Just a reminder to be polite to motorists when out hacking on the road

convert

Pretty much as it says in the title.

Was out and about in the car to day and met a horse and rider on a very twisty and narrow back road. As I was approaching from behind the rider and was on a series of very bad bends, I slowed down a distance from the horse in order to give them some space and take the pressure off them on the bend. And, to be honest I was (stupidly and naively) expecting them to give me some direction as to whether or not I should overtake, or stay where I was, etc.

Did I get any sort of direction from the rider? No. They just continued trotting on around the bends without even acknowledging I was there. In the end I had to wait until they had rounded the 3 bends and got on a straight piece of road before I was willing to overtake them. Worse still, they didn't even say thank you or salute me.

Had it not been lashing rain I was very tempted to hop out of the car and just ask them to be a little more considerate of and polite towards other road users.

Horses being ridden on the roads get bad enough press as it is, with people calling for it to be banned. We don't need to give them any further excuses to do this by coming across as ignorant ****s.

So next time you're out on the road, please remember to be considerate of other road users and, most of all, be polite and say thank you to those motorists who have the decency to slow down and drive carefully.

Sorry for the rant, it just really, really p***ed me off, as I'm always conscious of being courteous so as to avoid giving those of us who ride on the road a bad press.

s-cogan

i agree. i always wave cars on if the road is clear, or flag them in behind me if not.
this goes both ways though, often when i wave on a car, the driver has a seizure, and points madly at the bend in front of me. its like "do you not think i can see it, you stones?? and i could hear if a car was comin against you, so im hardly waving you on blindly!!!" if they refuse to pass on, i have a very bad habit of making the horse prance around, so the ignorant twats have to stay where they are, seeing as they like being stuck up my arse so much.


plus i always, always, ALWAYS salute a driver, even if they've been a pain in the hole.

convert

I know exactly what you mean about 'over cautious' drivers - they are a bit annoying, but I'd still rather them be like that than whizzing past.

Alibear

I always say thank you to considerate drivers, and fortunately the majority are sensible and respectful towards my horse and I. It really angers me when I pass by a rider on a road and they don't even say thank you for slowing down or for pulling over :mad: It doesn't surprise me that so many people take a dislike towards riders on the roads afterwards because of a previous incident with a rude, careless rider :mad: Even just a nod is appreciated.

Recently though, I've had some very bad experiences

byhookorbycrook

Had some bad experiences when out on my old horse, young fellas driving right up his tail and then revving. We had a little trick going whereby he'd do a little dance if I moved the rein a certain way..never failed to get the boy racers to back off, the prospect of half a ton of horse on the bonnet taught a few guys some manners.
I would always try to pull in out of the way. I also feel it's very important to thank those who slow/pull in.

No harm to remind all hunters to be polite to foot followers,gate openers and land owners, as well as the hunt staff, naturally.

Alibear

I actually find the boy racers to be some of the most considerate; they always pull over and let me through. Thankfully my horse is great on the road, and often people will stop and admire him; he's quite the charmer

One day my horse was hit by a wing mirror, because the driver of the car had no intention of slowing down and allowing me to pull in on a narrow road :mad: He was very well behaved and just wondered "what on earth did he do that for!?!?'; I'm sure most other horses would've kicked out at the car. I've had far too many 'near misses' too, because some people just have no intention of slowing down

lordgoat

I've only hacked out a couple of times, the horse i have is a dream on the road but there are far more ****-head drivers than nice ones. I'm often tempted to turn around on the horse and ask them are they in some kind of hurry? But wouldn't put the champ through that just in case.

I agree though convert, it actually nice to salute the good considerate drivers. not to be ignored.

convert

The other thing that annoys me are the people who drive really slowly when appraoching you, and just as they're passing tend to rev the engine really loudly and speed up.

I'm lucky enough where I live in that most people have a bit of knowledge about animals and know to slow down and give horses a bit of space when overtaking.

However, like Ali, I've found young male drivers to be much better than any female drivers, old or young - it's girls/women who are more likely not to take their foot off the accelerator when passing, despite being given the signal to slow down...

Are any of you driving in Co. Wexford!! If so watch out for an older lady on a skewbald who takes great delight in whacking the windscreen with her whip!! (My mother is not the most polite rider on the roads!)

I used to pull my horse into the verge and walk him when cars approached. And always saluted. You do have some A-holes who will go as far as beeeeeeeep on the horn no matter what you are doing, I was lucky to own the most bombproof horse in the world. I had people speed by us at 60 miles an hour too. But then you get the people who shut down their engines and sit in the car waiting for you to pass!! But also agree I often encountered those that slowed down nicely and wait till they're alongside you to rev up and speed off.

Nicest "driver" I ever enounctered was a guy operating a JCB in a field below the road. I was riding my mother's then 3 year old and he was really freaked out. The guy stopped operating and shut off his engine. Willow was still a little unsure, danced forwards a bit, then stopped again. Then I saw the guy... he had got out of his cab and was scaling the 10 foot ditch up to the road... of course that scared Will even more... he appeared on the side of the road and asked if he could help!! Well no, he had just made everything worse by then, but got to love him, he tried!

