Why do horsey people think they own the road?

[Delgirl]

Why is it that on a weekly basis, on my way home from work, on the road I live that clearly states its 60mph am I gestured to fiercely to slow down by people on horseback and not enough that I have huge arm gestures to slow down, they mouth the words "slow down" also. This is not just on my road though, my partner experiences them a lot on main roads. I heard somewhere that tarmac is bad for horses feet anyway. Am I missing something, why do these stupid arses take horses on main roads and usually 9 times out of 10 there is a trainee with them and the horse is all over the road!! Please just f**k off, roads are for cars, fields are for horses!!!!!!!

[joko]

because the horses may be scared of the noise, rear up, throw the rider and kick the windscreen of your car through, or any passing pedestrian.

grow up

[kempie]

60 mph is the maximum speed for that road, not a target that must be attained at all costs.

The horseriders needing to gesture for you to slow down indicates that you are driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or public place, and as such you are guilty of an offence contrary to the Road Traffic Act 1988, which can incur the following maximum penalties:
� Fine not exceeding �5,000
� Licence Endorsed with 3-9 Penalty Points
� Court may disqualify for any period.

[lady_p_gold]

Here is what the Highway Code has to say on the subject. Apparently there are twelve accidents per day involving horses, some of them are fatal - no doubt caused by drivers who do not slow down. Does tolerance mean anything to you ?


191: Horse riders. Be particularly careful of horses and riders, especially when overtaking. Always pass wide and slow. Horse riders are often children, so take extra care and remember riders may ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced horse rider. Look out for horse riders' signals and heed a request to slow down or stop. Treat all horses as a potential hazard and take great care.

[noxlumos]

My God what an ignorant bint you are.
I'm surprised actually that you have a job because who would possibly employ anyone so crass and stupid?
The road is to be shared amongst cars, tractors, horses, cyclists, people on foot in some cases etc, etc, etc. It is not solely for cars, it's a means of getting to where you wish to be. Your mode of transport is purely a personal choice with cars having no more rights than horses.
You show a tremendous amount of ignorance, and the good people above have politely shown you the error of your ways and why you cannot behave just as you please. I'm not so tolerant, I think you are childish, stupid and absurd and I don't think you are fit to be on the road since you have made such an appallingly ridiculous post which shows no understanding of the responsibilities you have taken on as a driver. Do us all a favour and sell yuur car, before your stupid, arrogant recklessness kills a child.

[THECORBYLOON]

Yes you are missing something-a brain...

[Delgirl]

Thank you all very much for your comments, the reason I asked this question was to find out why horse riders would choose to ride on a road with a trainee, that was positioned very close to the slip road of a motorway, I uderstand your points of view completely,(apart obviously from the not so nice ones) but when follwing a convoy of cars in rush hour traffic and a trainee rider nearly causing a huge pile up, I consider that to be somewhat of little bit stupid. Of course horseriders enjoy to ride, but surely there are places to take trainee's out and would riders not be better off down country lanes, I appreciate some riders may need to go down main roads when leaving stables in order to access lanes etc, but when watching a young women nearly being thrown off due to noise from the motorway and a very fast road, that is not safe! I hasten to add I don't drive 60mph, I was merely commenting on riders reactions to me and all the people using the road, something which the whole community is concerned about re: the welfare of horses and their owners. I used to ride many years ago and would never, ever dream of taking children and horses down this road. Apologies for any offence caused, not meant to, I just find it totally mind boggling when I see them riding on fast, fast roads (in particular the one located by me with a series of blind bends)!

[Delgirl]

Forgot to say, you are right noxlumos, I apologise and on reading the question I quite understand how I look like an ignoramous, I however did not quite mean the question to make me look like an untolerant person, it is a sensitive issue quite close to my chest though, when I see young children on horse back being taken down main roads where I have seen first hand cars travelling very fast and instructors clearly having to point out to everyone to slow down! Thank you all for your comments though, and your quite right, and I suppose at the end of the day horses were here before cars,x

[saxy_jag]

An interesting little debate, and I've actually been on both sides of the argument in my time.

Bridleways and 'safe' roads are becoming increasingly rare in the UK, and riders often have little choice but to use the roads. It makes sense to educate horses and riders in such conditions because that's what they'll have to cope with 'in real life'. When I rode horses, we always did our best to leave as much of the road clear as we could for passing traffic, but I have witnessed horses and their riders ending up in roadside ditches because cars have thundered past and the verge has been very narrow (many horses aren't as sure-footed as you'd like to think).

But I'm also a driver, and I've seen some pretty obnoxious behaviour from riders too. I well remember the time when I was part of a long line of vehicles following two horses and their riders along a winding 'B' road at fifteen miles per hour. The riders (both adult women) were trotting along the carriageway side-by-side, giving it the old chit-chat as they went, despite a very wide, safe verge. When we did manage to pass them, my friend leaned out of the passenger window (the horses were not at all frightened) and asked if they could please either ride in file or move onto the verge. He was told, very rudely, "No. We are just as entitled to use this road as you are, so you'll have to be patient and wait for us!"

