Spooking horses - urban legend?

I've heard in the past that when you are crossing an equestrian's path on a bike, you should get off the bike and walk. I guess the theory is that the horse may not recognize that you are human when on a bike and could get spooked and buck their rider off. Well I encountered two people on horses for the first time the other day. I was in the middle of a relatively steep climb and really didn't want to stop, but I braked anyway and started to slow down, just as the woman on the first horse gave me an encouraging smile that seemed to say, "It's okay, keep riding!" I stayed on the bike and neither horse seemed to notice me. I'm wondering now if the whole spooking horses thing is just a myth or if the horses around here are just so used to seeing cyclists that they never bat an eyelash. Has anyone else had any unusual experiences when bikes and horses cross paths?

All depends on the horse and how urbanize they are, that is, how used to urban "things" they are.

Horses are herd animals and they are are always on the look out for predators or anything that might be a predator. Some horses are just more skittish than others.

When in doubt, it'd better to assume that since you are moving up on them quickly you may be considered a predator which could cause the horse to fly or freak out in some way. When in doubt, it's safer for all to appear "safe" and either stop or at the very least move slowly.

Just my 2 cents

I've followed similar advice like rogue's, from my dearie. He used to have several horses --once upon a time before cycling bug bit him.

And it cheeses off dearie when horse riders use the same path as cyclists. He actually thinks alot of horses don't really belong on multi-purpose paths.

Except for police horses.

I rode by a pasture maybe a week ago and a horse was all excited to race me alongside the fence. I think we were both bummed when the fence at the end of the pasture prevented him from continuing. I may go back there and do some back-and-forth intervals if he shows interest in a race, again. :)

I ride by a lot of farms with horses. They either ignore me completely or look intrigued. None have ever expressed any obvious fear or apprehension.

I don't think it's worth the risk of learning the hard way. Horses are big.

I come across horses in the woods when I mt bike sometimes or if I'm in a state forest. Each horse will be different. If in close quarters like the woods, when I do come across one coming in the opposite direction I come to a complete stop no questions asked. I sit on my bike and wait until the rider lets me know that either this horse is ok with it or not. I yell out and make the rider tell me. I don't want to be guessing what the facial expression of the rider might be at distance or guess what the horse might do. If come up behind them suddenly I slow down and call out to them with enough distance in between warning them there is a bike rider behind them and if it is ok to pass. Same if out on pavement. I've done this and a few times and they yell back saying the horse is skittish so I let them stop the horse and prepare, then I slowly ride by without any sudden moves. I've ridden a lot and I've been on horses that freak when a silly little plastic bag or tumbleweed grass blows by and on some riding near roads where big roaring motorcycles go by and they aren't fazed a bit.

I spooked one in an arena beside one of our trails the other day...when I was walking. I'm generally pretty cautious when I see them and I'm riding on the trail, but I've never been able to figure out what to do when running the same direction they're going. They don't let me by, but running by them is frowned upon, so...? Usually I just decide I'm at the halfway point and turn around, but sometimes I need a longer run.

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

I rode by a pasture maybe a week ago and a horse was all excited to race me alongside the fence. I think we were both bummed when the fence at the end of the pasture prevented him from continuing. I may go back there and do some back-and-forth intervals if he shows interest in a race, again. :)

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Awesome! Sounds like a great training opportunity ;)

I usually ask if the rider would like me on or off the bike. I've had both responses. Some riders will get off the path and tell us to go by, others will ask for us to stay put as they ride by. The last few I've encountered asked that we talk to the horses so they would recognize us as people. I'm never in such a rush on the trails that I can't stop for a few minutes and admire the horseflesh. :D

My horse would spook if she doesn't hear or see a bike coming, particularly from behind...........so if i heard the bike before she did then I would turn her to face the cyclist, then she'd be fine...... saying that I wouldn't ride her on the roads because she was a little unpredictable.......... on trails I could also move her right out of the way...........

Most cyclist that I encountered were considerate when passing us........ likewise I'd slow or stop if I met a horse whilst on my bike :)

It's totally going to depend on the horse, but I know when I'm hiking and I come across them, I usually move off the trail and stop while they pass.

