Muppets on Horses

charlo_b

This morning I was driving to work the usual route cross country, when I see in the distance a group of around 10-15 people taking a morning ride on their horses.

The person at the front of the pack did the hand waving thing for me to slow down....so I go from probably 80-90km to 40-50km as I know you are supposed to follow the directions of people in charge of animals.

However, as I got to the front of the pack, some eegit in the middle of the pack brings his horse out in front of me, forcing me to jam on the brakes, as he wasn't happy that I was going slow enough.

Now as I said, I know the law states you should follow directions of people in charge of animals, but I don't think this kind of behaviour is appropriate.


What do you guys think of these muppets that have to take their horses for walkies on the public highways!

ballooba

You shouldn't really have to slow down that much for a person who is properly in control of their horse. In fact the more experienced people seem to prefer that the encounter is over as quickly as possible to minimise distress on the horse.

Fey!

I hope you let a yell at that idiot.

He sounds like the kind of person who shoves his kid in a pram out in front of traffic to make cars stop!

WHIP IT!

Wow, how clueless are you three?

Slow right down and crawl by the animals - have some manners and an appreciation for the safety of others.

These people were most likley working - not "out for a stroll" and their horses
were likely worth more than your motor...

Ignorance is a terrible thing :rolleyes:

Rob_l

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Wow, how clueless are you three?

Slow right down and crawl by the animals - have some manners and an appreciation for the safety of others.

These people were most likley working - not "out for a stroll" and their horses
were likely worth more than your motor...

Ignorance is a terrible thing :rolleyes:

well if their horse is worth than my motor then maybe they should take their valuable assets:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: off the public highways were they are a nuisance to the majority

WHIP IT!

Rob_l wrote: »

well if their horse is worth than my motor then maybe they should take their valuable assets:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: off the public highways were they are a nuisance to the majority

Majority of what? You are not the majority Mate...

Going 30-40kph past a horse on a road is very dangerous for all concerned - yourself included...

Bluetonic

Fey! wrote: »

I hope you let a yell at that idiot.

Great idea, let a yell where there are a group of horses.

:rolleyes:

CarLover

40-50KMPH is way too fast to go past not just one but a whole group of horses.

You should be doing 20 ish and giving them as wide a berth as possible.

Drivers don't own the road. Horses are allowed there too. Was the guy wrong to step out in front of you with his horse? maybe...

Suck it up...and move on!

peasant

Have you ever seen a crash, car vs horse?

The car (and most times the driver as well) doesn't come out looking good.

It is in your own interest, to stay well behind the horses and only to pass them, when you can do so at maximum distance.

You do pass them at a speed that should leave you time to react should one of the horses get spooked and move out in front of you and you do so as swiftly and quietly as possible ...don't blow the horn, don't rev the engine and don't shout at the riders.

If needs be, stay behind the horses for a while until there is enough room to overtake safely.


Having said all that ...I think there are quite a few sections of busy roads all over the country where you're likely to encounter horses on which horses really have no place and should be banned / provided alternative routes.

Rovi

OP- firstly, congratulations on being one of the few motorists out there who knows the bit of the ROTR that states: "If a person in charge of animals gives a signal to slow down or stop, you must obey it." The vast majority appear to have skipped that bit.

Secondly, unfortunately, I'm also of the opinion that 40-50km is a bit too quick for passing horses. Sorry about that.

prospect

Sorry, couldn't help it...


Seriously, you need to go slow and steady when passing horses. No sudden movements, or flashing lights, or beeping or yelling.

Also, people in control of animals have the highest priority on the road.


Having said all that, the rider who steered the horse in front of you was also stupid to do so.

Rovi

peasant wrote: »

Have you ever seen a crash, car vs horse?

The car (and most times the driver as well) doesn't come out looking good.

Here we go, although to be fair to the OP, this was in incident involving a loose horse on the road, not an 'overtaking a group of riders' situation:

mack1

To quote Clarkson: Horses should belong to the landed classes so that they can exercise their beasts in their fields and not on the roads - I for one have never seen a tax disc on a horse!

Gotta love JC!

charlo_b

Going 30-40kph past a horse on a road is very dangerous for all concerned - yourself included

Pulling your horse out in front of a car doing 30-40Kph is a little dangerous also!

WHIP IT!

charlo_b wrote: »

Pulling your horse out in front of a car doing 30-40Kph is a little dangerous also!

Yep, you must have been driving like a right lemon for him to feel the need to take such drastic action in a bid to protect the group he was with...

That'll learn ye...

keefg

Fey! wrote: »

sounds like the kind of person who shoves his kid in a pram out in front of traffic to make cars stop!

Horses on the road I can deal with, at least they have some sort of intelligence. Don't get me started on wimmins (mostly) who stick their prams out into the traffic while they stand on the kerb :mad::mad::mad: They make my blood boil :mad::mad::mad:

Especially the ones who do it when they are about 10 feet away from a pedestrian crossing (grrr)

carpainter

This thread and the first few posts really annoyed me until I read further and sense prevailed. A public road is not the strict preserve of anyone- all are entitled to use it but only within the law. Horses and other animals (under control) on the road may prove to be a bit of a nuisance to motorists but they have every right to be there and a sensible (not to mention courteous) motorist will allow adequate space to pass and do so at a low speed so as not to startle the animals. Horses and their owners have been using roads a lot longer than any motorised transport............

