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???

wesurecouldstandgladioli

''If you can’t stop your horse you shouldn’t be on the horse, you do get that don’t you?''

Daft...

You know nothing about horse riding don't you.

Even the most experienced riders will have to face spooks, falls and issues controlling a horse.

Horses are prey animals and some will bolt, no matter what the rider does, if they are frightened enough

It even happens to jockeys, mounted police, the riders who are involved in events where the royal family are present, people who compete in dressage competitions and so on...

Again. you are dealing with an animal with a mind of its own. Not something that comes with breaks like a car.

So the best way is to actually use common sense and avoid causing a spook in the first place, which includes a runner slowing down when passing close to a horse.

I wouldn't take a horse out so skittish I had to ask runners to stop just in case. Common sense.

And as a runner I'd be annoyed at my pace being interrupted.

Yanbu

I ride,

My horse is well trained and reliable on the road. We meet cars, tractors lorries, runners no problem.

However there is a thing called trigger stacking in horses. Last week it was just unfortunate we met tractors, lorries. Heard shooting in the distance and had cars speeding past us. My boy held it together through all of this buy it could feel him getting tense with the intensity.

We then met the jogger we see most mornings and he jogged past as usual we both said a cheery hello.

For some reason this upset him and he had a but of a mini meltdown. Nothing awful he is good and I am competent.

but what I am saying is as good and as well trained as they are you do not know what has happened up to the point where you bump into them.

But no animal can be desensitised from being ‘skittish’ other then facing the fear.

If your ‘time’ is so important, perhaps consider hiring a track?

Why is the horse rider's time more important, its a bit imperious

I’m amazed so many people come across horses whilst running. I’ve lived in a variety of places across the UK and never have. Presumably it’s more trail running?

I would be annoyed if I had to stop though, I know nothing about horses, so probably would as they seem quite dangerous.

Some of us live out in the sticks and if we want to run more than a couple of miles either have to do repeated loops or make our way on to the back roads where we encounter tractors, horses and sometimes livestock that all slow us down. Personally I take those as occupational hazards and the chance for a few seconds walk break. Life I've said previously these are not roads where you're going to PR anyway.

Anyway I find the areas of regular flooding much more annoying, nothing like making the decision between 10+ metres of ankle deep muddy water and hanging off a bramble Bush trying to balance on a 4 inch verge to make you appreciate just how little inconvenience there is in walking past a horse (and if you do walk past there's always the good chance that the rider of said horse will earn you about the next flooded area).

Now electric cars, they are a problem, there's been more than one occasion that I haven't realised one is coming up behind me until it was beeping its horn expecting me to jump in the verge

Yes cars think they own the roads too

Of course they can @MadameCamembert on private land. I've done it myself.

I get annoyed not being able to give my mare the trot or canter she desperately needs because there are walkers and cyclists on the bridlepath. It makes a huge difference to her health and fitness that can't be achieved in an arena or the private farmland we have access to (that some people think they are entitled to walk through when they're not, but that's another issue!) because the ground is too wet. But I know and accept that they are just as entitled as we are to be there, so we walk slowly past at a safe distance, sometimes speaking in a friendly way to dogs if they look anxious, or stopping and letting a child stroke her on the nose. If only the consideration worked both ways, as it's meant to!

In saying that I would stop and walk if asked, if there was no alternative path or road to give a very wide berth. Though I wouldn't be happy about it.

They're quite welcome to drop off some organic fertiliser outside my step any time. My New Years resolution for next year will be to stop neglecting the rose bush.

Both a runner and a rider, I get your frustration but I would imagine these are horses that are on the skittish side so need introduction to new things-if that's the case then they cannot go anywhere near a road hack until they are steady so the only place you could hack them is unfortunately where you are likely to encounter runners etc. It takes literally seconds out of your run but could mean months of work for the horse, please bare it in mind as I always do.

Agree Exactly this….

@backinthebox are you a member of the face book group PWAS by any chance?

I automatically slow to a walk to pass any horses, or nervous looking dogs, it's just being respectful of other road users imo, similar to stepping off the pavement to pass someone with a buggy/wheelchair. It's also just common sense - horses are large and dangerous animals, they can do you a significant amount of damage completely by accident if spooked as you run past. I used to ride and had a horse that had never spooked at anything in the many years I'd had him, safest horse ever, until the day he spooked at someone's outfit, threw a few bucks and galloped off.

It doesn't hurt to be respectful when sharing the road x

I do sort of agree that if a running person is going to really upset the horse then it probably needs more training before being put in that situation. Especially as not everyone will be polite and things can still happen unexpectedly. But as a horse person surely you would feel really bad if of you caused a terrible accident and the rider/horse were badly hurt?

Maybe the horse gets spooked easily.

It sounds like the rider is being sensible and just looking out for everyone so no accidents occur.

Surely it's better than not saying anything and the horse then kicked out or bolted.

Oh yes, they crop up on the same threads.

As has been pointed out multiple times on this thread, that's increasing the risk to horse, rider and runner, not decreasing it.

Asking a runner to pause for a minute or two so the riders can move past them seems entirely reasonable to me.

Yep

How does it hurt you, to stop running for one minute? You're being petty.

@Tomasinabombadil not a member of that group, I don’t know what it is.

