Are there car-hating horse riders, like car-hating cyclists?
Discussion
Personally i don’t see the point of riding a Horse on the road? There are plenty of off road-routes which is the whole point isn’t it? Its an off-road animal.
Why make an already dull hobby even duller riding down a road? Also if they came off they would hit tarmac not soil. Now i know which id prefer to land on!
They put their self and everyone on the roads at risk unnecessarily because they are too nieve and dim to realise there taking an unpredictable, heavy animal out in public.
Horses are dumb, i mean proper dumb and i have seen people seriously injured because of the pure lack of respect and blind sightedness of owning such a stupid animal and then taking out in alien environments.
Why make an already dull hobby even duller riding down a road? Also if they came off they would hit tarmac not soil. Now i know which id prefer to land on!
They put their self and everyone on the roads at risk unnecessarily because they are too nieve and dim to realise there taking an unpredictable, heavy animal out in public.
Horses are dumb, i mean proper dumb and i have seen people seriously injured because of the pure lack of respect and blind sightedness of owning such a stupid animal and then taking out in alien environments.
Edited by rocketride on Saturday 5th February 15:02
Willy Nilly said:
I have been brought up with and worked with large animals and can report, with some authority, that horses are stupid animals owned by ignorant if well meaning idiots. Most of them, in fact all of them with possibly one or two exceptions, have much large animal enthusiasm, but little large animal skill.
These animals are mollycoddled, spoilt and generally pampered, but seem to do a good job of running up huge bills, then when the vet has run out of ideas or paid for his new car/holiday gets shot.
Obviously it is the owners fault. They are either young girls that have yet to discover boys or older women that are ignored by men. All of their nervousness is transmitted to the horse. The horse gets jumpy, so the rider/owner then tries to avoid what ever it was that made it jump, when what they should be doing is finding what made it jump then doing it over and over again until stops jumping.
If people want to take horses on the road, there should be a minimum age that they can do it, 17 or 18 maybe. The horse should have an annual check to make sure it is fit to be on the road and the rider should have to undergo a test. No more than 2 or maybe 3 horses should be allowed to travel in convoy, they should also be insured and have to pick their s
t up. You might think it is a bit harsh, but the roads are just to busy and dangerous to have a big lump of meat that is hardly under control using them, it is not safe for rider, horse or other road users.
I've not encountered a horse on my bicycle (I don't go on far on it) but do meet them in the car, motorbike and tractor. I give them room and creep past most are ok, but there is a sizeable number of little bhes . I've met loads of horsey women and can think of only 2 I'd go for a drink with, the rest are all hat stand and only have one topic of conversation they will talk about. Horses.
...and why is it that horsey people keep their horses in with electric fences, but can't maintain the fking things and wonder why Dobbin keeps getting out? fk wits.
These animals are mollycoddled, spoilt and generally pampered, but seem to do a good job of running up huge bills, then when the vet has run out of ideas or paid for his new car/holiday gets shot.
Obviously it is the owners fault. They are either young girls that have yet to discover boys or older women that are ignored by men. All of their nervousness is transmitted to the horse. The horse gets jumpy, so the rider/owner then tries to avoid what ever it was that made it jump, when what they should be doing is finding what made it jump then doing it over and over again until stops jumping.
If people want to take horses on the road, there should be a minimum age that they can do it, 17 or 18 maybe. The horse should have an annual check to make sure it is fit to be on the road and the rider should have to undergo a test. No more than 2 or maybe 3 horses should be allowed to travel in convoy, they should also be insured and have to pick their s
t up. You might think it is a bit harsh, but the roads are just to busy and dangerous to have a big lump of meat that is hardly under control using them, it is not safe for rider, horse or other road users.I've not encountered a horse on my bicycle (I don't go on far on it) but do meet them in the car, motorbike and tractor. I give them room and creep past most are ok, but there is a sizeable number of little b
hes . I've met loads of horsey women and can think of only 2 I'd go for a drink with, the rest are all hat stand and only have one topic of conversation they will talk about. Horses. ...and why is it that horsey people keep their horses in with electric fences, but can't maintain the f
king things and wonder why Dobbin keeps getting out? fk wits. 
What about horse hating cyclists?
It's can't be pleasant riding behind a horse when it breaks wind, nor can it be great when in one of those reclined cycles when you get dung jetted out at you.
Imagine the scene
Bike rider :- "You don't pay road tax or insurance! You're scum"
Horse rider:- "You don't pay road tax or insurance! You're scum"
However this is an easy argument to solve. Bloke in lycra v lady in tight fitting cream jodhpurs and black boots.
Easy decision, yep, once again the left wing vegetarian librarian cyclists lose out.
