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???

Sure... crack on then, carry on running just to prove your point. See what happens 🙄

"im of the view that if their horse is that skittish they need to stay on private land."

But why does your want trump the rider's want? By your logic the rider could say if you want to run you should just do laps in your back garden.

Both have a right to be out and about. I am a runner and you have to stop all the time e.g to let someone through. It's not a big deal and runners don't take priority. Yabu

YABU

I’m a runner but not a rider. I think this is a simple request to keep people safe that doesn’t really inconvenience me, and I’m happy to oblige so we can all safely enjoy the great outdoors

It’s actually good training practice to walk part of your run. You shouldn’t be hard arsing it every run anyway.

You're 100% right, of course, but you're wasting your time trying to explain it to these people. They are entitlement personified.

😂😂😂

Wanting every road user, including Goldbar’s ever running child, to be safe is entitlement? I think you’re getting this concept confused.

@Goldbar im a horse rider and I actually agree with you, when going out on hacks or if I know I’m going to be riding through country woods etc, I always listen out/keep an eye out for children.

its not your children that are the risk here, I accept the fact that by me riding I could potentially come across a small child who may have no idea how to be around a horse (it’s very common), I just simply stop the horse and wait for the parent/child to walk past, if the child is running behind I’ll let the parent know it’s not safe and usually the parent will then hold child’s hand and they go on there way!

your child certainly isn’t the risk here, the horse is.. I rarely go out in public areas tbh, I try to keep at the stables and use the facilities there to ride, occasionally we will go out further a field but I know how to handle the situation should it occur.

i would never dream of saying it’s the child that’s the risk, that’s why I take every action I can to make sure nothing ever happens.. if need be I will jump off the horse and hold them by its bridal so I have extra control of the horse when children/dogs etc are walking past.

YABVU

Stop being so ignorant.

Do you honestly want to scare the horses and risk the riders having a bad accident.

You could well be in the middle of all that if it kicks off.

Why do you think decent drivers slow right down and give them a very wide birth?

Seems OTT of them, unless you're running like Usain Bolt. Actually I was driving past a horse and cart recently and went very slow and gave a good wide birth. I live in East London, we don't see them much. The driver of the horse and cart shouted out to me 'get a fucking move on'. You can't please some people...

I think if asked you should slow down - the rider knows their horse. Yes, ideally only safe, bombproof horses should be out in public - but how do they learn to be bombproof? By gradual exposure. My elderly mare has seen and done it and and you could run past her with a brass band. But she wasn't born that way - she learned by getting out and about. If it is a young horse, taking a few seconds out of your day could make all the difference to what could either be a scary or reassuring experience for a youngster and help them learn to be a safe and reliable horse for the future

I always acknowledge and thank other road and path users if I can and it is safe to do so - a nod of the head if I can't take my hands of the reins.

When I am driving I always slow down for cyclists and pass wide and slow. They never pull in or thank me, but I do it anyway because it is the correct thing to do. I don't know why the public gets so enraged if they are thanked by horse riders.

im of the view that if their horse is that skittish they need to stay on private land.

You clearly don't know as much about horses as you think: they are idiots who could walk over a tarpaulin and be scared of a Greggs bag 2 seconds later.

It causes you no harm to walk for a few seconds; if it does bother you, perhaps you should be the one staying on private land.

I'm guessing you're not a rider. Riders know it is their responsibility to manage their horses, that's why they ask people to pass wide and slow or stop for them. It's because horses are unpredictable and powerful and can cause danger to themselves, their rider and others. However well you know your horse there's always a risk of them being spooked by something. It's bloody scary to be on a horse and suddenly feel it spook or tense up- in that moment your only concern is for the safety of you and others around you.

Quite a lot of selfishness and ignorance on this thread. Just stop for the few seconds it takes for the horse to pass.

Having said all that, there's no excuse for not saying thank you. But that's a different point and has nothing to do with the horse and it's reactions.

