Spooking horses - urban legend?

[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.

[7rider]

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.

[arielmoon]

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.

[MCAP]

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.

[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.

[MCAP]

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.

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

[Pedal Wench]

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