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.

well i'm sure they knew they were in the wrong too. i bet they were bricking it in case you made a complaint.

Why were they in the wrong? They were walking on the road where they have every right to be! Hi-vis jackets/reflective gear are not a legal requirement. Hats aren't even a legal requirement! The rider and pedestrian were within the law. What could the OP have made a complaint about?!

Warthog - in what way were these people in the wrong?

What kind of complaint could be made about them?

Wilfully using a public highway to the annoyance of someone who's not very good at driving, perhaps?

well in that case, if i was to drive past at 60mph I would be excused because I wouldnt be breaking the law.

I've learnt my lesson. Do not drink tea and read MN. Second time I've ended up with a soggy keyboard ...

OP - if you flashed past them at 60mph you may have been breaking the law because though within the limit you would probably have been driving without due care and attention.

It's what you learn through experience.

We've all done stupid things as novice drivers and most of the time we get away with it and learn from our mistake.

Just accept it.

MsSpentYoof, you are LEGALLY required to drive with due care and attention. A 60 mph zone means a maximum of 60 mph if the conditions allow it, which passing a horse and rider doesn't. A horse rider is NOT legally required to wear whatever bit of kit you feel would have enabled you to recognise a horse.

btw Nekabu - my advice about learning from our mistakes goes for you too

I'm sorry but PMSL at the indignant first post which contains the admission that the OP mistook a horse for a man!!

You lot have all been had! It's a wind-up!!!

Sigh

no they don't have to legally wear visibility jackets, but surely it's the minimum if you're going to take kids on the back of a horse on a busy country lane? it's not much to ask - to just put a feckin jacket on is it? and look what nearly happened! and so easily could have been avoided! well? just for a bit of road safety? hmmm?

i would have been pissed off if that was my dd they were trotting around in the dusk.

warthog: 1830 on a June evening isn't dusk and please note that the OP said in her first post that visibility wasn't an issue (she'd seen them from some distance) and that it wasn't dark.

Freddysteddy: A few years back a horse and rider were killed in broad daylight on a long, straight road and the motorist had said that he'd thought it was a cyclist. Why that meant it was OK to mow them down I don't know as I only saw the first report. So it doesn't automatically ring 'wind up' alarm bells with me that someone thought a pony and child was a man.

tallulahbelly: I have learnt, I am a tea-free-zone ...

so what? they can still do that simple thing surely?

i used to commute on motorbike across london every day. i wore my visibility jacket no matter what the weather, because unfortunately there are a lot of twits on the road (please note - not explicitly calling the op a twit...). it's a simple thing that could make the difference.

Warthog

The lesson I've learned today is to check before giving advice to fuckwits who turn out to be probably be taking the piss.

So should you, if you're serious.

If not, well, maybe you're doing it too...

No harm done, eh?

AS HT said, it had been terrible weather down here, and she only lives a short distance away from me.

It wasn't 'broad daylight', it was day;light hours, and it wasn't dark but it wasn't the best light to be riding a hoorse with your small child on the back.

"And the weather here has been crappy and it was at the sort of brightness that you need your lights on but they don't really make much difference. i did look at them, and had my contact lenses in, but still didnt see it was a horse, if the woman wasnt half in front of the horse and maybe it had some kind of reflective gear on it, my lights would have reflected back for me to see."

And it wasn't 6.30 either, (where do you get this stuff?)

I am not taking the piss, i just chose to ignore FSs comment.

Just bear in mind that the vast majority of back roads in this country have a 60mph speed limit. That doesn't mean it's safe to do 60mph on them. It just means that it's not a built up area.

Drive for the road, the road conditions and the time of day - not for the speed limit.

It's a horrible thing to have happened. I hope it doesn't happen to you again.

"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."

Rindercella - I live in the country, love the pace of life, the bird song, walking my dogs off lead, the greenery etc but I hate horses (pointless feckers! - although I do slow down for them and drive past slowly with a grim martyred expression on my face) - we're not all the same you know. It's not compulsory to have a check list of personal attributes and preferences!

The cyclists piss me off too, but the runners are okay (largely because I am one )

You posted your first post at 1915 and said in a subsequent post:

"It was about 30 mins ago or there abouts, so it wasn't really dark, one of the walkers was stood half in front of horse."

You do realise your messages are still there for us to see what you said, don't you? So why do you keep saying all this outraged "Where did I say that?" stuff when your messages are there with the stuff you're denying saying writ large upon them!

I came over the crest of a bridge the other day at around 30mph (on a road where the speed limit is 60mph) and there was a horse with a child on it accompanied by an adult immediately on the other side. As soon as I saw them I slammed the brakes on and the woman still mouthed obscenities at me. I always slow right down for horses etc and am a v careful driver but do feel that they need to accept that it their responsibility to ensure they are visible.

Yesterday was a very grey rainy day and I for one was driving with my side lights on all day.

When I am out walking/ cycling with my kids, we move out of the way of approaching cars, especially if the speed limit is 60mph.

Well, it was more like 7 because I left my parents gone 6.30 and it takes over half an hour to drive the 12 mile journey, and the 'incident' with the horse was only the next villiage from home, sorry my guess wasn't bang on, but when you said it was 6.30 i just thought, hang on a min, i didn't even leave until after that.

It wasn't dark, no, but it wasn't light either.

Reach4Sky, I wonder if it was the same woman as I met, lol.