As you are a rider too, if you know you can run past safely, I would just ignore them and keep jogging at a slower pace. They must be very entitled if they think they can dictate to you when they are ones who should be taking a skittish horse on private land, not inflicting it on the public.

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

I would say ‘YOU’RE WELCOME’. Twats.

Seems like common courtesy to me - it's not hard to walk for a few seconds to keep someone else safe.

It's not about horses being "skittish" - even the most laid back horse might spook at someone running at them. Just like it might make you jump having a stranger running up to you unexpectedly.

If people act with consideration then life is a lot more pleasant for us all.

The selfish and ignorant ones are the horse riders expecting people to stop for them and not saying thank you. If their horses aren’t safe out they shouldn’t be on public land. Horses are no better than dogs.

@wesurecouldstandgladioli there is no such thing as knowing you can run past safely. It's got precisely nothing to do with the runner's opinion because the runner doesn't know the horse or the rider.

I run and do interval or faster sessions sometimes.
I particularly choose the track, quiet roads or industrial estates where I can do a lap with minimal traffic etc
I wouldn't use local footpaths, where I meet dogs, horses, bike riders, family groups out for walks etc Those are nice places to run at chatty pace with a friend, but not speed sessions.

But the problem is Goldbar has a problem with her child being asked to walk. Of course, you could request the walk in a precarious situation as the person on a flight animal trying to ensure the safety of all, but she has made it clear she wouldn’t enforce it. Hence that creating danger.

Then the horse shouldn’t be on public land.

The entitlement is next level on this thread.

Or maybe you could run elsewhere?
Would it kill you to slow to a walk to pass a horse? It might seriously injure either you or the rider if you don't.

I agree with PPs that this isn't a hill to die on.

As someone who used to hack out two horses at least every day, it can be really scary for the horse to have someone at about five o’clock (if straight between their ears is twelve). That’s where predators go to stalk and attack and it alarms them no matter how bombproof they are. I’d rather have had someone give us a wide berth and overtaken briskly while I could concentrate on soothing the horse. I think the underlying problem is that motorists are too privileged and not taught to respect other types of road users and apparently runners now think they have a divine right to avoid the dangers posed by other road users too. You don’t. If you’re more vulnerable, you take more steps to protect yourself. If you’re on a horse you need to protect that horse, and that includes going to the side, waving on, calling out what might stress the horse. I don’t particularly want motorcyclists on the road at all even now I ride a bike which can’t be scared, due to my PTSD. I wish taxi and bus drivers didn’t hate cyclists. That doesn’t diminish my right to use the road.

@CrazyHedgehogLover . And we would be delighted to come across you and I would readily call my child back and make them wait quietly until you had passed. And we would admire your beautiful horse (I love seeing horses, though my child is understandably wary of large animals like horses and big dogs).

The only thing I object to is the 'entitlement' (an overused word but perhaps apt here) of those who knowingly introduce a danger and then expect other path users who are not expecting it to take steps to guard themselves against it. I feel the same about cyclists going too fast on pedestrian paths.

Horses are no better than dogs at what..?

Sneaking up onto a sofa when they think that no one is looking?
That mad dancing stuff they do?
Eating carrots?

Don’t leave us hanging like that!

Perhaps you should only run “on private land” if you’re unwilling to make accommodations for the safety of others. You sound very entitled

@wesurecouldstandgladioli as I said in my post...there is no excuse for not saying thank you. Again, as I said in my post, that's a different point. Just because someone doesn't say thank you it doesn't negate the potential danger a horse can cause.

Why on earth does the runner have more right to be on public land than the horse? Or a person in a car for that matter? Is that just because you're not a rider so you don't see the value? I'm not a dog lover either but I don't go about saying they should be banned from public land 🙄

You sound very selfish and entitled. Why on earth shouldn't someone stop for a few seconds in the same way they would on a pavement if someone was approaching with a pram or a wheelchair? It's just common decency. And added to that a horse is an animal with a mind of its own that can cause significant damage.