Horse Road Safety.

[Annie]

(If you don't read about my inncidents, please read the end of this post!)

This has been a huge concern of mine for years, but recently it's become more of a fear, than a concern.

I feel my riding is at a good standard and so does my instructor, Susie. She trusts me enough to take her horses out alone and even take my friends and family out on rides. I think I'm good at controlling horses in difficult situations too. However, being able to handle a horse, is not always good enough to avoid an accident.

I will tell you about a few accidents that could have ended very badly!

First was when I was out with Susie and the group. I was about half way up the ride and there was roughly 6 horses. I heard someone shout "car!" behind me, so I looked ahead to check if it was clear, so the car could pass us safely. It wasn't, so I shouted "No!" to let them know not to wave the car on. The girl at the back held her hand up to show the car behind to stop. It didn't. The driver clearly saw us and ignored the girls signal. As it passed us, we shouted for it to stop (his window was open, he could clearly hear us) but he totally ignored our warnings!
Just as it came level with the front of the ride, it noticed the car heading towards it. It slammed on the breaks and swirved slightly towards us...it was inches from the other car (which had luckily listened to our instruction and slowed right down, dispite it being his right of way) and inches away from the horses.

Lesson 1: PLEASE watch for hand signals, we often have a better view than drivers.




Secondly, I was riding alone, when my horse saw a newspaper page in the bush. He's usually very brave and rarely spooks, but this really scared him. He stopped in his tracks and started to back up. I noticed cars behind me, inching forwards, obviously getting impatient. I managed to stop Archie and get him to slowly walk on, past the newspaper. But then, I hear "BEEP, VRROOOOM" Someone had actually beeped at my frightened horse, then sped past!
I'm so glad Archie is a calm horse, because he didn't react much, he stepped to the side a bit, but then carried on. Only one person went past me wide and slow, out of all the traffic built up behind me (about 10 cars).

Lesson 2: PLEASE be patient, I know it's annoying to come across something that blocks your journey, but if you just stop and wait, we will move out of the way.



Thirdly (now this didn't happen to me, but I saw the aftermath) A girl was riding with her horse, when a flatbed trailer came speeding towards them. It slowed as it approached, but when the horse started to become frightened, the driver sped up again, causing the horse to really freak out. It reared and fell backwards, onto the truck. The horse suffered a few cuts and bruises and ran off (later caught trotting around on the roads and returned safely) but the girl was badly hurt. This is when we came across her. We saw the truck in the middle of the road, we thought it was visiting a house and had parked badly, but as we came closer, we saw a large puddle of blood and the girl laying in the back of the truck waiting for the ambulance. Turns out she lost a lot of blood, suffered a broken arm and several broken ribs. She later recovered and I have seen her riding the same horse since.

Lesson 3: If you scare a horse, PLEASE stop! If you speed towards the horse, it may think the car is hunting it.



Forth and finally (I could go on and on, but I won't bore you any longer) was when I was riding to my house with a friend. All was going well, untill I heard the roar of an SUV engine, coming from behind. It was a nice sunny day and visibility was good. We were around a corner at the time, but far enough around to slow and pass properly, if you're going the speed limit. Seconds later I saw the car come around the corner. It was terrifying.
She didn't make any effort to slow or avoid us, I had to yank my poor horse in the mouth (I felt bad, he's got a sensitve mouth) It must have hurt him, because he jumped about a foot and a half to the side. The SUV missed us by inches! I even had to move my leg, so it wouldn't hit it!
If I hadn't reacted so quickly, I know my horse wouldn't be here, I might not be here and neither would the driver.

Lesson 4: Slow down around corners, where there might be horses! (Yes, there was a sign) It's not just putting my life in danger, the horse and the driver will probably be killed too.




All this said, I MUST stress that there are a lot of good guys out there, who stop or pass us slowly and really respect us. I thank all of you who do this!



