Spooking horses - urban legend?

[m.eliza]

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.

Awesome! Sounds like a great training opportunity

[pumpkinpony]

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.

[MillieNZ]

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

[loopybunny]

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.

[lph]

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.

[Catrin]

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.

[Crankin]

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.