Non nativespeaker having a question

[Flyingfish2019]

When I say “I am riding“ is clear that I am riding horse or could I also be riding a car or a motorcycle?

What's the context?

I would assume a horse if no other context. But there must be other context!

I'd probably think horse first but I suppose a bike would also be a possibility.

I would assume horse riding

You can ride a horse, motorbike or a car. If would eliminate any doubt if you said you were going horseriding.

Unless you were an obvious keen biker however I would assume you were going horse riding if you said you were riding yes.

I would think bicycle before horse

I’d assume horse riding

I would probably think horse riding first but it would also make sense as a bike or a motor bike. Wouldn't make sense for a car though.

You can’t ride a car.

You can ride a horse or a bike.

Horseriding.

If you're speaking to an Irish person it could be taken as you're having sex.

Context is king! In the absence of any context, I would assume “riding” meant horse....but it could easily mean bike or motorcycle.

You could be shagging.

@sellthesizzle: In most languages I know of you DRIVE cars or motorcycles, and when you say you are riding it is always riding a horse... you cannot RIDE a motorcycle or bicycle in most languages but englishspeakers say they RIDE cars or motorcycles or busses.

So would it be clear what I had been doing if I say “I have been riding“

I wouldn’t think of horse riding first, mainly because I don’t know anyone who rides horses.

You cannot ride a car. You can ride a horse or motorbike or bicycle.

Riding, to my mind, only ever means horses. If someone said 'horse-riding', I'd think they were a bit odd.

You confuse me now because some of you say I can ride a car and some of you say you cannot ride a car.

You definitely can't ride a car!

You can go for a ride in a car, but you could ride a bike or a horse

I would say horse, but when I first mentioned I've been riding to colleages, they assumed bike.

I guess it depends on whether you are wearing jods and have that lovely horsey aroma at the time...

The expressions I’ve been riding or going riding only refer to horse riding.

I agree that you don’t ride a car but you can definitely ride a bike!

If you said "I am going riding" I would think horse riding.

If I asked you how you were getting somewhere and you replied "I am riding" I would probably think bike.

You can't ride a car but you can ride IN a car or ON the bus, but it would be unusual to hear that in England. You would drive a car, have a lift in a car or get the bus.

English is complicated!

You can’t ‘ride a car’ but you can ‘ride in a car’.