The main point of this...I've tried emailing TV shows and I have succeeded in getting a letter in the local newsletter. Do you have any other ideas of how I could raise awareness? I'd LOVE help with this

Thank you and you are a star if you read all this!

[FlipMode]

As I am 19 years old and a driver I actually did read all of that, that and I read long posts because the person has made an effort to type them. I mean it is like not listening to someone in real life when talking, it is rude... Wow I went off topic in the first few lines now that must be a record.

Anywayyy... [quote]If you speed towards the horse, it may think the car is hunting it.[/quote]

That is interesting, I never knew that. I mean it makes sense but I would never have thought that would be their reaction to a vehicle.

[quote]Lesson 2: PLEASE be patient, I know it's annoying to come across something that blocks your journey, but if you just stop and wait, we will move out of the way.[/quote]
Now that is a good point also, I mean it is like being behind an old lady when walking down the sidewalk in that it is annoying yet they have as much right to be there as yourself. But the thing is this; what if said car needed to get somewhere quick, like a hospital or something? I mean most people just do not but cars to drive them slowly around; most of my friends do 35+ as opposed to 30 MPH.

But in all thought it is a fair point and well made, generally on my journeys I am unlikely to see a horse on the routes I take. But it is still handy to have in mind anyway, I do drive past a field which has some in though and usually do so slowly on the odd chance someone is taking one out.

[quote]The main point of this...I've tried emailing TV shows and I have succeeded in getting a letter in the local newsletter. Do you have any other ideas of how I could raise awareness? I'd LOVE help with this

Thank you and you are a star if you read all this![/quote]

First of all; good job on getting it into the local newspaper. What ideas have you already tried, if any others? As for what I would do; well continue to do what you are already doing for one, media coverage is the best way as it is accessible to everyone. Why not make and distribute some flyers? Particularly around areas where a commuter would more likely pass a horse... Tell them of the experiences you had (which btw all sound more or less pure ignorance on the drivers behalf (especially the 2nd lesson one, wow how downright disrespectful!)

I am glad the horse and girl have recovered well though!

[Annie]

Horses are still living in the past XD untill taught otherwise, they still see everything as an evil demon or preditor out to get them. This is why waiting quietly behind a horse is important...it's like having a lion stalking behind them, growling D:


I agree, if someone is on the way to the hospital, or something, it's important to go quickly and seconds can make a difference. However, the problem is, if the speed scares the horses, it could be more hospital visits than there were in the first place. But this situation IS a very tricky one! I don't think any outcome would be a good one XD

Ooh! Flyers are a very good idea, even if I don't have them out, I could post some around the local area, since we can do that for free! Thanks for the suggestion
I've only really tried emailing TV shows and newspapers, but I'm thinking of making a youtube account for a weekly blog. I bought a headcam today, so I can record incidents on that!

[Azdgari]

This seems like very sound advice. Now, I don't know anything about horses and the last thing I want to do is offend you or belittle riding (having tried it once I have infinite respect for you. =P) but is riding on the road really a great idea? As I was reading, all I could think of was how so many people will ignore this advice which creates a dangerous situation for everyone involved. It's not at all a reflection on you, the rider, more the driver. Is it really a safe situation to put yourself and the horse in? It's not at all your fault, but it seems rather dangerous. We rarely ever have horses on the road around here in MA, at least I've never seen them. Isn't it safer (and I would think more enjoyable) to ride them in the woods/on paths, etc where there aren't loud cars chugging by?

Not trying to offend you at all, just observing and asking a curious question. ^^

[Annie]

This is one of the most common responses I get

Where I live, it's in the country where you expect to see horses. There's no big motorways (There is, but we never go near them, let alone ON them), there's actually very little traffic, however, it takes just one car to kill.
http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/23/58/ ... 9924d6.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _58649.jpg
Here's some pictures from where I go, usually.
http://www.dataplate.co.uk/cranfieldacf/aerial.jpg This is the largest town we have to ride through.