Andy
It's can't be pleasant riding behind a horse when it breaks wind, nor can it be great when in one of those reclined cycles when you get dung jetted out at you.
Imagine the scene
Bike rider :- "You don't pay road tax or insurance! You're scum"
Horse rider:- "You don't pay road tax or insurance! You're scum"
However this is an easy argument to solve. Bloke in lycra v lady in tight fitting cream jodhpurs and black boots.
Easy decision, yep, once again the left wing vegetarian librarian cyclists lose out.
Andy
Is this some strange countryside dogging thing? My mind is boggling. Country folk? Well I never.
After reading this thread I have been biting my tongue so hard I can almost taste blood. The sheer arrogance of some people is palpable (I'm specifically thinking the twonk who decided to intimidate a rider with his car. I'll personally help R1 Loon beat the crap out of somebody like that).
The thing that some people don't seem to realise is that a horse has a mind of it's own and I don't care if you are John Whittaker or a novice rider if a horse decides to bolt it is going to bolt and typically it won't do that without some form of provocation. Yes you will get some riders who view cars as devices of Satan but conversely some drivers will behave like knobs of the highest order. A little consideration from both parties would help everybody and potentially prevent an accident with devastating consequences for all involved.
The thing that some people don't seem to realise is that a horse has a mind of it's own and I don't care if you are John Whittaker or a novice rider if a horse decides to bolt it is going to bolt and typically it won't do that without some form of provocation. Yes you will get some riders who view cars as devices of Satan but conversely some drivers will behave like knobs of the highest order. A little consideration from both parties would help everybody and potentially prevent an accident with devastating consequences for all involved.
Pigeon said:
This.
Plenty of horse rant threads on here. Also, Glue pots. The PH invasion of Horse and Hound...
My own thoughts... Well, if you had a car that had a tendency to charge off uncontrollably in a random direction whenever another car went past, or when you drove past a piece of paper in the hedge, nobody would even think of disagreeing with the statement that it was a danger to its own driver and everyone else on the road and anyone who did drive such a car on the road should be prosecuted for driving a dangerous vehicle.
Yet there is a sizeable contingent who don't see the problem in taking a horse which does this same thing on the road. The double standard and the sheer stupidity annoy me intensely.
It is possible to train/condition a horse so that it behaves safely on the road and does not freak out at things which occur on the road all the time. Police horses are so conditioned. There should be some kind of annual "horse MoT" to check that the horse is indeed so conditioned and if it fails it's not allowed on the road - just as a dangerous car isn't.
To the argument that not all horses can be sufficiently well conditioned to pass such a test, and the horse owned by the propounder of that argument is an example, my response is... tough st. Get a different horse. If you want to ride a trials bike on the road you have to either make it road legal or if that's not possible get a different bike... no reason why horses should be any different.
+1, well said. Plenty of horse rant threads on here. Also, Glue pots. The PH invasion of Horse and Hound...
My own thoughts... Well, if you had a car that had a tendency to charge off uncontrollably in a random direction whenever another car went past, or when you drove past a piece of paper in the hedge, nobody would even think of disagreeing with the statement that it was a danger to its own driver and everyone else on the road and anyone who did drive such a car on the road should be prosecuted for driving a dangerous vehicle.
Yet there is a sizeable contingent who don't see the problem in taking a horse which does this same thing on the road. The double standard and the sheer stupidity annoy me intensely.
It is possible to train/condition a horse so that it behaves safely on the road and does not freak out at things which occur on the road all the time. Police horses are so conditioned. There should be some kind of annual "horse MoT" to check that the horse is indeed so conditioned and if it fails it's not allowed on the road - just as a dangerous car isn't.
To the argument that not all horses can be sufficiently well conditioned to pass such a test, and the horse owned by the propounder of that argument is an example, my response is... tough s
t. Get a different horse. If you want to ride a trials bike on the road you have to either make it road legal or if that's not possible get a different bike... no reason why horses should be any different.farrendahl said:
After reading this thread I have been biting my tongue so hard I can almost taste blood. The sheer arrogance of some people is palpable (I'm specifically thinking the twonk who decided to intimidate a rider with his car. I'll personally help R1 Loon beat the crap out of somebody like that).
The thing that some people don't seem to realise is that a horse has a mind of it's own and I don't care if you are John Whittaker or a novice rider if a horse decides to bolt it is going to bolt and typically it won't do that without some form of provocation. Yes you will get some riders who view cars as devices of Satan but conversely some drivers will behave like knobs of the highest order. A little consideration from both parties would help everybody and potentially prevent an accident with devastating consequences for all involved.
