WIBU to politely ask cyclists.....

[Bruisedarse]

.... To shout a warning, ring their bell, sing Bohemian Rhapsody, in fact anything to warn you are coming up behind a horse?

As my (changed from regular) username suggests, I landed on a hard lane from a large horse this morning because 4 cyclists appeared from no where, going quite a pace and scared the living daylights out of me and my horse. She launched forward as they approached from behind but as I regained control, myself not knowing the issue at that moment, they flew past, 2 abreast. Horse shied away and spun and I came off over the shoulder. Not one stopped, despite looking back. Luckily I'm pretty tough and once she realised what they were she stopped.
A warning shout could have totally prevented it, bikes are silent as they approach more or less until they're very close, and if the lead bikes could have warned me they were there then I could have let the horse see, and she'd have heard them call out as well and it wouldn't have completely taken both of us by nasty surprise. I was wearing fluorescent and reflective clothing, and I know that you can see parts of the road from the lane though admittedly they may have missed me.
Luckily there were no cars about or it could have been worse, but I'd like to say a big thank you to the farmer who legged me back on in the safety of his field gateway because I'd have had to walk quite a way to safely get back on and not do it at the side of the road, causing a hazard.
So all you cyclists out there, please, please warn us horse riders you're approaching behind, I can hear a car, so can the horse so we know what to expect, both cyclists and horse riders are vulnerable road users and if we look out for each other then there may be less accidents.

Thank you!

[SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace]

This is useful, insofar as I might not have rung my bell on the assumption that it would be as likely to startle the horse as my appearance, so now I know better.

It seems obvious that most people don't understand horses - how many of us have one, ride one, see them regularly, especially if we live in cities?

[DressedCrab]

They were total cunts for not checking you were ok. Karma is all.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I don't "hate" cyclists. I just wish they would show a bit more consideration for other road users - not least for their own protection. I've been knocked down by a cyclist on a pedestrian crossing in London (when the lights were red for the traffic). He swore a bit and rode off without really stopping.

[MrsOverTheRoad]

Oh I am SO glad people hate me. It's such a comfort to know that people resent my only form of transport.

What wankery.

I can't drive due to health issues. My bike is ALL I HAVE TO GET AROUND ON!

I walk sometimes but other times I want to go further...so I ride.

Get over yourselves.

[messyjessy17]

Another horse rider could easily be on here complaining that the cyclists did exactly what you are complaining they did not do.

[Eve]

I don't see hate for cyclists - I see hate for cyclists attitudes to others on the road.

I also hate car drivers attitudes to other road users , pedestrians etc,

... why cant we accept the roads are not owned by 1 particular type of users, no-one has more entitlement than anyone else, we all need to share them so show each other a bit of courtesy.

I hate the aggressiveness from various groups to each other.

[Lethaldrizzle]

I got run over by a car once. Aaaggghhhh all car drivers are fucking cunts that deserve to DIE! Die I tell ya! That's what you lot sound like.

[auntBessiesAreAwful]

@Sotuko

I think it was 'nasty fuck' (and someone else said 'cunt'), although 'heartless twat' covers it too.

Hope you don't get thrown off your horse onto your bile-filled head when it spooks at a crisp packet.

No one made her fall of besides the horse. If a horse isn't safe to be ridden in public in case someone passes entirely legally then it's time for it to be sent to Finders, IMO.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

They sounded clueless and totally inconsiderate. Glad you and your horse are ok.

[ShotsFired]

I am sorry you had this experience with some twats on two wheels.

I live close to many farms and back lanes, so I frequently see horses. EVERY SINGLE TIME I will call out a cheerful good morning, and/or slow down, stop or do whatever the rider wishes me to do. It's nice to see them out and about enjoying the day just like I am.

I don't know anyone amongst my cycling friends IRL or in the online communities I use that behaves otherwise. They are dicks on bikes, please don't think they represent cyclists as a whole.

[bigbluebus]

I'm an occasional leisure cyclist and also an ex runner. I have on more than one occasion been unexpectedly overtaken by lycra clad cyclists who come up behind out of nowhere and the first you know about them is when they are overtaking you. I think they should give a warning to all other road users who are not in/on something motorised. I never wear headphones, there is nothing wrong with my hearing and I still don't hear them approaching.

As a cyclist and a motorist who lives in a rural area, I always show courtesy to horse riders. Not everyone is ignorant and dangerous.

[Witchend]

Surely the horse would react worse to a bell or a shout from behind?