Also, it's impossible NOT to ride on the roads here. We once had to stay at the yard and ride in the few fields Susie owns (There was an outbreak of foot and mouth, so we couldn't risk the horses giving it to the cows at the yard) the horses became bored of seeing the same fields and so, acted out. Horses are like kids, if you take them to the same park and make them ride the same swing for months, they're going to get bored and mess around.

Recently, farmers have become very protective of they land, so where we used to be able to ride, is slowly becoming private and in the winter, fields are pretty much unusable, because they get clogged up with mud.

It's really a tricky situation for us riders, we have the threat of cars on the roads, we have farmers to contend with, bridleways are being blocked off, we have to try and cope with land dissapearing and making room for more houses...I honestly don't know what to do about it all.

[SnowyCheetah]

I've always been skeptical, and continue to be, about horseback riding on roads. The conclusion I've come to is that there are many areas it is theoretically safe, and others where it just isn't.

As for Annie's advice, I agree. Being a driver and a cyclist, I think I have a pretty similar situation to that of a horseback rider and to that of a driver, minus the ever-present danger of my transportation having a mind of its own. Many times I've been nearly hit by cars, and at least once I've almost hit a car due to my own negligence (ok that sounded bad - what really happened is I didn't realize how fast I was going and nearly hit the backside of a bus that was stopping in front of me. ). Here in the US, most drivers (certainly not all of them) have at least some sense in them even if they're the type to make California stops at stop signs and cut corners while turning. However, in a recent conversation with Annie I learned that (according to her, and I'll trust her on this matter) drivers are much less sane and often drive so far over the speed limit that a typical U.S. speeder would look like a perfect driver.

Whatever the location, all the things Annie just said are valid pieces of advice. While cars and other motorized vehicles are the most popular form of road transportation in most countries, those driving must allow for the occasional horseback rider or group of them. And horses present or not, please obey traffic laws! They exist for a reason and it really irks me to see them broken in order to reach your destination a few minutes earlier. I'm sure the truck driver who was involved in the accident that Annie mentioned is thinking now, "Better late than never!"

[Annie]

Yea, I think cyclists have it just as bad as horse riders, apart from the obvious point of a horse having a mind of it's own, as you said
My brother is a cyclist too and he's had just as many near misses as me!
I think country roads do need to have a slower speed limit 60mph is stupid, when there could be an animal (Horse, deer, fox or something else) a cyclist or a walker (I've heard of walkers being hit too, when there's just not been a pavement to walk on) just around the corner. I'm glad to say that the small stretch of road outside the stables has been moved from 60mph to 40, however this is only for an extra 100 yards or so around the stables and it's actually VERY rare to see people stick to the limit along that road. People just seem to ignore the massve 40 sign post and the new markings on the road. I even had to correct my (now ex) boyfriend along there and tell him to slow down. The amount of times I've moaned to him about the speed on that road and he was STILL speeding. Jerk XD.

" And horses present or not, please obey traffic laws! They exist for a reason"

I could NOT agree more! That was one of the reasons I left the ex, mentioned above. He was an awful driver and didn't care.
I doubt we'll ever have perfect roads, but I hope I can atleast improve them a bit, that'd be amazing ^^

[Zeke]

Annie I totally back you on this because I have had an experience like this myself. I often visit and ride with my friends who own a ranch in the Theodore Roosevelt Nat. Park in the U.S. and they take people out on guided trail rides through the park. Because I go there so often and know the trails, they occasionally give me tasks that are usually undertaken by the staff such as getting something off the ground or informing the people in the back of what the lead rider is talking about if they cant here. These trails often cross a road that goes through the park and all around these crossings are signs that read out "horse crossing." Usually there is no trouble with crossing but on one occasion when me and my friend took 6 people out on a ride, we got up to the road and my friend told me to ride infront and stop any cars that are going down the road. I got up to the road and held my hand up to signal for a car to stop but it only slowed and started honking. Of course, my horse started taking steps back and I had to swing him to keep infront of the car until the whole group crossed. The second I moved out of the way, the car roared by, almost clipping my gelding and I recieved some friendly hand gestures.

