| Author | Message | ||
     Debra Bk |
I have some experience with this here in the US while out driving my small pony (38" mini). On several occasions we have come across riders whose horses are petrified of the cart and mini. Over time, I have learned that if I stop and talk to the horse in a soothing tone and get out and stand at my minis head, the horse will at least be able to get past us. I also now carry treats, and have used these to "help" the horse be less afraid. This is something that *always* worries me as I don't want to cause a rider to be thrown, regardless of who has the right of way. I know those with full size horses can't get out of the cart this way, but stopping and talking does help too.....Debra | ||
| Joanna Bassett |
Regarding the dealer, i'd also say go round to hers, and as shes always having new horses in, and you obviouslt need to drive yours, you could offer to drive near their fields then they canr eact how they like and get used to it. Thats what we have done with my other ponies, and freinds horses, if she's not willing to do anything to help herself, there's not really annything she can expect you to do! We experiance the same kind of problems, the first time my pony spooked properly was as we were going around a long corner and a few cars had built up behind us, we'd gone past the school at picking up time, so they couldnt overtake, and the first place we came to had a massive mound of earth in, which made my pony think it would be much better try running into a hedge than pass it. We controlled it quickly, and the first two drivers passed after the bend, understandingly, while the third came parallel, and as i turned to thank him, rolled down his window and shouted abuse at us about being inconsiderate and not driving on the roads, bofre speeding past us. anotheridea for this dealer, if your stil having problems, would be to arrange some sort of timetable? so she knows when you normally go out and visca verca? We have a riding school up rthe road, where the owner doesnt really want us pasisng, and she takes rides out with a skitty youngster sometimes for some reason, but we halt, and if i have someone with mythey hop out and stand at the ponies head. Then its up to them to decide what to do, if they want us to wlak on we do, but normally we stand and wait. Hope thats of any help? Im also considering just writing a little bit in the village magazine thing, thanking drivers and riders for being consideate, and explaining what it is i do... | ||
| Skipples |
IMO there is a moral duty to slow down when passing riders or any other hazard, for your own safety if not that of others! There will always be an opportunity to pick up time - and having an accident would 'waste' so much more :P Putting up signs is, I would have thought, a simple safety measure and most events I have been to have had clear signs stating that there was a driving event going on in the vicinity. I don't agree that it would be that much more work, could be as simple as putting a bigger sign next to the one showing people where the stable field is! In the case of the angry dealer; I always hod my whip straight infront of me along the side of the horse (usually on whichever side I think they may spook to) and this might make it less visible if you held it on the verge side (assuming your horse is unlikely to spook). | ||
| Karri Nadazdy |
Love the suggestion Laura! Hee hee... Don't know what to suggest for the angry rider - maybe go visit her (horseless) and ask her what she wants you to do. Sounds like no matter what you do, you can't win, but at least you will have tried, which is more than can be said for her. The worst thing we encounter on the roads around my home (rural outskirts of Sydney) are the young hoons who think its hilarious to slow down in their cars, drive very close to us, and then beep their horn madly just as they overtake us. You can just imagine the horses' reactions. Its very frustrating. I even wear a fluro "please pass wide and slow" vest, but they still do it. Very tempting to carry a bucket of stones to throw! ;-) Other horses do get scared when they spot us coming, but I haven't encountered any nasty horse riders as yet. That's a tough one. | ||
| Laura Middlemiss |
LOL Mike sad Sue that this woman is so minded ..... I guess a reply along the lines of "your horses should not be afraid of whips" would prob not go down at all well :-(. Neither would I suppose an explanation of the highway code where we have a responsibility not only to have control of the equine but effect signals to other road users ....... drivers whip is riders legs, would she like to not use her legs LOL I guess if she's that bad I personally would just stand still, keep whip in neutral, look straight ahead and smile through gritted teeth while saying nothing at all !!!!! She can then pass or turn back, its her choice! or drop her off a leaflet on anger management ????? | ||
| Sue Starnes |
Brilliant Mike, thanks for that! | ||
| Mike Watts |
Sue, sorry to hear of your unreasonable rider - it may not help very much to suggest the whip is part of the safety equipment and needs to stay in place as normal - but here are some possibly encouraging pictures derived from the old Highway code.  | ||
| Sue Starnes |
I have had problems with one rider locally who objects most strongly to me driving my turnout on the roads. I have to stop dead every time I see her otherwise I have abuse hurled at me, but we still haven't reached an agreement on what I do with the whip. Holding it still is not good enough, she would like me to "put it down". Not quite sure where 'down' is - more abuse ensues if I try to talk with this lady to find a happy compromise where I can be sure I still can use the whip if needed, whilst not frightening her horses. Does anyone have any ideas how I can make my whip less frightening - it has reached the point where I dread each bend in the road in case I find her riding towards me. As she is a dealer she is always riding out on new animals so there is no chance to get them used to the turnout. I have to say that all the other riders in the area are fine with us - one lady even says I can trot past her, her horse is fine. I don't actually take her word for it and still slow down, but I do love her attitude! | ||
| Laura Middlemiss |
I seem to have a problem getting this gee gee hitched up correctly LOL but at least she likes the vehicle! http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/tazzle22/abbey048.jpg | ||
| Laura Middlemiss |
Thanks Emma ... the lady in question has said it was the Midlands group ????? I thought carriage drivers were not allowed to use bridleways ? I know we can use forestry lanes or green lanes or BOATS etc .... or do we get special permission to use bridleways on certain private lands ? I can kinda see the riders point if on a bridleway you suddenly see something thats not supposed to be there ..... maybe like for example encountering a trail bike or quad bike or something. It is a point that I would be interested in ascertaining form a personal point of view as there are some bridleways near me that are certainly wide enough for a carriage as they are part of a farm and tractors etc go up it ........ have wondered if farmer gave permission what the situation would be if I encountered ridden horses then ? | ||
