most annoying

s-cogan

anyone like to share the most annoying experience theyve suffered at te hands of townies living in the country?? (no disrespect to urbanites, most are lovely,but the minority...)

personnaly, ive had fella's leaving off fireworks in a field with horses in it, and once, while hacking out a racehorse, came across 2 little f*ckers playing in their garden with pellet guns, and heard one say to the other, shoot the horse, shoot the horse.*blood boils*

convert

I've posted about this already in the ranting and raving forum here (for those who have access to the forum - if not, just PM the mods (LZ5by5) and ask for access.

I've edited it slightly for the equestrian forum, but this is basically what I wrote:

Right, I live out in the middle of no-where miles from anywhere so am usually safe from the D4-head and yummy-mummy brigades. However, recently my sanctuary has been invaded by a group of 3 yummy mummies who have decided that they need to 'come out' and let it be known that they are here. So they have decided to take to walking for miles along the road in their flourescent hot pink and baby blue 'exercise' clothes, complete with brand new white and/or pink runners, oh, sorry, walking shoes. (think Goretti in Killinaskully).

They seem to forget that they are not in the town and there is no noise to drown out their high-pitched fits of giggles or complaints over the size of and facilities in their local school. "I mean, like, there are only, like, 90 children in the school in total, like, so how will my kids, like, acclimatise to their boarding school next year, like. Maybe I should change their school now, like!" Oh, and did I mention that they're40+?

They also think that they own the road. When a car comes along the road, dthey continue walking 3 abreast, expecting the car to pull in off the road. They also think they're above saluting someone who says hello to them, too.

This was my second rant on the topic having met them again:

They really don't seem to have any road sense whatsoever. In a bid to avoid them from colliding with my horse (no, seriously), I had to hop up on the grass verge while they continued to power-walk (well, their attempted version of a power-walk anyway; I'm not sure their short, quick, tiny little steps count) three abreast, giggle and have girlie chats as they walked past my very confused horse. I don't think he'd ever seen anything remotely resembling this crowd, despite the fact that he's used to walking around the parade-rings at racecourses and seeing the odd-looking headwear that some ladies wear.

Anyway, in an effort to be nice and friendly, I opted not to query their obvious lack of road or animal sense, instead smiling and greeting them with a friendly 'hello'. In my naivity, I expected a similar greeting. Gosh, I was stupid. Instead I just received evil stares and glares. How dare I invade their personal space or interrupt their conversation by saying hello, let alone have a racehorse on the road. I mean, racehorses never have to be exercised; they just turn up on race day magically fit and ready to win, not to mention being all plaited up with a jockey in silks on board, not someone in dark coloured jodhpurs and jacket.

Not only have they annoyed me even more that I was already, a fact which, being completely honest, I didn't think was possible, but they have also traumatised my horse who is still blinking his eyes in a bid to remove the awful, burning images.

Horsemania

Yes, Letting their 10 year olds ride large quads on the roads, and over land with crops in. They are really a breed apart, they will speak to you if they want information or to gossip but ignore you when in their cars going by you on the road. I blame the people who sold the sites to them, I miss the fields and the view, now we are forced to put up with these bunch of cretins. And now that people are not buying houses there will be no getting rid of them. :mad::mad::eek:

lordgoat

Convert. Next time they're walking go for a nice trot past and hope your horse craps right in front of them. And repeat the process for a few days. I guarantee this will make you the winner.

convert

'Tis very tempting, but knowing them, they'd probably report me to the county council for, erm, dumping...

I happened to meet them a while back on a young horse, and once they'd passed by (I got the horse to stand up on the grass verge out of harm's way), the filly actually turned aroudn to stare at them... It was kinda funny... She'd never seen anything quite like that!

convert

Oh, another thing that bugs me is people who let their dog(s) run out of the garden/yard onto the road to chase the horse and don't make any effort to call them back, even though they can blatantly see the dog has terrified the horse (this is the horse who doesn't mind the collies jumping up on him at home and who thinks hounds are absolutely fantastic, even if they run behind him and under his belly!) I accept that dogs will be dogs and bark or run along the fence, but not even trying to stop them when they get out onto the road is a little 'Irish'.

Ave Sodalis

Convert, I would pretend that the horse has just spooked by turning this way and that whenever they go past and trotting (more effective if the horse can traver, with his rump to the women ) and tell them to stand back, the horse may kick! I would find that they should go in single file, on the edge of the road and perfectly silent... hopefully

The thing that annoys me is when you are on the road and some ignorant ****** comes right up the rear of the horse when you are trying to find a suitable and big enough place to pull in. I was lucky that the kick the horse let out of her was only small and didn't touch the car.

Or worse, we have a horse who doesnt like strangers and they have to go into the stable with someone she knows and sniff the strangers before accepting them. I had this girl one time who thought 'ah it'll be alright', despite me warning her and in she went. I don't know how she wasn't kicked...

s-cogan

convert wrote: »

Oh, another thing that bugs me is people who let their dog(s) run out of the garden/yard onto the road to chase the horse and don't make any effort to call them back, even though they can blatantly see the dog has terrified the horse (this is the horse who doesn't mind the collies jumping up on him at home and who thinks hounds are absolutely fantastic, even if they run behind him and under his belly!) I accept that dogs will be dogs and bark or run along the fence, but not even trying to stop them when they get out onto the road is a little 'Irish'.

a sharp slap of the whip just on the hindquarters usually dispatches local mutts with a powerful double barrel kick.

doctor evil

Each rider is an ambassador for our sport, it a blow in/local/ET bothers you try to be nice and explain first.

Hi-viz/reflectives on both horse and rider. I feel that a band on the hat is slightly better than a tabard. Boots on the horses legs are good.

Angelmangle

I have lost track of the amount of off lead dogs which have made a run for my horse when I'm out hacking. I ride around the Broadmeadow Estuary quite a lot and so come into contact with lots of dog walkers and drivers. I love dogs and in my opinion I have no problem with off lead dogs as long as they are under control. That is usually not the case however so I tell the owners that my horse will most likely kill their dog if they don't call it off - this is said very matter of factly and calmly and invariably works. I just say if you don't call him off now she will kick him and probably kill him and it always works.

I'm pretty sure she wouldn't hurt one of them (as long as they didn't bite her) but the owners don't know that and if it makes them think next time all the better I think.

Chicken Run

convert wrote: »

Oh, another thing that bugs me is people who let their dog(s) run out of the garden/yard onto the road to chase the horse and don't make any effort to call them back, even though they can blatantly see the dog has terrified the horse (this is the horse who doesn't mind the collies jumping up on him at home and who thinks hounds are absolutely fantastic, even if they run behind him and under his belly!) I accept that dogs will be dogs and bark or run along the fence, but not even trying to stop them when they get out onto the road is a little 'Irish'.

I have this problem nearby as well - it's the only riding route out for us so we have to run the gauntlet of a young alsatian and young dobermann, both of which are completely out of control. The owner knows this and basically couldn't care less :mad:
It got so bad over the past month that my pony took to napping quite severely on the approach to that property. At the moment, the only way I am teaching him to pass it is to take my husband along with me (on foot) as a kind of "flag-man" to distract the dogs. Also it helps me to have someone to chat to and reduce my tension...