These situations are extremely dangerous for riders for as Annie stated, Horses have a mind of their own and it is not hard to freak them out. I dont think that people like this will every open their eyes or ears to what anyone has to say cuz they lack the very little brain capacity it takes to bottle this simple problem. Unfortunately a lot of people are entirely unaware and ignorant of occurences such as these and should be properly informed. However I doubt that informing them will cause too much of a change of heart, cuz in the end these people are just plain d-bags

[Annie]

I had actually forgotten you ride!! But now it all comes flooding back ^^

You're totally right! You don't have to be riding along the road for miles, to be affected by the dangers!
I've also been beeped at and given the finger. One woman even told me to get back in the field where I belong! So I said "Why don't you, cow!" I don't see why I should take insults from people like that.

I really think people just need to be educated, really. Perhaps shown the horrors of what can happen. I mean, just check out Horse and Hounds news section D: it's always full of road accidents A woman was killed 2 days ago, when her horse was hit (Her horse lived, which is amazing!)

Though (I have had complaints about this) I MUST STRESS I am NOT getting at people here, purely trying to promote safety there are hundreds...thousands of brilliant drivers out there!

[PotterYouRotter]

(warning long post)
ugh i have this experience myself Annie. I hate people that just take no consideration to people on horseback or horses in general. A little ways from where i live there is a lot of horse property but most of the fencing is fairly old and a lot of people dont take proper care of it, so horse are getting out all the time. Just a few months ago two horses were killed by a guy driving in the fog and he couldnt see them. My mom has also had to pull over i think 3 times to put several different horses back into their enclosures. one of the incidents she went through was 3 horses running down one of the busiest streets and people were just honking at them and scaring the horses more. cops showed up to try and help. but most cops dont know horse etiquette either and they turn on their sirens which just further scares the horses.
my own experience was that i was going on a trail ride with my mom and trainer. her stable is in a valley with lots of hills and turns. and the people that drive down that road dont like to go around the turns slow. this lady in her suv came up to us and my trainer started waving at her and yelling "stop! stop! slow down!" and the lady just gave her a nice hand gesture and blew past me. im thankful for the horse i was riding reacting quickly to get out of the way but just barely. you also know about my most recent experience with the guy in his truck that literally tried to hit me.
one time i was walking this mini horse Honey, and this car drove up next to us and just crawled next to us. now a lot of ppl think that if they just go slow its all ok. which is usually true, but thats if the car is passing us. these people decided to try and talk to me and tell me how cute the horse was. of course Honey starts freaking out and rearing and prancing and im just trying to make sure she doesnt hit the stupid car.
my mom also had an experience of a guy in an suv that just blew past her and roared his engine and her horse freaked out, spun in front of the car and nearly kicked the front of it.
at the stables i used to be at, there used to be a fire truck station and the county actually gave them a special rule that when they were going to an emergency, they were not allowed to turn their sirens on until they left the neighborhood because a lady at our barn was on her horse and they drove right next to her and turned their siren on. the horse reared up and she fell onto the pavement and broke either her arm or her leg.

and i havent read all of the comments about the cyclists but i agree they have it as bad as horses but i also think they need to be just as aware as car drivers. horses can usually hear cars coming up behind them. bicycles are silent and have very little movement. in a horses mind, that is one of the worst predators out there. a fast, silent predator.

all in all, drivers really need to be patient about riders. honking and revving their engine is not going to make the horse go faster. the driver is more likely going to have to stay there and call an ambulance after the horse and/or rider gets hurts.

EDIT: this is an example of stupid STUPID driver. i think the horse was ok afterward but the cars windshield is totally crashed. so so so stupid. driver earned it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v_8BZkOgMU