[Bruisedarse]

I don't hate cyclists. As said in the OP, both groups are vulnerable road users in the sense that they don't have half a ton of metal to protect them in an accident. But BOTH are legally entitled to use the road and a bit of common decency towards each other would help. I am asking for cyclists to have some consideration towards horses they come across, to prevent stuff happening like this morning did.
The fact they didn't stop only applies to them and not all cyclists.
But yes, think Eve had it spot on. You're going to pass the horse anyway, slow down a little, and call out, a human voice is less threatening than the whizz of tyres on tarmac and bikes approaching at speed without warnin. It's not an ideal situation for either party, but why can't someone ask a reasonable and polite request?!

[ExConstance]

As a new cyclist and an experienced rider I'm very grateful to the OP for posting about this problem. If I came across a horse when I was out cycling I'd otherwise have thought that staying very quiet and giving it a wide berth was a good idea, which is obviously not correct.
My bell is very loud so in future I'll start talking to myself and saying "cycle coming through" and give the wide berth.
These horses I've owned have always been far more spooked by static things like wheelbarrows and white posts than any sort of traffic, but I suppose a bicycle can take them very much by surprise.

I did a coast to coast ride in Scotland a couple of years back and was very impressed by the road manners of the motorcyclists we met who were always very considerate.

[Eve]

witchend - horses are generally fine with general noise - unless its a very loud bang right beside them.

Most riders will talk to their horse as they go along on the road so a bell or a shout to say coming past shouldn't cause a fright.

[messyjessy17]

If they were going fast and to you "came out of nowhere" it sounds likely that they didn't see you until the time to warn you was past. And quite possibly they would have thought shouting or ringing could scare the horse. And they were gone before they knew you were on the ground.

I don't see that they did anything in particular wrong here. They were using the road, it was your horse that threw you off?

[ShotsFired]

@Bruisedarse You're going to pass the horse anyway, slow down a little, and call out, a human voice is less threatening than the whizz of tyres on tarmac and bikes approaching at speed without warnin. It's not an ideal situation for either party, but why can't someone ask a reasonable and polite request?!

This will go just like the other similar thread about lights recently. The thing is, people - the majority - who are considerate road users (in/on ANY mode of transport) already do so and wouldn't dream of acting like the people you encountered.

The bellends who don't, won't take any notice of pleas like this and will continue to be arrogant and inconsiderate tosspots in their cars, on their bikes, on their horses, or on foot.

[Orchardgreen]

OP, do you live in Surrey?

[Lethaldrizzle]

Op - so laughing at sutuko suggestion 'your horse should have kicked them off their bike ', (which lets face it could have resulted in death) - was ok?

[UrsulaPandress]

Motorcylcists have always been great around my horses.

[Eve]

shotfireds - sadly you are right about that minority!

[containsSpoilers]

@bigbluebus

On Sunday I rode 97km at an average a shade under 33km/h.

Do you think I should slow down every time I come across a runner? Slow down to what speed? 10km/h ish? That's ridiculous and why would I? If you're running facing on-coming traffic then you can see me coming (I'm lycra clad. No idea why that was struck through). I'm not buzzing past you too close.

Horses - on a road with 2 lanes, I move right to the far side. Many have told me not to ring, but to pass at a distance. On a single lane I call out 'bike behind'.

I think that for the sake of horses and other road users, the sooner they're no longer ridden, the better. Until they are, for my own safety, I'll have to give them a wide berth.

[bluebells1]

My dog,if startled by cyclists going at speed will chase and make sure they are startled as well. That usually ends the 'whizzing' past that the cunty cyclists do. But most of the cyclists around us are very kind and considerate. The rest will become considerate thanks to the dogs around here

[Pannnn]

Well quite shots fired. This thread isn't about behaviour change at all. It's about bashing people when they ride bikes like the first two fuckwits who.posted.

[wrenika]

It would be nice if people used common sense. I actually found that it was the local 'boy racers' who passed me safest when I was out riding. Fortunately few cyclists around that area!
A shout of warning would be good - even if the horse spooked a little at the shout, it would be a jump and probably only that, whereas something coming flying past them is going to make them more likely to panic. My mare would probably have gone up if given a big fright and I'd have ended up on my ass. Others will run. I have been bolted with on the road, on an otherwise placid horse who got a massive fright, and it was the most terrifying experience of my life because I couldn't stop him, I couldn't turn him cause it was a narrow country road with ditches at the sides, and I couldn't see potential traffic until the last minute because of bends and had visions of ending up through someone's windshield. Some would say it's my fault, the horses fault, and that we shouldn't be on the road, but it is just part of riding something unpredictable. He was the 'nanny' horse who was unflappable...he just had a bad day! He'd never done it before, and never done it since.
It's not worth the few minutes you gain by going past a rider too fast.