder why we do it don't see it's ten minutes between hours of glorious off-road but it has to be done to get home or complete a circuit or link paths.
I think it's genuine lack of understanding in many cases (not that it excuses actual twattish behaviour).

I ride on a short stretch of road to get to a bridle path from my stables. Most drivers are incredibly thoughtful, especially bus drivers, who are very courteous.

Some car drivers are idiots whatever is coming towards them be it horse, cyclist or another car. They seem to have lost the idea of being courteous and expect everyone to get out their way. I wonder if they are the same in their daily life or just when behind the wheel.
That said there are also idiots on bikes and horses. My car (when stopped) was ridden into by a child on an out of control horse for example.The problem is that those idiots give all cyclists and riders a bad name. The bad car drivers don't as most people are drivers.
Yanbu to want to ride on roads but as a cyclist it is getting riskier and riskier so as a rider with an unpredictable animal to also take into consideration I think the time will come when you won't be able to risk the horses life.
And to the person who mentioned cows. Actually often in our farming community you find cows on the road going between fields.

I'm lucky to live in an area that is perfect for horses, I have pretty much endless hacking on Bridleways, tracks and unused little lanes. I try to take my horses on/near main roads now and again to ensure they're used to (and therefore safe in) traffic, but I do find main roads scary places to be on a horse nowadays, and SOME road users are downright dangerous. I always smother myself and my horses with high viz and reflective clothing.

I do agree partially with Peace in that I wouldn't have a horse if I could only keep it somewhere that involved riding on busy roads. I did have a 12 year break from horses, partially because of where I lived in big cities or towns, but I reject her " the rest of us are more entitled to the roads" attitude!

I don't understand drivers who say that they can't cope with horses or cyclists. I live in about as much as an urban area as you can imagine and see horses being ridden on the roads at least once a day.

As they are ridden by police or soldiers - usually being escorted by police - people manage to drive sensibly around them. I wonder why?

Is it because everyone where I live is an excellent driver, or could it be that if you behave like a twat around a police officer they'll pull you over and have stern word with you at the very least?

OP is in the right but bottom line is you've got to find a quieter hack route if this is what people are like on the roads you chose today. You can't be taking these risks.

I don't ride anymore (and never have in the UK).

But I have made some nasty experiences when biking... No, it doesn't seem safe for anybody that isn't in a motorised vehicle (in my experience!). It's very sad imo.

I've also had water thrown on me when biking.

It wasn't even summer

YANBU. I grew up very rurally and surrounded by horses. Damn near everyone had a horse and it wasn't unheard of for people to ride to the shop in the next village. They still kept rings to tie the horse to.
When I learned to drive we learned to slow down for horses just like you would stop at a red light or indicate before turning.
I think that these days many people just simply don't know the dangers. Years ago there used to be TV adverts about slowing down for horses.

However I will say that when I learned to ride, which was long long before I learned to drive, I was always taught to thank drivers when they slowed down. That doesn't seem to happen as much any more.

I agree with a lot of what you say - but when you say you met a car that refused to pull of the road, alarm bells ring for me a bit.

It's extremely stupid to drive your car off the road when you don't know the state of the verge. I wouldn't do it because I grew up driving in the countryside. I'd reverse quite happily if it were safe, but I have met a lot of riders who (unfortunately) seem to think they're entitled to direct car drivers off the road.

I'm probably being OTT because you sound totally sensible otherwise and obviously you shouldn't need to go down in the ditch. Just, maybe don't expect drivers to go off-road for you.

My best friend has a horse and I know to give horse riders a wide berth. However, every morning on my way to work I pass a couple of riders on the road at 7.45, which is the busiest time of day in our village. Why would a horse owner choose to take their horse out on the road at peak rush hour time?

Ragged I was on single track, country lanes - not sure how to go quieter. We're in the south east and this is as about as rural as it gets!

Total self indulgence by rich people.

They ride two abreast at walking pace down the middle of their bit of the road. It means that people aren't tempted to try to squeeze past them. I think it's okay for cyclists to do that too although they often go a lot faster than a walking horse.

I feel your frustration OP. I ride in a rural area, mainly farms and small villages. In my experience and from my own non statistically valid observations, the worst drivers are women in Audis. They are inevitably speeding and usually fail to make eye contact.

Have once had a very near miss with a Landrover on the wrong side of the road on a very sharp bend. Horse weighs three quarters of a ton I don't think drivers realise how much damage they could do if they hit a horse.

astonished those people are probably exercising their horses before they go to work ,