To be annoyed at horserider?

[MsSpentYoof]

I was on my way home and in the distance I could see three figures, it looked like two ladies and a man, but as I got closer it was actually a horse with a young girl on it (def not over 8/9)

I always slow down when it is people but when it is a horse I usually slow down to about 5mph because I know they scare easily, but as it didn't look like a horse I didn't slow down until quite close, when I had to break pretty quick.

It was a dark horse and just looked like a taller guy with dark clothes on.

It really shook me up, and what made it worse is one of the woman who was there was mouthing obsenitites at me.

I ALWAYS slow right down for horses, ESPECIALLY if there is a child on the back.

AIBU to think that if they are going to take a child out for a horse ride they should EITHER put a reflective jacket on the horse OR go off road so it isn't near cars (especially as it is a long straight road that goes down a hill, so it is easy to gain speed without realising it)

I still feel shakey at the thought of what might have happened if it hadn't noticed then.

YANBU- it is absolutely the responsibility of the rider to be visible- it's probably against the law not to be.

Something about being on a horse which makes people feel safe.

A similar thing happened to me last autumn in a thick fog with cyclists riding side by side with no lights on. They shouted obscenities at me, when everyone else had lights on, and they were clearly in the wrong. They could hardly be seen atall.
Perhaps the woman shouted because it was a reaction to shock or fear.

I agree the rider should have had a reflective vest on.

But I also think that, personally, if I was driving down a dark road in the driving rain and I saw a group of people walking down the road and the road was pretty narrow I'd slow down well in advance of reaching them before I overtook them.

Should have high viz on! I have a 5 minute ride along road and I always have a high viz, hat etc & I always thank drivers that slow down.

....and to whoever said you feel safer in a horse....no way, always worried & looking for danger, either a car that's too fast or more likely a scarey crisp packet in a bush.

YANBU.

I have just returned from a ride out with my eldest DD (aged 9) and she has a bay pony (Dark Brown to non horsey people), we had to ride on the road for less than a minute to cross to the bridlepath but she still had her hi-viz jacket on and my horse was also wearing a reflective excercise sheet. It's not just for cars etc, I also think we should make ourselves as visible as possible for other bridlepath users, such as dog walkers etc.

Sorry you were shaken up by a rider not suitably dressed, I most definitley think as riders (and mothers!) it is our responsibility to ensure we can be seen!

I always wear hi-vis out riding - and the horse has hi-vis bands on his legs, too.

It's important to remember that horses aren't frightened of cars - what is scary for the rider is that a horse will 'spook' at something flapping or rustling in a hedge and jump in front of the car. So it's even more important to give a wide berth than it is to slow down. It's certainly not necessary to slow to 5mph unless you're in a very narrow lane in which case you would be better to stop completely and let the rider pass you.

But why are you cross with the woman's reaction so much? She doesn't know you would normally slow down for horses or that it looked like a man. OK they should have had visibility jackets on but she was still entitled to look cross if she thought the child was in danger.

I did not mean to imply that you are a reckless driver MsSpent, just maybe lack an awareness that will develop with experience. A few years ago, the company I worked for had a policy of making all company car drivers do a defensive driving course. I found it very useful and it really opened my eyes to start to see the potential hazards on the road.

I think that the OP is BU and quite a few of the people replying are too. Not only is it apparently not the OP's fault that she sped towards a child and pony and had to brake at the last minute but it is in fact their fault for either being there in the first place or for not wearing hi vis or whatever it would have taken for the OP to recognise a horse. The fact the OP clearly says she saw them at a distance and says that it wasn't dark is obviously not proof enough that visibility wasn't the issue.

Perhaps a big flashing neon sign floating 10 foot above them with an arrow pointing down saying "It's a horse" would have been more appropriate ...

Jajas; the national speed limit on single carriageways is 60 mph unless it is stated otherwise. So if it doesn't have it's own speed limit, it'll be 60 mph.

MsSpentYoof Sun 07-Jun-09 19:27:44 Add a message | Report post | Contact poster

It was a 60 limit, on a long straight road that goes down a long hill, loads of people bomb down there.
By Rindercella Sun 07-Jun-09 19:28:48 Add a message | Report post | Contact poster

Doesn't mean it's right to do so though does it?

What is she supposed to do Rindercella, drive everywhere at 10mph just in case?

In your position, OP, I might well have stopped, apologised but pointed out that I couldn't see them until the last minute. In the hope that they'd realise they needed to be more visible.

Apparently dusk is the worst time for accidents. Our eyes use rods and cones. One is for daylight vision, one for night vison. Forget which is which. At dusk our eyes don't know which to use, hence the greater likelihood of accidents.

I'm sure that I will be told off for my comment. But to be honest I don't understand people would want to ride the horses on the roads in the first bloody place, why aren't they in the fields?

I think it's fair enough in regards to previous poster here who said they were crossing the bridle path, but it really annoys me when they cause long tail backs on 60mph country roads.