So I think a little give and take on both sides would help everyone here.

Oh, and please remember that riders can't always acknowledge your consideration, because they often have both hands full dealing with half a ton of stroppy bone and muscle with a mind of its own.

[bigdeals]

I can see both sides of this story and Delgirl does have a valid point and I am far from not having a brain, I too myself Delgirl have been travelling down very fast main roads (I personally was not driving fast) and have had young riders on horseback who can't control and have not had the experience to handle the animals! Some roads are not fit for pedestrians or horses because they are too close to motorways or slip roads, or very fast and busy. Of course horse riders should be free to take there horses and ride where ever they please, just like cars, but surely just like cars should consider ALL road users, horse riders should consider the welfare of children and the animal and avoid being in close proximity to very busy roads. We should all be tolerant of everyone, but young inexperienced riders should not be on main roads, I know everybody has to obtain experience from somewhere and start somewhere and road noise is frightening to horses. So don't take children onto busy roads when horses are going to be jumpy!!!!!!!

[chakka35]

What Delgirl fails to appreciate is that the only people with an absolute RIGHT to use public roads (except motorways) are horse-riders, horse-drawn vehicles, pedestrians (and maybe velocipedestrians i.e cyclists, I'm not sure). Their right is absolute and untouchable.
Motorists and motor-cyclists have no such right. They are PERMITTED to use the roads under licence, provided they fulfill certain conditions regarding their ability to drive (driving licence), the state of their vehicle (MOT), the payment of a road tax and insurance to indemnify other road users. Failure in any of these areas can result in withdrawal or withholding of that permission, and Parliament at any time can change the criteria under which that permission is granted.
So next time Delgirl is stuck behind a horse she has no option to wait patiently until the rider has exercised that right to the road that Delgirl does not have.

[jhosking1981]

As I do wait patiently and always will and appreciate all of your comments. I am merely writing as unfortunately I have been witness to many a horse rider taking horses and young in-experienced riders down extremely busy roads which have nearly caused nasty, nasty accidents, through no fault of drivers, but re: noise from the motorway etc, which is why I feel stongly because of the safety of others.

[Delgirl]

You are absoloutely right chakka 35 and jhosking1981, unfortunately its a sad fact now that roads are busier and busier and when I see horses riding two abreast down main roads with youngsters it is very worrying. It would be nice if there were designated centre's, but quite rightly as i've said before horses were on the roads first!

[lankeela]

Having been the rider of a horse involved in a collision with a car, I would point out just how much damage half a ton of horse can do to a car! The pratt drove far too close to me when I was riding single file up a hill going round a bend.
It was outside a school and there were railings which rattled due to the speed of the car which made my usually reliable horse jump sideways into the passing car, severely denting the front wing, the passenger door, the rear door and the rear panel., and making him swerve into an oncoming vehicle which fortunately stopped just before he hit it. Expensive!

Horses are living creatures, they do not have brakes or steering and no matter how safe and well trained you think they are there are sometimes occasions when they do something unpredictable. No rider in their right mind would prefer to ride on the road if they didn't have to. Please just use common sense and bear in mind that it could be you that ends up at best with a huge repair bill, and at worst at your own funeral.

[frankief]

That change in attitude was nearly as dramatic as Jade Goody's.
from
Please just f**k off, roads are for cars, fields are for horses!!!!!!!
to
but quite rightly as i've said before (?) horses were on the roads first!

[Delgirl]

I know, its quite a big disucssion in our community centre, people have many different views and its great to hear them all and to hear people so passionate and caring, entering the debate quite angrily thinking that I don't think they should be on main roads because with fast dangerous roads such as ours, I do still stick by my guns and say its too dangerous for the welfare of the horse and the rider, but after hearing other comments, quite rightly, like the views in here, horses were around long before motor vehicles. Thanks everyone though, its created a very lively debate in our community centre.

[frankief]

Imagine the scene, a group of beautiful and elegant horses clip clopping down the high street - what a vision of how England should be.
Wait, here comes Jade in her mini (new version with alloys obviously), she's texting her mate and eating a takeaway burger, rap music pumps from her stereo. She swerves to miss the last horse in the group ridden by a sweet 12 year old who has never seen Big Brother.
Jade leans out of the window to express her feelings: 'Please just f**k off, roads are for cars, fields are for horses!!!!!!!'

[joko]

your initial post was moany and arrogant.

so you claim your original post was made purely out of concern for the horses?

i don't think so. you came on, with a bee in your bonnet, in an arrogant huff about this and spouted crap. you did not get the response you hoped for, so have backtracked.

that is fine that you accept that you have talked crap, and now retract = but to claim that you have been misunderstood is a joke.