I have some friends and family that are horse people and I know enough that I know I don't want to be on the receiving end of one of their kicks.

In related news, I spooked a goat today while riding. I hit a bump and my bike made a loud creaking sound. The goat must have jumped a foot strait into the air. Poor little guy.

In general horses can handle both noise and movement well, but they don't like sudden noise or movement, and are very wary of anything unusual. If I am approaching horses on a bike I slow down in advance, make sure I'm visible, moving steadily and making some sort of regular sound. If my bike is quiet or the wind is against me I'll talk to them and keep talking as I move past. Horses like predictable :) Some horses will actually spook more at "discovering" something strange waiting quietly alongside the road, than something moving.

This is an interesting thread. Having never been around horses, ever, this is useful information. There are a lot of horse farms in the area where I ride and while I've never seem them outside of their fences that doesn't mean that I won't meet a rider some day.

I've encountered horses and riders on the street, also. I think I generally went by at my regular speed, but went around the horse wide. The riders tended to slow and/or stop the horse. I just wanted to get away from the horse as quickly as I could, as a person who generally is afraid of any animal. The riders did signal me to go on, as I tried to give direct eye contact. The only time I've encountered horses on local trails is when I've been hiking and believe me, I froze and let the horse pass.

When I've encountered folks on horses on trails (in the woods, that is), I talk to them as I approach.
First, is the call out to any cyclists behin me: "Horses up."
Then, I slow down and ask the rider how the horse handles bikes, say "lovely day to be outside, isn't it?" - stuff like that. I let the rider tell me if their horse is okay around bikes, and respond appropriately. I had a friend who had a horse and her take was that the horse doesn't necessarily recognize this wheeled contraption with a funny hat as human. If a voice comes out of it that is more or less human, then that usually puts them at ease (in her experience anyway).
I've never seen horses on MUTs and rarely on the street. The Mall in Washington DC is an exception, but I'm usually not on my bike, and those police horses are selected for duty as being well tolerant of crazy humans and their pesky ways. Aside: I once saw a video of horses being prepped for duty for the Obama inauguration - they were walked through a barn of screaming, yelling volunteers, getting into the faces of the horses. The animals just quietly sauntered through like it was nothing. Pretty neat.

A couple of years ago I read about a horrific bike accident involving a horse and buggy in an Amish neighborhood. The cyclists suffered serious injuries - I'm thinking broken legs, hips etc. - and I think the occupants of the buggy were seriously injured as well. So no, I do not think this is urban legend. I would approach horses the same way I do dogs. With extreme caution.

Not an urban legend at all. Whoever told you that is an idiot.

I don't know about road biking, but the trail ettiquette standards as advised for mountain biking by IMBA, is that horses always have the right of way. It is recommended to announce yourself, dismount, move off the trail and let the horse go by. OR, stop the bike and ask the rider what he wants you to do. Bikes never have the right of way, unless a horseback riders tells you to go ahead.

Depending on your community, and the nature of most horses ( ie, good stable trail horses or high-strung expensive pets) may factor in how you deal with it.

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It's okay, keep riding!" I stayed on the bike and neither horse seemed to notice me. I'm wondering now if the whole spooking horses thing is just a myth or if the horses around here are just so used to seeing cyclists that they never bat an eyelash. Has anyone else had any unusual experiences when bikes and horses cross paths?

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In this case the horse person knew that her horse was solid around things like cyclists, which is NOT always the case. I've seen horses shy from bicyclists who are standing, helmets in hand, because they were spooky and not accustomed to the site.

Every situation is different. Horses and riders have different levels of experience as cyclists do.

I have ridden horses with bikes going by and been on a bike in the presence of horses. Most horses under saddle may spook when they catch sight of you but most are not going to continue to misbehave if they are allowed to get a good look at you. I would never expect a cyclist to get off and walk even if my horse continued to misbehave. The best thing is to ask the rider and then for everyone to just continue on their way.

Every horse is different and every situation is different.

One of my horses would not care if you ran into her with your bicycle. Another of my horses would flip out if he saw a bicycle (and has done that with me more than once because of a bicycle).