Of course I always slow down because I feel sorry for the horses, it's not their fault. But I have seen many drivers speed around them and shoot off and it's horrible to see the poor horses get distressed.

OP it's not your fault. The light has been poor today and the rider should have been wearing a visibility jacket. Not sure what point Nebaku is trying to make.

In response to why horses are ridden on roads....umm... they need exercise and lots of it and a 5mile ride cannot be achieved in a field!! They need to get fit and be kept fit. overweight fat horses & ponies are not good news.

and trust me .. no rider rides on a road by choice. Would be lovely if we all had lots of lovely acres to ride in.. but we don't and usaully while we try to stick to bridle paths it usually involves going on road 1st.

best we can do is work with our horses and train them to not be disturbed by traffic, but as pointed out already, its usually the flapping plastic bag in the hedge that spooks them rather than the car.

LadyAga, because fields are usually owned by farmers and most do not want riders or pedestrians in them. Of course there are bridlepaths but many have long gaps between them where the road must be taken and some areas have poorly maintained bridlepaths which are difficult to use, some are only able to be used in certain ground conditions or times of the years and other areas have very few bridlepaths. Most riders do not go on the roads through preference.

Cornsilk, the point I was making is that the OP could see them and had done for some distance - it wasn't that she couldn't see them and so they needed to be more visible.

The light hasn't been poor everywhere either and the OP said that it wasn't dark but that seems to be being ignored too, just like the bit where she says she saw them from some distance.

So far we seem to be having:

It was their fault for being on the road - where they were perfectly entitled to be.

It was their fault for not having hi-visibility clothing - it wasn't dark, the OP saw them from some distance so they obviously were visible or she wouldn't have seen them and it isn't a legal requirement (whereas driving with due care and attention around horses is).

It was their fault for having a child on a pony - with an accompanying adult on foot keeping an eye on them.

It was their fault for being on a 60 mph road - which all unmarked single carriageway roads are.

You should only be driving at 60 mph if it is safe to do so. Speed limits are a general guide in the best possible conditions. If you cannot tell a horse from a pedestrian then you are driving too fast for the light/weather conditions even if you were only doing 20.

If there are pedestrians on the road because it has no accompanying footpath, you should not be driving at the maximum speed; you should only do this if the road is clear.

What if it hadn't been a horse? What if it had been a man with his child walking in front of him and the child had tripped, fallen down suddenly and you had knocked them down? You couldn't tell who or what it was because you were going too fast.

Afraid I have to echo that last post, that if there were pedestrians on the road, you shouldn't have been doing 60, in fact.

It's not the responsibility of pedestrians, cyclists or riders to make themselves visible so that car drivers can bomb around at 60mph.

LadyAga, given your comments above, may I suggest that your nickname is highly contrary to your views. "LadyAga" implies someone who lives in the country, who is familiar with rural ways. You blatantly do not.

Horses are of course in fields. Just not for all of the time. They need to be exercised, and sometimes it is not possible for that to be done without using the public highways. I suggest you read the Highway Code for further clarification before you venture out on the road again in your car.

Rindercella - So persumably you think I ought to change my name as well because I dont actually live in or own a yurt

MsSpentyoof - I think this incident was unfortunate and not your fault, the riders should have been wearing visibilty vests

No. Sorry. It was clearly, blantantly the OP's fault if she was driving so fast, she had to slam on her brakes alarming both herself and the adults with the child & horse. When driving, you need to exercise due care & attention. The OP saw a hazard ahead and did not slow down appropriately to assess the situation.

I have already stated earlier in the thread that the rider should have been wearing appropriate clothing, but drivers must take responsibility - from the Highways Code: "Look out for animals being led, driven or ridden on the road and take extra care. Keep your speed down at bends and on narrow country roads." From what the OP has said, she failed in this.

I drove home at 5.30pm with my sidelights on. On a day like today I would expect to wear high viz jacket on a horse.

I don't slow down to the same speed to pass walkers, cyclists as I do for horses.

And Yurtgirl - by your nickname I wouldn't instantly assume that you own or live in a yurt, rather that you have been a bit of a nomad in your life? I am probably wrong though

Rinder - You made a comment on ladyaga's name being contary to the fact that she doesnt live in the countryside - what does it matter?

You persumably are not a default version of Cinderella

Just as I have never led a nomadic existance

Hey - I am married to my Prandsome Hince, so I conside myself to be a veritable Rindercella

Told you I'd probably be wrong with your name (but then I had never really given the name Yurtgirl a second thought)! However, imo the word Aga summmouns up visions of sitting in my parents' big farmhouse kitchen, warming myself up after a ride out on a winter's morning.

MollieO, if you slow down to one speed for pedestrians and another speed for horses, would you need to slam your breaks on to get from one slow speed to the other slow speed?

And, I meant to add, what LadyAga said in her post was so alien to country life, that it struck me as a little odd. That's all. No hard feelings, or anything.