I always slow down for horses, but should we?.

[Selous]

I go horse ride once a week, have done since I was 21 I love it, I slow down & give a wide birth for all horses.

The person (forget who) on here said if a horse isn't 100% shouldn't be on the road I agree, however a horse may very well be 100% in 'normal' conditions what ever they are!, until you get a bike with straight pipes, or car blowing a hole or back firing it's so louder then most that is not normal conditions & no matter how you would like to put it a horse is still an animal.

all the horse riders I know always when on public Rd wave to car drivers who slow down, as a thank you none I have ever been out on a hack with ever go 2 a breast until off the road.

[Still Gotta Pulse]

No he wasn't , the dilluted story just wants you to believe that. Are you actually reading this topic or just parts that suit you?

Ooo 'ark at you! Handbags at dawn!
I read the OP and replied to it, sorry mate.

No need to be sorry , though I am frequently amazed at how easy people think handbags are drawn on this forum over the smallest things.

[picos mestizo]

Should we slow down for horses. Very big YES!
What follows is a true story if you're Squeemish don't read it.

About 1985/6 a very good friend of mines son was riding his motorcycle near some horses.
One of the horses was a bit twitchy, highly strung & very nervous.
The natural reaction of a frightened horse when confronted head on is to rear up kicking out with the front legs.
This horse did exactly that & the sharp front edge of the horse shoe took half my friends sons skull off.
My friend found him lying on the floor next to his motorbike, dead with his brains coming out.
He rang me & asked me to collect the bike & dispose of it so he never had to see it again.
Please give horses the greatest respect. Stoping & turning you engine off is a good idea.
They also seem more twitchy when confronted with bright colours like yellow or orange.
DON'T RIDE FAST NEAR ANY ANIMAL IS MY ADVICE.

[Adrian]

"One of the horses was a bit twitchy, highly strung & very nervous"

So what on earth was it doing on a public highway?!

[picos mestizo]

Don't think there are any horse behavioral or psychiatric tests made prior to a good trott down the road!!!!.
ANIMALS ARE UNPREDICTABLE LIKE HUMANS.

[2 wheeled tourist]

Always, always, always slow down and even to the point, when safe to do so, stop and turn off the engine and wait for him/her/them to pass. I can wait.

Its not only respect, but a common courtesy toward the safety and peace of mind of both horse and rider

Found this, and I think it speaks for us all:

dont_burst_their_bubble_-_copy__2_.jpg (60.8 KiB) Viewed 1996 times

[2 wheeled tourist]

Personaly, I don't think we should slow down or give them a wide berth.
If the horse isnt 100% road safe they shouldnt be on it. I rode horses untill my mid 20's, mostly retired race horses, so I'm not saying this with any prejudise. When they show consideration for other road users by cleaning up their crap then fair enough (I have to admit, I never did)

Having said this, I do actually give them a wide berth, but only out of self preservation, as you would any out of control vehicle, as a lot of riders hardly seem in control.

Also in my experience as a rider of both horse and bike, generaly, horse riders are the most arogant selfish people you will ever meet. Never mind government ministers thinking we are nothing but plebs, you should meet some of these t**ts.

I had an encounter with one yesterday in my van, as his horse was backing into the middle of the road, apparently it was my fault, and I should drive on the wrong side to avoud him. I had to remind him if his horse kicked my vehicle it was his fault and not mine, like I said T**T

But isn't the irony here that it was the 104mph bike rider not being 100% road-safe and showing arrogance here. It's a world of six-of-one-and-half-a-dozen-of-the other, it seems :blink:

[peterekins]

Was he doing 104 as he was passing the horse, didnt actually read the item, just saying my feelings on this subject. if he was then he's the t**t. Giving bikers a bad name by getting nabed.
Sure, I wouldnt want to feel responsible for causing a horse rider injury, espcialy a child, but then would you let your child out on the road on a bike? So therefore they or their parents, are responsible by going on the road in the first place, and the coment that they were using the roads before us is rubish, if motor vehicles were'nt invented, there wouldn't be any roads, just tracks.

[Willy_Eckerslike]

I'll probably be accused of being pedantic again but it was actually pressure from cyclists that instigated the start of the road building program, not motorists.

[austin vince]

Always - in the trail and road riding scenes we need all the friends we can get!