Sums it up quite well, consideration from both sides would make the roads safer for everyone, I have tootled along a safe distance behind a horse rider untill they have been able to allow me past safely with a wave of thanks, I have also been stuck behind another horse rider (safe distance again) who has stayed in the centre of the road, passing several suitable pull ins, for a mile or so until a vehicle coming the other way forced them to stop in an entrance to a field then ride out in front of me again. When I was eventually able to pass all I got was daggers so I waved politely then unleashed my own horses (450 of them)The thing that some people don't seem to realise is that a horse has a mind of it's own and I don't care if you are John Whittaker or a novice rider if a horse decides to bolt it is going to bolt and typically it won't do that without some form of provocation. Yes you will get some riders who view cars as devices of Satan but conversely some drivers will behave like knobs of the highest order. A little consideration from both parties would help everybody and potentially prevent an accident with devastating consequences for all involved.
R1 Loon said:
redgriff500 said:
Yep, I used to ride horses IN FIELDS so I'm aware of them yet I have met idiots like this.
I was going slowly but I do have a relatively loud exhaust. They went mental at me as I braked to avoid the two of them riding side by side blocking the road.
Needless to say I booted it off...
then reversed and booted it again...
and again.
If you can't keep your bloody transport under control GET THE fk OFF THE ROAD.
If I'd come around the bend at 40+ then I'd have had 2 tons of horse and rider on top of me... if anyone should have gone mad it should have been me !
If you'd done that to my wife, I'd have smashed your face in.I was going slowly but I do have a relatively loud exhaust. They went mental at me as I braked to avoid the two of them riding side by side blocking the road.
Needless to say I booted it off...
then reversed and booted it again...
and again.
If you can't keep your bloody transport under control GET THE f
k OFF THE ROAD.If I'd come around the bend at 40+ then I'd have had 2 tons of horse and rider on top of me... if anyone should have gone mad it should have been me !
Cock.
I do agree with most of points in the opening post.
I think judging cyclists in town is partly a question of judging city-dwellers, who do indeed tend to be more selfish, impatient and aggresive on the roads (and anywhere else for that matter). This goes for drivers and even pedestrians too, though.
Likewise, I can imagine - as a cyclist myself - that the fact it becomes a viable method of 'beating the traffic' in town leads to cycling being adopted, in some instances, by people who aren't interested in riding a bike as such, but rather filtering to the front of the queue at every available opportunity, irrespective of what they need to do to get there.
So, yes, I can imagine cyclists in town are more likely to correspond to the road warrior stereotype than those in the suburbs (or better still somewhere genuinely rural). But have you seen the way people drive in town? Leave half a car width and someone will try and filter a four wheeled vehicle into the non existent lane to get past you, let alone a bike. I think all it proves is city-dwellers - whether by nature or by circumstance - are less pleasant people to be around. I don't think it says a lot about those in either group who decide to ride a horse (or a bike).
And FWIW I do know plenty of horse riders who moan about cars passing too close or too fast. Also, you can't not see a horse! I think half the problem with people overtaking cyclists is that they simply don't realise how much room they need to overtake properly and how fast the rider might be travelling. After all, in London you see cyclists every day, but even out in the sticks you don't see horses on the road every morning unless you commute via a livery yard.
I think judging cyclists in town is partly a question of judging city-dwellers, who do indeed tend to be more selfish, impatient and aggresive on the roads (and anywhere else for that matter). This goes for drivers and even pedestrians too, though.
Likewise, I can imagine - as a cyclist myself - that the fact it becomes a viable method of 'beating the traffic' in town leads to cycling being adopted, in some instances, by people who aren't interested in riding a bike as such, but rather filtering to the front of the queue at every available opportunity, irrespective of what they need to do to get there.
So, yes, I can imagine cyclists in town are more likely to correspond to the road warrior stereotype than those in the suburbs (or better still somewhere genuinely rural). But have you seen the way people drive in town? Leave half a car width and someone will try and filter a four wheeled vehicle into the non existent lane to get past you, let alone a bike. I think all it proves is city-dwellers - whether by nature or by circumstance - are less pleasant people to be around. I don't think it says a lot about those in either group who decide to ride a horse (or a bike).
And FWIW I do know plenty of horse riders who moan about cars passing too close or too fast. Also, you can't not see a horse! I think half the problem with people overtaking cyclists is that they simply don't realise how much room they need to overtake properly and how fast the rider might be travelling. After all, in London you see cyclists every day, but even out in the sticks you don't see horses on the road every morning unless you commute via a livery yard.
T'other day I was in the countryside, exhaust had been blowing like an absolute bugger for a while so when I saw a couple of dumb animals coming down the road (they were both riding horses 
) I naturally pulled over and motioned them past explaining why I'd pulled over, they were ( wearing tight trousers) grateful and said "thank you" and went happily on their way, As did I and had a cracking blast on some lovely Suffolk back roads, and got a new back box for nowt under warranty later that day.
