HOrses and Bicycles on the Road

[ibcycling]

I'll chime in as a long time horse rider and short time cycler.

I would never dream of taking a horse out on the road unless I was sure he and I could handle whatever strange thing came down the road. I also make sure I have and "exit" from the road if my horse does spook. Unfortunately not everyone has common sense so be prepared and alert. As a rider I would move off the road so that both me and the cyclist could remain safe.

Definitely speak out and let the rider and horse know you are approaching them. Err on the side of caution, slow down, and if possible move to the middle or other side of the road. I don't feel that you need to get off and walk your bike unless the horse is losing it. Would the rider expect a motorcycle gang to stop and walk their choppers? If the rider is having a hard time controlling the horse as you ride up on them stopping may be the safest option until the horse is under control and out of the way. I love the rabbit theory but remember this rabbit may fight because the rider has removed the flight option so staying out of kicking range is the only smart thing to do.

It's a huge pet peeve of mine when people take their horses somewhere they cannot safely handle them. A horse on the road should be able to handle all sorts of strange things.

Lora

[spokewench]

It's a huge pet peeve of mine when people take their horses somewhere they cannot safely handle them. A horse on the road should be able to handle all sorts of strange things.

Lora

Lora, I agree with you that a person who takes a horse on a road should have a horse that handles strange things - and that is the best case scenario, but since I used to train horses, you have to realize that some horses need to be trained to handle strange things and the only way to do that is to take them into those situations so they get used to them. So, if I were out training a young horse to be a good road horse, there is going to be a time when they will not act like they should! Of course, it is your responsibility as the rider to be 1 a good rider so you don't get ditched at the slightest problem, 2. have your ears and eyes out for unforeseen problems.

It would still be nice if people were courteous and gave a little warning. If you can just get your horse to look at what is coming at them, they often time will react quite differently than if something spooks them from behind. They are fear and flight animals, so if something frightens them, they run. If you can get someone to give you a holler and slow for just a second, you can turn your animal and let them see what is coming.

Even the best trained horse can spook some if something startles them so have a little courtesy and we expect cars to have a little courtesy for us and all will be well.

spoke

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I hate it when I biking down the road and suddenly another cyclist just zooms past me without so much as a warning. I don't always hear them, and they often don't give much clearance for if I was to suddenly swerve for some reason. It also startles me sometimes. One time a guy on a bike did this when I was in the middle of a busy intersection, going straight. He almost gave me a heart attack because at first I though he was a car coming up around me to cut me off. As he flew on past me I only had time to shout out "You SCARED me!" Like he cared.
I ALWAYS call out something when coming up behind someone who might not hear me- whether a jogger, another biker, whatever. I think it's common courtesy and common safety as well. A horse is sometimes unpredictable, just like a small child in the road- you just don't come flying past them with no warning, it would be inconsiderate AND dangerous. I call out a cheery Hello way ahead of time when I see horses up ahead- best to let riders and horses both know well in advance if I am coming up behind them.
When we have a choice, why not do the safer thing???

[ibcycling]

Even the best trained horse can spook some if something startles them so have a little courtesy and we expect cars to have a little courtesy for us and all will be well.

spoke

Absolutely! We both have some responsibility to make sure everyone is safe. The horse rider needs to have a plan if the horse acts up or spooks and the cyclist needs to make their presence known and give the horse a chance to deal with the situation instead of just appearing out of nowhere.

What kind of riding did you do? We have 2 Quarter Horses that we ride western (ranch work and pleasure) and my daughter is taking dressage lessons on a 17h warmblood. I'm dying to rider her instructor's Lusitano. He's such a beautiful animal and moves so nice!!

Lora

[spokewench]

What kind of riding did you do? We have 2 Quarter Horses that we ride western (ranch work and pleasure) and my daughter is taking dressage lessons on a 17h warmblood. I'm dying to rider her instructor's Lusitano. He's such a beautiful animal and moves so nice!!

Lora

Started out in dressage as a youngster, was an exercise girl on the thoroughbred race track as a young woman, jumping, dressage, etc. later. Also, taught English lessons.

For a while worked on a ranch in Montana in my earlier years as well.

Used to take my thoroughbred to do cattle penning a little. Trust me, he was not very well behaved the first couple of times - he hated those cows!
While we were waiting to go in for the first time (I was teamed with a girlfriend riding a paint stallion who was used to cattle penning) my horse tried to kick the boards of the arena right off the posts! Guess I should have ridden him a bit that day before loading him up and taking him out at night to the cattle penning! LOL