Horses are very large powerful animals. Some of them lose all sense of self preservation when they are scared and could injure themselves, their rider, or the cyclist. It is always best to assume that the horse is going to spook and approach with caution letting the rider know that you are coming.

I spooked a horse on foot last week. I could see it was a bit unsure, and stood to the side of the trail with dd. The rider then waved us on, at which point dd said "Look mummy, a donkey!" :o I think I would always err on the side of caution.

Where marked everyone yields to horses here. I say "where marked". I grew up with horses, a rodeo queen, lived in a town where we didn't have sidewalks, but horse trails. I always responded based on how the horse I was riding would respond. I was taught to take responsibility for my horse, we worked with them to make sure they were safe to ride on the trails. While I do yield to horses when I happen upon them on marked trails, and I am considerate, riders need to take responsibility for their horses and train them appropriately. No disrespect to equestrians as I was one, but people, everyone no matter their recreation, need to be responsible and not put themselves in a situation that pushes their limits beyond what they're capable of - or their steed be it 2 wheeled or 4 legged.

My local trail's rules say that everyone must yield to horses. I've only ever come across one once. DBF and I had been talking all the way. I slowed down, just in case. The rider heard us and stopped his horse on the side of the path. It wasn't a bit fazed by the funny wheeled things going by. I guess it depends on the horse.

As far as I know, the biggest issue is whether you are coming or going. Head on shouldn't be a problem at all. But, horses can only see between 10 and 2ish (assuming looking straight ahead is considered 12). Their peripheral vision is nearly non-existent.

Granted, they have good hearing, but quietly approaching from the rear could be a problem unless the rider knows you're coming so they can be prepared to soothe their horse and keep things under control.

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Originally Posted by nikkoblu2

As far as I know, the biggest issue is whether you are coming or going. Head on shouldn't be a problem at all. But, horses can only see between 10 and 2ish (assuming looking straight ahead is considered 12). Their peripheral vision is nearly non-existent.

Granted, they have good hearing, but quietly approaching from the rear could be a problem unless the rider knows you're coming so they can be prepared to soothe their horse and keep things under control.

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Actually, that's not correct. Horses can see almost everywhere EXCEPT for directly in front of them and directly behind them.

Someone once told me to treat horses like 1,500-lb rabbits. No idea what they'll do when you pass.

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Originally Posted by MCAP

Actually, that's not correct. Horses can see almost everywhere EXCEPT for directly in front of them and directly behind them.

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This is correct. Horses have excellent peripheral vision. They are prey animals, not hunters. Prey animals (horses, cows, goats, antelopes, parrots, zebras, etc.) have vision that allows them to see hunters coming at them from the sides and behind (although not from directly behind). Hunting animals (dogs, cats, eagles, etc) have strong central vision so that they can narrow in on their target.

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I agree that it depends on the horse. But since horses can be unpredictable, even when being ridden by competent riders, it's best to get off and walk, or even better, stand in front of your bike out of the horse's path and let it pass.

I own, and have owned several horses thru -out my life.

I ask bikers, or even people walking to say hello, say the horses name, and then the horse can recognize you as a non threatening human- not something to fear.
Yes, horses are unable to see directly in front, or behind them, and can be easily startled.

Many of my horses have had plenty of experiences and don't even glance at cyclists, deer, ATV's, etc... However, the best policy is to slow down, and ask the rider what the horse needs you to do in order to keep it from spooking, and causing injury- just common courtesy :)

I have horses as well and the advice here is spot on. Verbalize so the horses recognize you as human, slow down or even stop until you see how the horse is going to react. My young horse Tat has seen plenty of bicycles and I have even "trail ridden" with my husband on his mountain bike. But a bike coming toward him quickly on the rail trail would most likely scare the crap out of him. It's on my to-do list to get him to the rail trail. Most horses on the rail trail are fine because they are used to bikes, but I guarantee the first time I take him will be very exciting and I hope that the bike riders don't make the assumption that he is used to bikes. With horses the first time doing anything new has the potential to be exciting!

Rita Marie