Cowboy / rodeo culture & fit with cycling culture

Are these 2 cultures diametrically different?

Hey, it's the Stampede time in Calgary ...where city turns into a big shingding of many folks walking around in cowboy hats, leather boots, etc. I do hear country music in main lobby here at work.

People are enouraged say "yahoo" or practice it..

This morning I rode on bike path to work:....every 30-50 metres was horse poop, because one of the parks by the the path is turned into a big parking area for horse trailers and RVs. City parade gets assembled in that area...


I'd love to know if some you experience this type of stuff in your area and how the cycling has any fit in this culture at all.

A lot of riders hate cyclists. There is a lot of hate on equine message boards I am on. They want to use MUP's for horses and they can't fathom why a cyclist would want to use one as well. I assisted at an equine therapy barn where there was a MUP that had a great deal of cyclists coming by and we used to graze the horses by that trail and walk them in hand by the cyclists to despook them so that his was no issue.

Honestly, I am not one who ever rode on the road. I don't think that horses belong downtown on city streets due to the fact that they are unpredictable animals even with the best handling and I had a show horse that cost too much to replace. If insurance found out I was doing it regularly, they would have cut me off - no joke.

Last year, I was almost ripped to pieces by these idiots who insist upon riding their very green horses in extremely odd, urban areas. I was thankfully clipped in because I would have collided with a car by flying off my bike. 5 or 6 cars were involved in this mess and one of the riders lost control. Neither were wearing a helmet. One was on the sidewalk (very dangerous!).

I think we can both be friends on the trails, but I also think that people need to be realistic when dealing with any situation where horses and bikes need to pass one another.

I'm not knowledgeable about horses except I am instructed by dearie to never get behind a horse closely when they aren't aware of you.

He owned several horses for a few years before he met me when he was a part-time farmer with some cattle and pigs too. (He is a dedicated cyclist now and for a long time.)

Today I dropped by a community gathering for a free pancake breakfast with sausage and brown beans..there's several all over the city each day for next 8 days.

I chatted up with a guy at the eating table, who told me that though he enjoyed driving, he found it easier to get around on bike since he lived downtown. Sort of a cowboy hat enthusiast (and Johnny Cash country music fan) but has travelled in different parts of Canada.

I think one just has to find the positive way to talk up with folks who are part way supportive about cycline but still enjoy driving lots. All around us at the table, everyone else complained about the congestion, expensive parking: really these folks have not experienced living and driving in Toronto!