Horses and bicycles - who has priority?

[jan19]

Landsurfer....

if you'd do me the courtesy of reading my OP - yes, I realise its a few pages back now, but you've obviously jumped into the discussion without doing so - you'll understand the events of last Sunday. One specific event, which I raised on this forum.

Not sure I appreciate being called a "professional victim"

Jan

[DaveP]

Having carefully reread your op, I think you got it right on the day, which is the main thing. Exploring how you feel about it, later, at home, with a cuppa and a digestive (?) seems quite reasonable and there have been plenty of people willing to join you in that

I also find it a bit frustrating to be asked to follow a particular course of action at the precise moment when I was about to demonstrate how nice a person I am by doing it anyway. But it happens... I would expect the rider to have had some sort of mental boundary at which she would need to start taking action if it looked like people might be coming too close. There are plenty of people seem to have no natural caution. You might have only crossed it by a hairsbreadth. At least Please and Thank you featured in the conversation

As for the position of the horses, it occurred to me that if one of the horses (or riders) is either nervous or an unknown quantity, ie. inexperienced, choosing to wait on the verge, in a position where there is traffic whizzing past on one side and cyclists rattling by on the other, would be a bit irresponsible.

I'm saying nowt about whether they should or should not have been there - that doesn't really help by the time you're face to face
I don't see any practical reasons why you shouldn't continue to enjoy using this route. How do you feel?

[jan19]

Having carefully reread your op, I think you got it right on the day, which is the main thing. Exploring how you feel about it, later, at home, with a cuppa and a digestive (?) seems quite reasonable and there have been plenty of people willing to join you in that

I also find it a bit frustrating to be asked to follow a particular course of action at the precise moment when I was about to demonstrate how nice a person I am by doing it anyway. But it happens... I would expect the rider to have had some sort of mental boundary at which she would need to start taking action if it looked like people might be coming too close. There are plenty of people seem to have no natural caution. You might have only crossed it by a hairsbreadth. At least Please and Thank you featured in the conversation

As for the position of the horses, it occurred to me that if one of the horses (or riders) is either nervous or an unknown quantity, ie. inexperienced, choosing to wait on the verge, in a position where there is traffic whizzing past on one side and cyclists rattling by on the other, would be a bit irresponsible.

I'm saying nowt about whether they should or should not have been there - that doesn't really help by the time you're face to face
I don't see any practical reasons why you shouldn't continue to enjoy using this route. How do you feel?

Thanks for that Dave - I've used this route many, many times and one (very minor) incident certainly won't put me off! Anyway, living where I do, its the fastest and safest route out into "countryside" although many folk on here wouldn't recognise it as such My commute is very urban - partly along the same "A" road although in the opposite direction - so I enjoy cycling out alongside fields and trees.

Even if I was worried about horse riders, I really don't see them that often. Cyclists are by far the most frequent users of the path, followed by joggers and (if I'm out early) people walking dogs. Rarely people just walking, and even more rarely horse riders .

As for the verge - yes, it sounds like sense for an inexperienced horse not to get too close to the traffic. However the verge is very wide. I was estimating its width whilst riding yesterday, and its never less than twice the width of the path, and at the place where I met the rider last week probably getting on for three times. So you're still quite a way from the traffic. Also, as I said in my OP all those pages back, there is a narrower verge on the other side which a horse can walk down (as one was last Sunday). Its too uneven for a bike, and its not kept in as good a condition as the roadside verge which the council mow from time to time but the rider could have used that had she chosen to do so. That was the side of the path she'd stopped on - one step to the horse's left and she'd have been on that verge.

Jan

[661-Pete]

Setting aside the matter of the horses for the moment (horses can't have verbal arguments with humans ) - I can see how the riders mentioned in Jan19's OP seemed to be a little discourteous. I don't think it was a matter of 'rights' though - on a path like that there are hardly any rights pertaining to anyone - other than the ancient law concerning a 'right of way' - which merely sanctions the action of 'passing and re-passing' IIRC.

But when it becomes a matter of mild discourtesy, it's usually best to let it pass, as we all know!

I can recall the occasional incident when horse riders were two abreast on a fairly narrow path, making it impossible for me to overtake. I'd call "excuse me - bike" in such cases. If the riders then give me a rather withering look before taking their time over singling up, and saying nothing, I'd call that 'discourtesy'. But of course, not something to make a fuss about.

I remember another instance years ago, when I was descending a steep hill and my brakes were squealing - I couldn't help it. There were two women guiding a large group of - apparently young - horses into a field, at the foot of the hill. Some of the horses were slightly spooked at the noise, before I was able to come to a stop. The women complained - a bit more vociferously than I would have liked - I apologised. What more could I do? No permanent harm done: none of the horses bolted or anything like that.

People in charge of horses may be in the wrong. But I don't think one should labour the point. They do, after all, have an animal weighing half a ton in their charge!

[puffin]

Many years back I became a temporary horserider when my girlfriend-later-wife gave me her ex-event horse, Henry, with the instruction learn to ride. Henry was a beautiful horse and taught me to gallop, canter, trot and walk, though unfortunately in that order. We got on really well and despite his fearsome reputation I calmed him with a combination of patience and Costco size jars of extra strong mints. He knew me from my bike, and became over friendly to other cyclists we encountered round leafy Bucks. Once on the quiet track near Coleshill two cyclists had stopped and were reading a map. Me and Henry walked up behind them on the grass and waited, one cyclist waved a thanks but the other was engrossed in the map. To a horse this is bad manners and in a beautiful reversal of roles Henry gently rested his nostrils on the concentrating cyclist who instantly spooked and shot forward astride his bike squealing.

[gaz]

[jan19]

I've always suspected horses have a sense of humour

Jan

[mark1964]

I always give horses a lot of room since they can spook easily whereas my bike doesn't. Stop until they pass, smile and be polite.
However, I don't think they should be on the shared use pathway for cyclists and pedestrians though. Horses are not generally permitted on the Bristol Railway Path, but some riders do take their mounts on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exic943xH9Q

[Bigdummysteve]

She said in a joking way "Horse power is better". I've noticed horses can climb hills with surprising ease.

You should have offered an end to end race, that would be the ultimate man v horse race, I think the bike would win?

[MikeF]

She said in a joking way "Horse power is better". I've noticed horses can climb hills with surprising ease.

You should have offered an end to end race, that would be the ultimate man v horse race, I think the bike would win?

I think the horse win "hands down" . Oh well feet down.

[Bigdummysteve]

Google suggests that horse attempts seem to take about 10 weeks solo, 10 days with a team of horses and riders pulling a carriage seems the fastest I can find.

In reference to the op, most horse riders are very polite although you do find the odd one with a superiority complex. Horses can be funny things, I used to work up telephone poles and I learnt to either keep very still or make sure the horse saw me well in advance or they would spook when they sensed someone there.

[puffin]

I've always suspected horses have a sense of humour

Jan

Me too. There's a horse my wife trains called Meadow and when his owner is poo picking the fields (putting his droppings in a wheel barrow) he will sneak up behind, push the barrow over and run off sniggering.

My horse Henry used to take my arm in his mouth and walk me round the field and when bored would chew the tape on my handlebars if in reach (I have kept it thus as a reminder). He came to our wedding and in all the photos he is in the middle of the backrow, trying to grab the bride's bouquet. Great animals and I am happy to share the roads with them.

[661-Pete]

You should have offered an end to end race, that would be the ultimate man v horse race, I think the bike would win?

Stranger things have happened:
[youtube]PdUa49rJeck[/youtube]