| Emma Burton |
In answer to your question Laura, I hold tight, try to persuade my horse to be more scared of me than the carriage, and hope for the best! I think the trials I was at is the one in question, we did use bridleways and forest tracks. We were held up while a couple re caught their dogs, and waited while a cyclist came towards us on a narrow bridleway. And didn't get a nod of acknowledgement from either. A notice at either end seems a wise move though, when the use of public paths becomes necessary. | ||
| Laura Middlemiss |
I can see your point emma in that we cannot expect the world to stop or accomodate horses ..... I was one of the first on other forums to say that we could not expect people to not fly flags during world cup just because they frighten horses, We had plenty of time to desensitise to or avoid them. It is up to us to prepare our horses for the world !!! I think the difference here is the suddeness, the proximity and the element of something "chasing" another horse at some speed. If your horses still do not relax in the presence of a carriage , may I ask what happens if they suddenly encounter one on the road / bridleways......... The riders saw the signs / arrows directing the marathon course and if the course was on known bridleways..... than immediately on / near the course it should not involve too much extra work to make warning signs.I am just sounding things out and it would be a shame if we missed an opportunity to cooperate with other equine lovers , after all we all want everyone to be safe. horses can get used to combines, tractors and traffic noises form their field etc and most of us desensitise them to thngs gradually . But unexpected or unthought of things can produce pani . Taz didnt panic but she still jumped a bit when she came round a corner to see kids flying in the air .. on one of thos giant trampolines in a front garden ....... Now where can I borrow one I wonder !!! | ||
| Emma Burton |
This is something I come across weekly, and I haven't found a solution! My own horses still run to the back of the stables and snort when either pony and carriage pass, or even just the carriage, I hope they'll settle eventually. We've not caused major problems on the road, but always slow to a walk, or stop if needed. As to the original comments, most riders only use woods etc on a weekly basis, not daily, so the notices saying what's going on would have to be put up well in advance, and means a lot more work for the organisers, who do plenty already. Besides, I'm surely not the only one that rides about without reading all the little notices that are pinned up for carboots, birthdays etc etc? The signs would have to be huge to grab my attention ;o) I can understand the scary moments it must have caused, but does the person in question also demand the local farmers state when the combine will be on the roads so they can be safely indoors? Horse riding/driving can be hair raising, to go out in public places you need to be confident you can control your animal in those rotten situations that we all come across, and if the worst does happen not to blame everyone else around you! | ||
| Laura Middlemiss |
as a related thought .... when I tried to organise a fundraising fun ride / drive the response was poor other than from drivers !!! Do you think this was because of riders being apprehensive of how their horses will respond or their perception of drivers. When riders talk about "bombproofing" their horses rarely do they mention carriages being part of that .... could this be something organisations get together to promote? ? organise joint traiing / event days ?????. although only Taz drives in our yard they are all OK with the carriage as its just "part of the furniture". | ||
| Laura Middlemiss |
thanks Mike she did say that she encountered one , then another two riders with frightened horses said there were morecarriages ....they had the same experience. They described carriages in several fields and said it was driving trials but I did think it could have been a driving trec. The rider does say now whe has found out who organised it so will private mail her and find out more. There are four drivers in our village so most of the ridden horses are ok with carriages ..... but occasionally I come across one that grows a few hands and puts eyes out on stalks !!!! We stop and ask rider what they want to do to show ridden horse it will not be eaten by this horse chasing monster ! I must admit that I have never heard our organisers mention any measures to be taken re encountering others when out on the marathon or advertising the fact there is an event on in that way. | ||
| Mike Watts |
Laura, Interesting subject - we regularly drive out in the forest and heath here in Suffolk and encounter ridden horses, and we all get along fine; we are careful to slow down or stop and check how their horses are responding. Mostly 'our' forest is empty, but sometimes we share it with cycle events, husky races - we even deliver Santa Claus with the pony pair at Christmas. All these types of use coexist (huskies, elves..) without problem here. If there was a large number of carriages maybe it was a pleasure drive? In hdt we usually only see a competitor every 4 minutes - a km apart. Either way, yes, it seems more than a good idea to let others know of any organised event - thought there's not necessarily any place where different forest users will find out about each others events...? | ||
| Laura Middlemiss |
On another forum I visit someone has posted a very distressed description of hacking in a wood (? forestry commission land) and encountering carriages that frightened hers and others ridden horses to the point of panic by not slowing or giving them room to get away. She descibes being stuck in the forest for an hour trying to find a way out without encountering fields or tracks without carriages. I am presuming this was the marathon phase of a driving trials. The posters main point after saying how dangerous and inconsiderate carriage drivers are is that there was no notification to riders that there would be a driving event taking place. I have been stewarding and occasional driving for a couple years and I suppose because our events mainly take place at david broomes lovely place or other "secured" sites I have rarely thought about enountering "the public". what are others knowledge and experience of this and is there any moral or other responsibility to inform others that can access public rights of way while events take place that there are carriage drivers around ... or should the area have been "closed" to others???? |