What about horses

[Little yellow Brompton]

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".

It always amazese me when they come out with stuff like this. if the horse is "XXXXX and can get spooked easily" then maybe they shoudn't be bringing a tonne+ of known to be barely under control animal onto the road?

 

[ClichéGuevara]

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

Improv dear boy, improv. A slap on the behind and a rub of the nose whilst the horses enjoy the half a carrot. The apple can be torn in half, but much simpler is to bite it in two.

Another option is simply to lay flat on the saddle and cruise straight under them. A helmet is useful here. Upturned it can collect any fertiliser fall out. I've done this many a time in my youth, but as they say, the past is another world, they do things differently there.

 

[Baggy]

It always amazese me when they come out with stuff like this. if the horse is "XXXXX and can get spooked easily" then maybe they shoudn't be bringing a tonne+ of known to be barely under control animal onto the road?

They weren't on the road according to the OP.

 

[Thomk]

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

I would have done that, indeed wanted to do that. But using the list motif:
1) They stopped first which confused me a bit
2) It was a cycle route and part of me thought they must be used to cycles
3) I wanted to get instructions (politely) from the Duchess
I will never do the scrapey foot thing again near horses.

 

[Baggy]

They might be used to cyclists once they can see them, but the scrapey foot noise could possibly startle a horse. It sounds as if the rider was having a bit of difficulty getting her words out properly, which does happen when you're a bit stressed...

Just saying hello and "can I pass or should I stop?" might prompt her/a rider to give a clearer answer next time.

Not sure they should have been on a bike path though, unless it's a bridleway or specifically shared use.

 

[Thomk]

They might be used to cyclists once they can see them, but the scrapey foot noise could possibly startle a horse. It sounds as if the rider was having a bit of difficulty getting her words out properly, which does happen when you're a bit stressed...

Just saying hello and "can I pass or should I stop?" might prompt her/a rider to give a clearer answer next time.

Not sure they should have been on a bike path though, unless it's a bridleway or specifically shared use.

Yes that's all reasonable. It is NCR 41 and I think the part I was on is probably a bridleway.

 

[FatMog]

Here's the thing - I have a horse and I ride a bike. My horse is an old lad now, been there and seen it all and is pretty much everything-proof, but even he will jump if a bike creeps up on us - mind you so do I! Bikes can be pretty stealthy and sometimes we don't know it's there til it's whirring past.

My preference as a horse rider is that a bike rider approaching from behind calls out (not the bell - that can be a bit startling) just to let us know he's there. Approaching from the front is no problem cos we can see him and as I say, my horse is very experienced. And sensible!

However if I was riding my bike and approaching an unknown horse I would call out and ask what the rider would like me to do, something along the lines of 'is your horse ok with bikes' and then do what I'm told! This is on the grounds that horses have great big steel-shod hooves powered by muscles the size of texas and hair-trigger instincts, all governed by a tiny little brain (bless them... ). And so do some riders (the brains bit, that is), and whatever the strict rights and wrongs of the case I would rather get by entirely without incident.

Whatever happens I would always put my own personal safety first - so if some stupid woman was waving me past her giant slab-sided sweating, plunging, eye-rolling nutter of a horse I think I would choose to decline and stop somewhere safely out of reach!

Sounds like your Duchess was a bit panic-stricken about what her young horse would do and didn't have enough spare processing power to be tactful. Whether I personally would choose to lead a green youngster while riding another, I dunno. You don't have much control unless you're on top.

 

[slowmotion]

I would stay well out of the way of any horse. The rider might be OK, but the vehicle is most certainly not " the sharpest tool in the box". Blooming stupid animals. Totally neurotic as well ( pace Becs).

John Harvey-Jones, who used to be the boss at ICI, was once asked why he had a collection of donkeys and he replied "You can ride a horse off a cliff....you can't ride a donkey off one...."

 

[Tyke]

From the front I get as far over as I can and stop so the rider can decide what is best.

From the back I just hang well back until the rider sees me then follow slowly until they say otherwise or it gets wide enough to pass without the horse having room to kick me, then slowly go by.

The short delay is worth it not to endanger myself or more possibly the rider if I spook the horse, my bike can't get spooked but a horse can, even old very calm ones.

 

[slowmotion]

This is wisdom ^^^^^^^

Thank-you.

 

[growingvegetables]

From the front I get as far over as I can and stop so the rider can decide what is best.

From the back I just hang well back until the rider sees me then follow slowly until they say otherwise or it gets wide enough to pass without the horse having room to kick me, then slowly go by.

The short delay is worth it not to endanger myself or more possibly the rider if I spook the horse, my bike can't get spooked but a horse can, even old very calm ones.

Spot on

 

[Jimmy Doug]

I used to go riding. I've had to stop now because of my back. It's a terrible shame as it's the only sport that I have found that gives me as much pleasure as cycling - and in some ways I prefer it. Riding horses is totally different from cycling in that you have this extra dimension: this generally good natured, but highly emotional beast that you have to love, cajole and sometimes punish into doing what you want it to do. Each horse is totally different - and when you're on a horse you don't know, it can be quite stressful as you don't know how it'll behave. But some can get so spooked - and it's always as well to remember that. I had to calm down a horse because it panicked when there were no cones in its training paddock. Usually there were cones there, but on this day there weren't, which was something new, something different, and the horse was petrified. I've seen horses scared by a leaf falling from a tree or a piece of paper on the floor. Needless to say that a cyclist coming silently from behind is enough to scare the life out of them, so care must be taken. Don't be too hard on your Duchess. My guess is she didn't know just how the young horse would react and was scared that a very nasty incident could follow your feet scraping along the floor - because sometimes all it takes is something as small as that. Whether she was in the right to be riding on that path or not, of course, is a different matter....

 

[steve52]

i negotiate with the horse, its often the most resonable one of the horse ride partnership

 

[Becs]

I would stay well out of the way of any horse. The rider might be OK, but the vehicle is most certainly not " the sharpest tool in the box". Blooming stupid animals. Totally neurotic as well ( pace Becs).

Eh?

Totally agree, horses are dumb. Best treat them all like they could be young and easily startled, especially if it's being led rather than ridden.

 

[freecyclist]

I used to go riding. I've had to stop now because of my back. It's a terrible shame as it's the only sport that I have found that gives me as much pleasure as cycling - and in some ways I prefer it. Riding horses is totally different from cycling in that you have this extra dimension: this generally good natured, but highly emotional beast that you have to love, cajole and sometimes punish into doing what you want it to do. Each horse is totally different - and when you're on a horse you don't know, it can be quite stressful as you don't know how it'll behave. But some can get so spooked - and it's always as well to remember that. I had to calm down a horse because it panicked when there were no cones in its training paddock. Usually there were cones there, but on this day there weren't, which was something new, something different, and the horse was petrified. I've seen horses scared by a leaf falling from a tree or a piece of paper on the floor. Needless to say that a cyclist coming silently from behind is enough to scare the life out of them, so care must be taken. Don't be too hard on your Duchess. My guess is she didn't know just how the young horse would react and was scared that a very nasty incident could follow your feet scraping along the floor - because sometimes all it takes is something as small as that. Whether she was in the right to be riding on that path or not, of course, is a different matter....

Yes - dont be to hard on the duchess , sounds like she was stressed and likely didnt mean to be short tempered with you.