Alibear

And another thing... Please wear hi-viz! Even just a hi-viz vest or jacket could help a driver spot you more easily, regardless of what time of the day it is.

If I'm hacking out during the winter or when it's dark/getting dark I will also put a hi-viz exercise sheet on my horse.

s-cogan

tractor and lorry drivers always seem to understand the fright horses get fom their engines, and always (around my gaff anyway) switch off.
had a hairy moment last easter when a racehorse i was excercizing got frightened by a car passing slowly(ish) but at fierce high revs, and reared up. the only thing that stopped her comin back on me was the fact that she sat up against the car, which stopped. that got the blood up!!!! your one pulled up a bit, bawled that she could sue us for it at one of the girls further up the string, and tore off lifting!!! some people, eh??

silverfox88

cant understand why people wont take the few seconds to thank a driver who has waited, considering the number of dodgy drivers there are on the roads!! i think the MOST irritating is young lads in cars who SLOW DOWN and then just as they are pulling alongside the horse START BEEPING THE HORN - what kind of STUPID is that??? people who wont slow down are one thing but intentionally doing something like that?? luckily my horse doesnt usually mind that sort of thing but someday someone is going to get a hoof through a windscreen... agh it makes me so angry!!!

Max Power1

Deleted User wrote: »

Are any of you driving in Co. Wexford!! If so watch out for an older lady on a skewbald who takes great delight in whacking the windscreen with her whip!! (My mother is not the most polite rider on the roads!)

Its people like this that are quickly eradicating any remaining goodwill towards people that drive horses on the roads. Some people (myself included) would become confrontational very quickly if some ignorant POS was to strike my car.

Alibear

Max Power1 wrote: »

Its people like this that are quickly eradicating any remaining goodwill towards people that drive horses on the roads. Some people (myself included) would become confrontational very quickly if some ignorant POS was to strike my car.

I agree; and I do the majority of my riding on the roads! I have been very frustrated at times with certain drivers, but I wouldn't dare hit their car. I just curse under my breath, but perhaps I'm too polite? I think if you hit something off someone's car (yes, I understand a whip will not cause any damage), they'll be even more likely to speed dangerously past you next time as I'm sure you would have seriously angered them.

The majority of people (in my area anyway) do make an effort to slow down and overtake you as carefully as possible, or will stop and allow you to pass; does your Mother 'punish' everyone??

doctor evil

Alibear wrote: »

And another thing... Please wear hi-viz! Even just a hi-viz vest or jacket could help a driver spot you more easily, regardless of what time of the day it is.

If I'm hacking out during the winter or when it's dark/getting dark I will also put a hi-viz exercise sheet on my horse.

Hi-viz should be worn at all times on both horse and rider when on the roads.

It doesn't have to be dark to create poor visibility. There could be overhanging trees/sun glare/ and the H+R can easily blend into the landscape as they are not metallic coloured.

A tap with a schooling whip wouldn't damage a car but don't do it if the driver is likely to be a road rage head.

Eye contact, smiling and regualarly checking behind is so important.

I hate seeing riders that look like they have a lemon shoved up their arse.

Each rider is an ambassador for our sport!

rstax

Very glad to see some people are considerate to drivers!.. We, as riders need to "reinforce good behaviour" in my opinion! Ha..
We have to look at it from the car driver's point of view, as, in reality, it is them who are paying road tax.. I know us horse riders have a right to be on the road too, but I think that we should treat it as a privilege, as we don't want to get kicked off them for good!. It is very sad, however, that some drivers aren't one bit considerate when it comes to horses being on the road.. They have no clue how much damage a horse could do to their precious bmw,mazda or whatever it is..
I, for one, am very lucky, as I'm form a rural community in Donegal, and when I take hacks out from the riding school where I work, most of the traffic you meet if any, are locals who know you, and know how to pass/wait for the ride to pass.. Because I am responsible for up to 8 riders at a time, if I see a car coming at too quick a speed, I do park my horse in the middle of the road - just until they slow down sufficiently.. I'll then move back to the left, and smile and thank the driver, allowing them to continue.. It normally only needs to happen the once, and next time they pass you they do it in a sensible, acceptable way.
I do know that it is not ideal/safe to do this on all roads, and I do only do this where the road is straight and where the driver has enough room to slow down!!..
A way needs to be thought up on how to educate drivers when it comes to horses on the road, as many think it can be passed like a bicycle. I certainly hope that the reckless driving is not done to harm/scare anyone..

