Horse rider and her 'request'

[Harmonyrays]

I need to know if im being unreasonable here in thinking that this lady was being deliberately awkward or something if its else. For contex, we are non white, they were white.

So My children (2 + 6) and I were having a great time exploring the woods when a horse box pulled in and two women unloaded their horses. Kids were naturally excited by this and wanted to get closer to see. I made sure we were a good distance away, at least 10 metres and we were up on the slope. The kids were watching the horses being unloaded for a few minutes. My son had a stick in his hands as he was ramble around and likes to do this. I made sure they were quite. The horses were quickly taken around the other side of the box to saddle up.

After a few minutes we decided to head down to the path and walk around the other side so they could see the horses more cleary and continue our walk. Again they were quite. We found a little bridge that was going the opposite way to where the horses were and my son wanted to explore that so we headed that way. We dissapeared from the womens view for around 5 mins and then i went back to bridge to wait for my son. At this point one of the women, in her 60's, walked over and said 'we are about to take the horses up here (a path that was no where near me and my chldren) can you just move on somewhere else. I said to her im sorry but we are here well away from you and your horses. She then said 'well cant you just move on because the sticks are scaring the horses'. Bear in mind there were no sticks in view at this point at all. As this was the second time she had said 'just move on' with a dismissive hand wave i was getting annoyed and said well were not doing anything to you or the horses. She then said 'well what ARE you doing here'. I said to her 'i dont need to tell you what im doing here, we are in the woods and free to go where we please'. She then looked like she was getting exasperated and huffed saying 'yes i know that but im asking you nicely if you can just move on until we move the horses up the road'.

Given that we were over a bridge and a good 20 metres away from the horses i think it had nothing to do with sticks. I feel she had an entitled attitude and like there was something else bothering her.

The irony is we have been around horses for many years so are aware of how to behave which is exactly why we kept our distance.

If i were alone this wouldnt have bothered me but my son heard and was then saying oh lets just go mum. I feel like she made him feel he shouldnt be there and that upset me.

So i need to know your thoughts, yes i am being unreasonable the lady was right in asking us to move on. No im not being unreasonable and she was out of line telling us to move on.

Thank you

Perhaps she was worried that, as you were hanging around, your DC might run towards to the horses. Maybe she’s had previous experience of this and that put her on her guard.

What on earth did it have to do with race? Some people just don’t know how to interact with other people. Obviously you’re looking to make something out of nothing OP?

However, we're starting to see heavy horse breeds getting near to extinction due to the changes in agriculture. The Suffolk Punch and Clydesdale are both now endangered species.

I think the 'should we breed them for work/pleasure or not' conversation is an interesting and complex one. I don't pretend to have any answers or even very compelling arguments either way. But there is something about the idea of animal breeds (not just horses) going extinct that I just find sad. I met my first Suffolk Punch a couple of years ago and he was magnificent.

I have a horse and ride but if I'm riding where other people are walking I don't expect them to move out of my way or stop doing things. If it was a dangerous situation I'd ask politely. She sounds like an idiot and the sort that gives horsey people a bad name and stereotype.

Wish they'd bring in 'right to roam' like Scotland. Really?
OP why didn't you just move right away. Your children made the rider nervous. This much is obvious.

I have two horses on my land belonging to other people. The horses are ex race horses and can be spooked by a leaf. The people who own them were very worried about going out on a hack during this pandemic due rules and regulations. They are both very competent riders but OP your DC's actions would have worried them. As you know all horses are unpredictable.

If a horse may respond dangerously to children playing, it should not be taken where children are likely to be.

What is so difficult to understand about this? After all, if the horse hurt the child, the law would be on the child's side.

It would more likely be the rider that was hurt by a spooked horse. A horse will not purposefully trample anything it sees as a threat. They are flight animals. They run. They don't fight.

It is the riders duty to ensure their animal is safe. That's why the woman asked the OP to move away, she even gave an explanation of why she requested this.