Sharing the road really doesn't need to be stressful
) I naturally pulled over and motioned them past explaining why I'd pulled over, they were ( wearing tight trousers) grateful and said "thank you" and went happily on their way, As did I and had a cracking blast on some lovely Suffolk back roads, and got a new back box for nowt under warranty later that day.Sharing the road really doesn't need to be stressful
Well I'm on the thread mentioned by the OP and there are a few of us, but not many, pushing the line that we are all as bad as each other, we are all somebody just trying to get somewhere, why can't we all behave with respect plus give and take.
It is difficult to be reasonable in the face of prejudice and bigotry from either side.
To horses, most horse riders are reasonable to me and I to them, slowing right down even stop and almost always get a wave of thanks.
There is the exception, my tale concerns a back road near Aldridge and one evening could see in the distance a solo horse and rider where the horse was very skittish and the rider not really in that much control.
So I slowed down, trickled towards, still no sign of control by the other party, so stopped, two wheels on grass verge killed engine. Let horse and rider go past, a lot of horsey sideways and pivoting and backing up and a bit more sideways, basically not in control.
After the rider had got past, well past and not just cleared the rear bumper, fired up and eased away. As the wheels were on a muddy patch the n/s driving wheel spun a bit and then gripped on a gravelly patch, nothing much.
The rider, a right little uppity madam who had neither acknowledged nor thanked for efforts to help, spun straight round and flipped the finger at this.
It hasn't altered the way I treat riders just confirmed my view that every sector of society contains obnoxious gits, and horse riders are no different.
It is difficult to be reasonable in the face of prejudice and bigotry from either side.
To horses, most horse riders are reasonable to me and I to them, slowing right down even stop and almost always get a wave of thanks.
There is the exception, my tale concerns a back road near Aldridge and one evening could see in the distance a solo horse and rider where the horse was very skittish and the rider not really in that much control.
So I slowed down, trickled towards, still no sign of control by the other party, so stopped, two wheels on grass verge killed engine. Let horse and rider go past, a lot of horsey sideways and pivoting and backing up and a bit more sideways, basically not in control.
After the rider had got past, well past and not just cleared the rear bumper, fired up and eased away. As the wheels were on a muddy patch the n/s driving wheel spun a bit and then gripped on a gravelly patch, nothing much.
The rider, a right little uppity madam who had neither acknowledged nor thanked for efforts to help, spun straight round and flipped the finger at this.
It hasn't altered the way I treat riders just confirmed my view that every sector of society contains obnoxious gits, and horse riders are no different.
Edited by F i F on Sunday 6th February 07:45
otolith said:
kambites said:
I can't say I've ever met a car hating cyclist
Meet Doug Bollen, car hating cyclist and well known net kook:http://www.cyclingcrowd.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/uk-bicy...
I've met a few idiots who cycle on pavements though..
Living in mostly rural settings for 30 years and a fair few in cities too I can honestly say I've never had a problem so far with horses, their riders or cyclists on the road. 20 of these years involved doing 18k a year around mostly country lanes in Shropshire and mid Wales where horses on the roads are a common site. I can safely say if drivers are having an issue with any of these things either on the road or on the net they ought to look at their driving.
I always slow right down and usually stop or reverse to a passing place to give a horse or cyclist plenty of room to pass on narrow roads. I don't rev the engine when near horses or sound the horn and I turn my music down if the windows are open. I always wave to any road user thanking them for letting me through if they stop or reverse for me regardless if they needed to or not. If in a rare event I cock up in the car (or in life) I don't start puffing my chest out and act like a thug to claw back a few points through embarrassment, I make my apologies and get on with my day.
So the bottom line imo is if people took this advice more often there would be fewer problems A: on the roads B: in life. Funnily enough non of this courteous driving or attitude has ever made me late either, but even if it has I've never noticed as make a point of winning people over so they are just damn glad I have arrived rather than stand around tapping their watch. Ciao
they ought to look at their driving. I always slow right down and usually stop or reverse to a passing place to give a horse or cyclist plenty of room to pass on narrow roads. I don't rev the engine when near horses or sound the horn and I turn my music down if the windows are open. I always wave to any road user thanking them for letting me through if they stop or reverse for me regardless if they needed to or not. If in a rare event I cock up in the car (or in life) I don't start puffing my chest out and act like a thug to claw back a few points through embarrassment, I make my apologies and get on with my day.
So the bottom line imo is if people took this advice more often there would be fewer problems A: on the roads B: in life. Funnily enough non of this courteous driving or attitude has ever made me late either, but even if it has I've never noticed as make a point of winning people over so they are just damn glad I have arrived rather than stand around tapping their watch. Ciao
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