To think I shouldn’t have to stop my run to walk past a horse?

[Famousperson2023]

This has happened twice now. Out for a run and the horse riders have asked me to stop running while I go past their horse!!

I’ll put this in context- daughter rides, I used to ride. When passing a horse or pony I’ll go wide and slow, or stop and wait at a passing place on narrow roads (often while the riders amble up at a slow walk deep in conversation with their fellow riders, 3 abreast….and without a hint of thank you). When I’m out with our dog I’ll make sure she is on the lead while we pass. but being asked to stop and walk???

Should have said ‘when passing a horse or pony in the car’

Agree, YANBU.

Seems a bit OTT of them, yes.

But then again you have to assume they know their horse(s) and if they know they’d react to a jogger then it’s better to warn you and ask you to walk? You’re going to come off second best if a horse kicks rears or bolts

@PaterPower im of the view that if their horse is that skittish they need to stay on private land. It’s taking a pretty big gamble to assume that literally everything you meet on a country road -dogs and pheasants included- is going to alter their behaviour to accommodate your horse. You can ask nicely all you like, but people (and pheasants) don’t have to oblige.

A horse is very big and heavy, and can damage you a lot more quickly and easily than you can damage it. For the few seconds of inconvenience, just stop.

Better to walk for a few minutes than to get one of the riders injured/thrown from their horse because you insisted on running by and spooked it.

I only hack one of mine because the others aren’t sensible enough to make it enjoyable but perhaps one of the riders is working on getting hers desensitised. It’s a process.

I'm a runner and believe me I will always stop to walk past a horse, I really don't fancy being kicked in the head thank you.
I also call ahead if I'm behind the horse, to let the riders know someone is behind.

Depends entirely on the exact circumstances, as you describe quite a few variables in your post, and there are many more variables left unsaid.

Horses are flight animals with a wide field of vision and a narrow blind spot directly behind them. Depending on where you are running, it is quite possible for a horse to be spooked. You mention your dog - a horse could view a dog running at it (either head on or from behind) as a predator and deal with this by trying to run away.

in the grand scheme of things, how is it affecting you to have to walk for perhaps 20 seconds of your run? As a rider, consideration for all other users of the road or bridleway I am on is paramount. Often I am having a lovely canter but see a pedestrian ahead and will always slow to a walk, as it is the polite thing to do. Unless you are Mo Farah trying to shave seconds off your personal best, I think it is very unreasonable not to show consideration for other people sharing the road or track with you. The consequences of having your horse spooked can be dire - it can cause a rider fall and horse to run off.

if you really want to experience the thrill of running whilst sharing space with horses, consider running in the Man v Horse race. You won’t have to slow down there, but neither will the horses and you will be able to enjoy the sensation of having a half ton animal gallop at you and not intending to slow down. But those horses have been trained specifically for this event. In normal day to day life you should not assume it is ok to run past a horse whose rider has asked you to walk. It could be a young or nervous horse. It could be my horse, who is undergoing rehabilitation exercise and may only walk, but is feeling rather frisky and does not need much of and excuse to prance around, and you running past him could be the thing that causes him to leap about and relapse his injury.

They are taking the piss and forgetting their place in the road hierarchy. The runner is the vulnerable one with the right of way, they should dismount and take the horse away from you ir ride with a group of less skittish horses. "In any interaction between road users, those who can cause the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they pose to others". Table of changes to The Highway Code (publishing.service.gov.uk)

If the rider used the same level of selfishness as the OP, one could argue that off road on a bridle path that rider could gallop past the runner without giving any consideration.

mmmm

Why doesn't the rider stop the horse

Where is this mythical private land the riders can stick to? The horses may perceive you as running at them so walking seems like a considerate thing to do. Horses are prey animals and even a bullet proof horse can be spooked.

Riding three abreast on narrow country roads? Let alone fitting those on the amount of space on a narrow country road they would be contravening the highway code, though it is in a ‘should’ section under rule 53

• never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends.