Let's be responsible for our own actions here...

WHIP IT!

carpainter wrote: »

This thread and the first few posts really annoyed me until I read further and sense prevailed. A public road is not the strict preserve of anyone- all are entitled to use it but only within the law. Horses and other animals (under control) on the road may prove to be a bit of a nuisance to motorists but they have every right to be there and a sensible (not to mention courteous) motorist will allow adequate space to pass and do so at a low speed so as not to startle the animals. Horses and their owners have been using roads a lot longer than any motorised transport............

Let's be responsible for our own actions here...

Great post carpainter...

Far too many boy-racers thinkin they're in Talledega Nights knockin about the place tryin to compensate for God-knows-what...

Keith C

Why does every topic always end up boy racer bashing

WHIP IT!

Keith C wrote: »

Why does every topic always end up boy racer bashing

Sorry man, didn't mean to tar all boy-racers with the same brush! I'm new here...

Blitzkrieger

IMO horses shouldn't be on the road. I'd make excepts for small botharins in the middle of nowhere but on anything approaching a 'main' road where speeds are generally 80kph and up they're a nuisance and a danger. I don't give a toss how much their skitish crap machine is worth or what they feel their rights are - have some consideration for the majority of people and keep your fleabag out of the fupping way.

Fey!

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Wow, how clueless are you three?

Slow right down and crawl by the animals - have some manners and an appreciation for the safety of others.

These people were most likley working - not "out for a stroll" and their horses
were likely worth more than your motor...

Ignorance is a terrible thing :rolleyes:

I never said to speed by the animals, but to pull a horse in front of a moving car is just blatantly irresponsible. I've seen the results of car v horses crashes, and it doesn't work out well for driver, jockey, or horse.

As for the horse being worth more than the car; why would the jockey increase the risk to the asset (horse) by putting it in harms way by running it out on purpose in front of a car?

You seem to say that it's fine to run a horse out in front of a car; that's ignorance of the highest order.

tc20

@ OP... you state that this is your normal route to work or wherever you were going, so its possibly a rural location. Have you ever encountered horse traffic along this route before, or passed signs informing roadusers of nearby stables, or the possibility of horses in the area?
Your reduction in speed from 80-90 to 40-50 is still, as already posted, way too fast to pass animals, be they under control or not. We have your word that the rider pulled his horse out in front of you..is it possible that the fast approaching car startled the animal? If the guy did pull the horse out, well then that is highly irresponsible on his behalf.

my 2c

stovelid

charlo_b wrote: »

..so I go from probably 80-90km to 40-50km

still too fast IMO

tc20 wrote: »

If the guy did pull the horse out, well then that is highly irresponsible on his behalf.

++

the_syco

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Yep, you must have been driving like a right lemon for him to feel the need to take such drastic action in a bid to protect the group he was with...

That'll learn ye...

Dumb f**k (the rider, not you). You don't slow down someone by suddenly going in front of them. That just heightens the risk of them hitting you.

Sizzler

Is this the muppet you saw on the horse

http://treasuremaniac.com/images/m/miss283.jpg

deman

The road that I come from when living in Ireland regularly had horses walking on it. I know that horses can be easily startled by fast approaching vehicles. So did this rider pull the horse out, or was it startled? Sounds to me that it was startled as 40-50km/h is way too fast when passing horses. Maybe the OP should learn to slow down properly and respect others who are as much entitled to use the road as anyone. (btw, I don't have a horse, I don't even like horses so I'm not making any biased opinions here).

Zulu

I hear you OP. The last time I came across a group of riders (it was a school or something), they were taking up my complete side of the road. I had to break hard from around 80-100KPH. It was a disgrace.
However what with the engine breaking, and me flashing my lights/beeping my horn, the ensuing mess was hailarious. That'll learn em, ignorant fu(ks

Bendihorse

I would bet on it that the horse got startled.

If im ever out on the road with my horse (i would never ride on anything approaching a main road and im quite sure that 100% of riders would keep off them too given the choice) i am as courtious as possible when riding as i am 100% aware that in a car v's horse accident the horse and rider are both hightly likely to get killed. I pull my horse in off the road where i can if its narrow or if there are two cars approaching.

No rider in their right mind would pull a horse out in front of a fast moving car to slow it down, thats just crazy talk.

Please slow down to a crawl when passing horses on the road, they are an unpredictable animal and have a flight instinct when frightened. Their flight path is usually into the centre of road as they will always shy away from the ditch area into free space.

It is very rare to come across horse and rider on the road in this country so i dont think its too much to ask that car drivers pass 'wide and slow'...

Also FYI Zulu - Horses and riders are entitled to use the full lane in the road if they see fit and some do as it forces cars to slow to a proper speed and have to wait for the oncoming lane to be clear before passing. This is a result of drivers squeezing past horses on a 2 lane road when there is on coming traffice.

*Page*

public highways


the riders are the public too...


fair play for slowing down...

did the rider who pull out in front did he do it deliberatly or did the horse get spooked?

Stark

Zulu wrote:

However what with the engine breaking, and me flashing my lights/beeping my horn, the ensuing mess was hailarious.

lol