Stay safe out there guys, and never under-estimate the power of high viz!!

bullylover

heres a question! I was told that as a rider on the road you shouldnt wave drivers on incase of an accident, i was told u could be held responsible as you waved a driver on. Is this true?
Oh and I have a friend who was hacking on a very quiet country lane when a jeep came down slowed passing her but then flew off causing the gravel on the lane to spray up and the hit her horse, he went mental. Is now terrified of traffic...
But defo Hi viz and a smile:)

EGAR

Sigh.... I have met a rider on a black horse, in dark clothing the other NIGHT. I nearly died of shock and that rider is lucky I am a slow driver and was well under the legal speed limit on that road and to make the matter worse, he had two Collies with him who charged at my jeep. If I was ever tempted to suffer from road rage, it was then.

convert

bullylover wrote: »

heres a question! I was told that as a rider on the road you shouldnt wave drivers on incase of an accident, i was told u could be held responsible as you waved a driver on. Is this true?

I've heard of this, too. Although the case I heard about involved somebody giving directions to a lorry driver reversing, and when the lorry hit a wall, the individual directing was held liable. You'd want to check with a legal professional for precise details/reliable advice 'tho.

rstax

Use your common sense - if you feel it is not safe to wave-don't!. Just smile and nod..
In the BHS road safety test, you are told not to take your hands off the reins to wave. I'd never heard that a driver could hold you responsible for an accident for waving though.. Does the same apply to other drivers who wave to say thanks?. I'd imagine not..

Cherry Blossom

rstax wrote: »

Use your common sense - if you feel it is not safe to wave-don't!. Just smile and nod..
In the BHS road safety test, you are told not to take your hands off the reins to wave. I'd never heard that a driver could hold you responsible for an accident for waving though.. Does the same apply to other drivers who wave to say thanks?. I'd imagine not..

You've miss understood that post . If you wave traffic on (telling them it's safe to pass you) and an accident ensues involving you or not then you could be liable for it as the rules of the road state drivers should follow directions from anyone in charge of an animal. Waving traffic on is an automatic fail in the RRS. In general terms ie. in relation to other drivers you have no obligation to follow instructions from other drivers and you are supposed to ignore them i.e. only pass a car stopped in the middle of the road if you can see for yourself that it is safe to do so and not because someone is waving you on. That's the difference.

rstax

Woops!.. That makes much more sense now!!..

convert

I'm resurrecting this thread again for the summer months as I've come across a few threads around the place from riders asking other road users to drive with due care and consideration when meeting horses on the road. While most posters are fine, there are still the few who think horses shouldn't be on the road and that riders are snotty f**kers, etc.

So, while everyone who has responded to this thread has said they're polite, maybe it would be worthwhile reminding your friends and yards about this and to make sure that when they take people out riding, they are polite and considerate of other road users.

Last thing we want is people calling for a ban on horses on the road!

Simile

Drivers need a licence to drive on public roads - do the BHS Riding and Road Safety Test before going out on a public road. Courses and tests are run from one end of the country to the other. Check out www.aire.ie for details.

I think a good idea would be marked horse riding tracks like the hiking trails e.g the Wicklow Way or the Western Way or Slieve Bloom way etc. Would be great for tourism

convert

Simile wrote: »

Drivers need a licence to drive on public roads - do the BHS Riding and Road Safety Test before going out on a public road.

Doing the driving test doesn't make good drivers. So there's nothing to suggest that doing a riding and road safety test will make good riders. You just have to look at all the atrocious pony club riders on the road who have had to do such a test in order to do their C or C+ test and compete at a national level.

Kens

Simile wrote: »

Drivers need a licence to drive on public roads.

A license means nothing I met a jeep the other night speeding towards me with a canoe strapped to the roof & window flags who when waved to slow down rolled down his window cursed at me revved his engine & sped past stopped a few feet after us to survey the havoc he caused what a nice fully licensed driver !!

I wasnt a pony clubber nor do I have my road safety exam, road safety for both drivers & riders as a rule is common sense & courtesy both of which seems to be sadly lacking how many ride on the roads without any hi viz & then wonder when a car gets too close on a country road !!

doctor evil

Deleted User wrote: »

I think a good idea would be marked horse riding tracks like the hiking trails e.g the Wicklow Way or the Western Way or Slieve Bloom way etc. Would be great for tourism

Only problem is how to get to it if a rider doesn't have a box or a vehicle suitable to tow it.

doctor evil

Simile wrote: »

Drivers need a licence to drive on public roads - do the BHS Riding and Road Safety Test before going out on a public road. Courses and tests are run from one end of the country to the other. Check out www.aire.ie for details.

I found doing the test makes you more aware of things, it can be too easy to fall into a routine of not checking behind you enough.

Cherry Blossom

Kens wrote: »

A license means nothing I met a jeep the other night speeding towards me with a canoe strapped to the roof & window flags who when waved to slow down rolled down his window cursed at me revved his engine & sped past stopped a few feet after us to survey the havoc he caused what a nice fully licensed driver !!

A licence means a lot if you loose it because you have been reported for dangerous driving which you obviously did in this case, yeah?

Kens

Yeap I did all I got was sure you're grand no harm done !!