What about horses

[Thomk]

What is the correct procedure when approaching horses on a fairly narrow cycle path. I must have got it wrong today and was nagged by a bossy snotty Duchess type

 

[biggs682]

not sure what is correct , but i think i would try and give both horse and rider a wide berth

 

[Thomk]

Too narrow, hedge one side, ditch the other

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Preparation.
I carry an apple or carrot as an offering, but a simple rub on the nose and pat on the rump works. If you've the time you can do it to the horse too.

 

[Sittingduck]

Preparation.
I carry an apple or carrot as an offering, but a simple rub on the nose and pat on the rump works. If you've the time you can do it to the horse too.

 

[coffeejo]

If it's narrow, stop. A frightened horse can do a lot of damage to its rider, you and your bike. When passing a horse, I always talk to the rider, asking if the animal is ok with the bike etc - apart from anything else, it helps the horse to hear a human voice coming from the weird shaped object coming towards it.

 

[ColinJ]

Someone who lived near me when I was young was kicked by a horse and nearly died. Pro racer Levi Leipheimer has also been on the receiving end of a horse kick.

I encountered a young woman on horseback on the Shakespeare 100 on Sunday. It was on a very narrow lane and she had another horse in tow. I called to her from a distance to let her know I was approaching, got as far over to the right as I could and kept talking so the horses could hear that a human was approaching and were not spooked. I rode very slowly past the horses and the rider was reassuring them as I did so.

I had a big horse rear up in front of me once and it was pretty scary having hooves flailing about 6 feet above my head!

 

[Thomk]

Preparation.
I carry an apple or carrot as an offering, but a simple rub on the nose and pat on the rump works. If you've the time you can do it to the horse too.

Your preparation would have been insufficient as there were 2 horses and coincidently 2 riders which would have required 4 offerings.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Your preparation would have been insufficient as there were 2 horses and coincidently 2 riders which would have required 4 offerings.

Call me superman, but I can snap carrots in two with ease.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

What is the correct procedure when approaching horses on a fairly narrow cycle path. I must have got it wrong today and was nagged by a bossy snotty Duchess type

The only correct procedure is , prepare to be wrong.

 

[rowan 46]

Too narrow, hedge one side, ditch the other

you only have 3 options
1 try and squeeze past,
2 stop and wait for the horse to pass
3 ride back the way you came.
I would go for option 2. On a road I would ride well wide of it but as that isn't possible I think the safest thing is to lay the bike against the hedge after dismounting and wait. My logic is that horses are herd animals and the usual response of herd animals is to run if they see something unfamiliar, as unfamiliar usually means dangerous. They are more likely to recognise a human shape than a human on a bike. This of course may be b******* but that's what I would do until somebody can give me better advice from experience or studies. I have to confess I am a city rider and the closest I have come to a horse is watching "unforgiven" or other westerns on the telly

 

[Thomk]

If it's narrow, stop. A frightened horse can do a lot of damage to its rider, you and your bike. When passing a horse, I always talk to the rider, asking if the animal is ok with the bike etc - apart from anything else, it helps the horse to hear a human voice coming from the weird shaped object coming towards it.

Well. I slowed down on approach and unclipped my left foot. The horses pulled over onto the grass bank next to the hedge and stopped and I wasn't sure if they wanted me to pass or stop. As I got closer, moving at walking pace, the Duchess said "the other horse is very young and can get spooked easily". Good info but not quite the targetted instruction I needed. I made a clever and lightning fast decision and said "I'm going to stop". I then made the mistake of stopping with my left foot draging briefly on the floor instead of using my brake and the Duchess said slightly hysterically "DON'T PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE FLOOR" which spooked me a bit, never mind the horse and to which I replied "I have to do that otherwise I will fall over", while simultaneously presenting a falling motif with my left arm. She paused and looked confused, possibly for the first time considering the difference in stability between 4 hooves and 2 wheels and said "YOU SHOULD STOP " to which I calmly retrieved the fairly convincing reply "that's what I said I was going to do" and we both went on our way.

 

[Thomk]

Call me superman, but I can snap carrots in two with ease.

That would have been a good start but still insufficient as you would have needed 4 pieces of carrot and in any case it could have been one of your apple days and I think even you will admit that this is a tiny bit trickier

 

[rowan 46]

Well. I slowed down on approach and unclipped my left foot. The horses pulled over onto the grass bank next to the hedge and stopped and I wasn't sure if they wanted me to pass or stop. As I got closer, moving at walking pace, the Duchess said "the other horse is very young and can get spooked easily". Good info but not quite the targetted instruction I needed. I made a clever and lightning fast decision and said "I'm going to stop". I then made the mistake of stopping with my left foot draging briefly on the floor instead of using my brake and the Duchess said slightly hysterically "DON'T PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE FLOOR" which spooked me a bit, never mind the horse and to which I replied "I have to do that otherwise I will fall over", while simultaneously presenting a falling motif with my left arm. She paused and looked confused, possibly for the first time considering the difference in stability between 4 hooves and 2 wheels and said "YOU SHOULD STOP " to which I calmly retrieved the fairly convincing reply "that's what I said I was going to do" and we both went on our way.

There you go then straight from the horses mouth. Well horsey person's anyway

 

[Thomk]

The only correct procedure is , prepare to be wrong.

That is exactly how I feel. It is spot on, hits the nail on the head, it's as though you were there or inhabit my head