But ‘riding abreast’, contrary to motorists particularly moaning about cyclists is the guidance given - to shorten their obstruction and the distance required to pass

I'd just walk - it's only a few seconds. Most horses will be fine, but if the rider asks you to walk then they're likely riding a skittish horse that they're trying to desensitise.

Although when I'm running with a dog, I always walk past horses just in case (lots of horses can be skittish around dogs).

Might be more the sound of quick, heavy footsteps. When I'm cycling, I always call out, then pass very slowly and widely, while pedalling, so there's no clicking noise from my chain.

It does shorten the obstruction but not the distance required to pass, if the obstruction is twice as wide you need to travel twice as far to go around it safely. You shouldn't be swerving around cyclists at the last second then swerving back.

I'm with you, OP, in that it's entirely the rider's responsibility to make sure that their horse doesn't cause harm to others. They shouldn't be inconveniencing others so I'd also be a bit put out by this.

In reality though I'd walk past seething silently because these are large animals which could cause a lot of damage and it would be foolish not to minimise the risk.

I don't know. I mean, I put my dog into a sit while runners pass so they don't get worried about running past a dog. It's common courtesy to other road users, isn't it? So I would walk past the horse.

YABU and so petty! Have some respect for the animal if not the rider. You spook a horse and get hurt, the rider gets hurt or the horse, that's all on you and all because you're too wrapped up in yourself to change pace briefly. Unbelievably selfish.

The width and length differ, and the width gap and length gap between them differs

Two or three cyclists width requires the approach out and pulling in distance but by pulling over to the other lane and passing the length of half or a third

The road area required of a abreast cyclists & riders is less than in single file

I'll start by saying that I always thank drivers who slow down in a car or wait for me to pass. However, passing wide and slow is in the highway code and shouldn't need a pat on the back, plus I'd have thought that waiting in a safe place is just common decency? While I agree that a thank you takes virtually zero effort you are after all just following the law and being a considerate driver?
As regards them asking you to walk past them, if they've felt the need to ask then it's most likely for a reason. I ride some who I know are unpredictable so I'll always ask for people to be more cautious when passing me be it in a car or on foot when I'm on them. Some horses can whip round or bolt in the blink of an eye without even an experienced rider able to do anything about it. The way I see it is that I'm keeping myself, the horse and you and your passengers safe. You will get to your destination far quicker without a trip to a and e thrown in to the mix.
Unfortunately most riders don't have the luxury of private land to ride on. Believe me, we would all rather not have to ride in public places but it's not always possible so we have to rely on people being sensible when we meet. And after all, we are as entitled as you are to be in that public place.

On the other hand ...... Owner of a "bomb-proof" horse here. I'm an experienced rider of many years. Owned this horse for over 2 years with no incidents of any kind - just about as safe as a horse could be.

Out for a ride with friend, on a track off road, on private farm land, two runners approached from the rear. I asked them politely to break stride for a minute and walk past my horse. They refused .... out on a "training run" and their times were - apparently - far more important than my (and others') safety!!

They continued to run at my horse from behind, bomb-proof horse took exception and bolted with me on board, took off along the track at full gallop (didn't know it could move that fast!!), I struggled to remain on board at it went round a tight bend (a fall at that speed could have been catastrophic for either of us), two walkers and their dog coming the other way had to dive into a hedge for their own safety, before I managed to stop a 700kg, terrified beast and bring it to a halt.

My friend caught up with me and I could still hear her calling the runners to walk!

YA definitely BU. Just bloody walk for a minute. You're right when you say that people don't have to oblige when asked to walk, but decent, polite none-entitled people do oblige. Have some consideration for other road users. You don't own the road.

(Most horses don't care about the occasional pheasant!)

But it's the rider's responsibility to look out for their horse. If that means not riding in popular running spots, then that's what they do. They shouldn't be riding the horse in unsafe situations. The OP should be able to go about her usual activities without being inconvenienced or put at risk.

Goodness. Would it kill you to stop running for a few seconds? I agree this is petty.

🤷🏼‍♀️ You ignore a reasonable request and you accept the consequences for not doing so apart from the fact that you are being very inconsiderate and ignorant