@TwoShades1 @Famousperson2023 and anyone else still wondering - I do sort of agree that if a running person is going to really upset the horse then it probably needs more training before being put in that situation.

I shouldn’t need to explain this in this much detail, but I will, and I hope it explains to you and all the ‘well if the horse is not trained it shouldn’t be there’s.

My horse is very brave. He has had a considerable amount of training. He has performed in front of cheering crowds of up to 10000 people, in main arenas round the UK and abroad. He has taken part in parades, carrying a flag, walked past air horns being blown. He has stood quietly and calmly and gazed at the humans around him, those cheering, those running at him, and never moved a muscle. But he is currently injured, and is not able to keep up the amount of ridden work and training he has been used to all his life. After some time off completely, he is now allowed to be walked out. He is excited at this prospect, but it is important to keep him calm, as we want him to recover, not relapse his injury.

It doesn’t take much to get him a bit overexcited. In normal times I would just tell him to get over himself and calm down. But it is essential to his recovery to stay calm. If some jogger who could not spare 10 seconds of their life to slow down past my horse when I politely asked them to felt it was necessary to keep up
their pace because they once met a poorly behaved rider elsewhere, then yes - I would feel perfectly entitled to call them a fuckwit.

But there is more!

Periodically, we get new horses in. I like the same sensible sort, the sort you could ride into the pub beer garden and enjoy a pint without it spilling your drink. Because of what I do with my horses, all of them will eventually be called on to perform in front of a busy crowd. So although I have bought a calm horse, when they move house it can take a while for a horse to settle. It doesn’t mean the horse is not calm, or well trained, but it does mean we might ask a little from the people we meet (nothing that would inconvenience them or cause them harm, just perhaps to pass us a little wider or slower) until we know the horse better and the horse knows and puts its trust in us.

Sometimes my children will be on these horses that need a little more space, a little bit less excitement. All of us are perfectly entitled to enjoyed a peaceful and pleasant ride, just as runners are entitled to a peaceful and pleasant run. Sometimes, in sharing space, rider, runner or both has to make a small adjustment to path and speed. I will always stop my horse and stand to the side to allow a runner past, I won’t even ask them to slow down. I normally just smile and say hello as they run past. But if, for any reason, I felt my horse begin to tighten up,,I would politely suggest to the runner they pass us at walk. I wouldn’t consider this to be a rude request. I’m baffled that anyone would interpret it as a rude request!

I take part in events at a high level that bring me into public spaces and into contact with other users of them. I’ve managed to win national titles whilst still also managing to stand aside for a few seconds to let a mountain biker or dog walker pass. I’m pretty sure I have never lost a competition because I waited politely for a member of the public to pass me, and I’m pretty sure that your average jogger is not going to scupper their training regime because they had to break pace for a few seconds for a horse.

I’ll continue to smile and greet runners as I stand aside for them, and assume that most of them are quite happy to be sharing the fresh air and lovely countryside with other users. Only a few are entitled knobs who think no one else should have the temerity to interrupt their activities.

Great post @backinthebox

It's also worth remembering that should there be an accident involving a horse, the owner will likely be facing expensive veterinary costs. To the run of the mill struggling horse owner (the teachers/office workers/nurses/hair dressers without plums in their mouths) these can be quite crippling! It's like having an extra child but with no NHS back up or welfare safety net.

I had a good contingency fund and insurance when I bought my horse and which got blown in the first 3 years, all due to things beyond my control and a huge amount of bad luck.

To make an insurance claim the owner/rider will need to explain in detail everything they've done to minimise risks. If you've carefully done all of that, then as mentioned above you have a horse in rehab that has to be retrained/brought back into work slowly, the risks from re-injury and exclusions from insurance for the same issue after a year has passed can be very stressful to manage. Should a member of the public get hurt, they will also likely be facing a public liability claim. So this might relate somewhat to why horse riders may seem bossy over a seemingly minor thing - it's not personal or because they are up themselves, it's often because of full awareness of the realities that make preventing injury or accident vital. Their (and their horse's) stakes in the need for a safe outcome are often higher than you realise.

I’m slightly baffled at the number of posts insisting that it’s for the runner’s safety and I agree that it would be less reasonable to ride on the road if horses responded to surprise runners with aggression. They don’t unless for some reason you’re running past a wild/undomesticated stallion with babies to protect. They might catch people by accident while they’re panicking, but often they’ll actually make an effort not to run over or hit people. The main danger if a horse spooks is to the rider - a fall off a 16hh horse onto tarmac is no joke and people get horrific injuries from it - and the secondary danger is to the horse, which could get tangled up in the reins, bolt and fall (also not a joke if you’re a frightened creature which weighs about 500kg, crashing onto your bony knees on a road) and multiple other problems.
Also, all these people saying horses should be trained before they go on the road - how exactly are you proposing they be trained? It’s like saying cyclists should be taught the rules of the road before they cycle on it - yes, they should, but you’ll find some angry motorists who would be intensely frustrated if they had to slow down for learner cyclists as it were. I had a mare who was so bombproof she once stood very calmly while a lorry loaded with hay passed us closely enough to squash my leg. I didn’t train her but I imagine that when she was younger that took hours of careful exposure to traffic and there’s no way you can get that without some consideration from road users. ALL road users.