If the horse behaved dangerously, it would be the rider's responsibility, and nobody else's. The law would penalise nobody but the rider if a horse did any damage due to children standing 10m away. We don't get to invent the rules ourselves.

If you ask someone politely in a public place to move, and they don't want to, you have no right to insist, and certainly no right to be rude, as the woman was to OP.

It's also a parent's duty to keep their children safe. Having them 10 metres from a half ton animal and then arguing when the owner tells you to move away because the horse is scared is incredibly bad parenting.

YANBU!!!
I get this sort of shite all the time when I’m in the forest. Honestly, some horse riders think they are better than other people using public spaces.
Shame as horses are so beautiful, it’s the humans on them who frequently have bad attitudes.

I was once on a cycle path on my bike. A horse came the other way and spooked. The horse rider shouted at me to get off my bike as her horse doesn't like them! I did as she shouted and got myself and my bike into the hedgerow. Once he was calm, she told me off for scaring her horse with my bike.....on a cycle track!

Disabled person in a space - person with dangerous animal moves into space and tells disabled person to clear off dangerous animal doesn’t like wheelchairs - if disabled person gets hurt it won’t be anyone else’s fault but their own.
It’s crazy that anyone thinks a dangerous animal has the right to occupy a space over a vulnerable human- whether than human be a child or disabled. The animal does not have the right to occupy the space just because they are dangerous and out of control. If they are dangerous and out of control they should not be in a public space exercise then in a field - just like responsible owners of dangerous dogs do.

@GazeboParty when did your disabled person scenario happen? Or did it happen in your head? Perhaps they are an orphan too?

And as for the bike situation. Where is your humanity? What type of person continues doing something they know is causing discomfort to another because they believe it is their right to do it. Your horse is scared? Well, it's my RIGHT to be here, so fuck you. This situation says more about the entitled, selfish mindset of the bike rider than the horse rider IMO.

@SleepOhHowIMissYou

No it doesn't. It says more about the stupidity of the horse rider and how a lot of animal owners don't actually like animals. They just enjoy using animals for their own enjoyment. If you actually cared about your horse why would you take it somewhere likely to make it stressed.

@SleepOhHowIMiss You and your horses are the most important living beings in the forest, no one else's needs are important. The End.

@Floatyboat how many horse owners who don't like animals do you know? Or is this another in your head scenario like @GazeboParty ?

@GazeboParty how about people on shared used paths employ some common sense and humanity yeah?

Literally "fuck you and the horse you rode in on" 🤣

@SleepOhHowIMissYou - All the best to you!

That's why the woman asked the OP to move away, she even gave an explanation of why she requested this.

She waved a hand dismissively, accused the OP of scaring the horses with sticks when there were no sticks in view, told the OP to 'just move on' and asked her what she was doing – in a public woods.

Not the best way of going about giving an explanation.

[quote SleepOhHowIMissYou]@GazeboParty how about people on shared used paths employ some common sense and humanity yeah?

[/quote]
I think we can all agree with that - which is what started this thread - someone (on a horse) thought they deserved more humanity than someone else.

I've never understood this attitude from horse riders. Waving at me to slow down when they're riding the bloody things on the road etc.
Why should I have to adapt to indulge them in their bloody hobbies?
Same as people who get in everyone's way riding bikes around for no reason....that 'holier than thou' attitude they seem to have.
Piss off and get a hobby that doesn't inconvenience other people.

captainbuttock why are you asked to slow down? Because a horse coming through your windscreen WILL kill you. It doesnt hurt to slow down just for a second. Horse riders do not want to be on the roads but unfortunately bridlepaths are not all interlinked and roadwork is sometimes required to get from one to another.

I assume then you don't slow down for cyclists, pedestrians, walkers etc etc

I recall a horse drawn hearse was hit by a car because the driver was like you and couldn't be bothered to slow up. The horses died, coffin on the road. By hey you don't give a shit!

captainbuttock

Oh and people like you inconvenience me so go and fuck yourself.

We all have a right to use the roads and be safe.