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Horses on roads


John F

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Last Sunday I saw a pair of horsey middle-aged women and a gaggle of little dahlings moving VERY slowly along a busy road on horses. One of the horse-faced women was riding right out in the centre of the road to ensure that no nasty traffic came close to her precious dahlings, which of course meant that there were massive tailbacks behind them since the traffic on my side of the road was also quite heavy. They were pretty much in the centre of town, it's not possible that they were just riding between stables and a bridle path... in fact, it looked like the little dahlings had been taken to the local McDonalds, juging by how fat and ugly they were (and also because they joined the road from out of the Maccy D's car park).

 

What's your view on this sort of thing? In light of the complete incompatibility of horses with modern traffic, is it time to end the grandfather rights of horse riders to use public highways free of charge, or indeed at all? Or should horses should be restricted to certain categories of road, times of day?

 

Personally, I'd turn all of the bloody things into dog meat and glue but I concede that others may have a different opinion, hehe :mrgreen:

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The majority of horsey folk seem pleasant enough (well, outside the hunting world) and I'm happy to admit that they have as much right to ride their horses down the road as I have to walk along it (seeing as pavements are in short supply in these rural parts!).

 

There are some prize fuggin idiots though. I once saw a horse rider shouting at people in cars for not slowing down and gesticulating wildly. It was a fuggin dual carriageway with a 70mph speed limit! Use some sense you dopey mare! Her riding partner was, very sensibly, riding on the very-wide verge at this point probably wondering just how mentally stable her friend was.

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I think it all comes down to common sense. I find the majority are fine, the same goes for cyclists, lorry drivers, people with caravans etc. There are always the exceptions that bring a bad name to the whole group.

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I used to do a wee bit of riding a while ago, nothing serious mind and I never had the hassle of my own horse, but it astounds me how braindead some people are when it comes to riding on roads.

 

Horses and cars would coexist if it wasn't for the bellends that cause everybody problems, pikey types in whatever car, van or tank of their choice, that speed through the countryside because it is open and don't think about countryside issues like tractors, horses, other animals and the like. As a result I always hated riding on roads, it was pretty scarey and you always have the fear that the approaching car is going to do something stupid.... and consequently I only ever rode occasionally on quite country roads on route to a nearby bridleway or field. Thus I don't understand why people insist on taking their horses any where near population centres and busy roads... in plenty of instances I'm sure the real cause of accidents is riders not being arsed to load up their horses and riding them instead.

 

I have no real sympathy for those who do so, like your aforementioned woman and her gaggle... common sense says yu shouldn't drive the wrongway up a motorway and it also says that an animal that isn't particularly keen on cars shouldn't be ridden down a road with plenty of the things.

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most horses used on public roads are not insured.

 

if one rears up and damages your car - tough shite, no insurance payout

 

if one rears up and kills you or your family - tough shite, no insurance payout

 

that says a lot about horses, and horse riders

 

IMO they should use bridal ways and private land, not public roads with insurance

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Letting an untrained, unlicensed, uninsured child out on the road in charge of a two ton animal that is quite happy to be passed by articulated lorries but then spooks at the sight of a falling leaf or a bus stop is NOT a good idea.

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I agree that they can be a pain some times in certain places. But I always slow down and give them room. They dont really bother me much to be honest, since they seem so few and far between, near here at least.

 

Cyclists on the other hand I utterly hate with a passion! 99% of them have no insurance, do not follow or respect the rules of the roads, have no courtesy (to vehicles or pedestrians), and are so up themselves, arrogant , self riotious and rude they can not and will not see any problem with their dangerous/illeagal actions. I think these muppets are the worst problem on the roads by far. They should all be made to have a number plate and some sort of insurance aswell, so then at least they can be traced if/when something happens, and then fined or prosecuted if need be - exactly the same as any other road user would be!

I know not all of them are like it but the majority seem to be.

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most horses used on public roads are not insured.

 

if one rears up and damages your car - tough shite, no insurance payout

 

if one rears up and kills you or your family - tough shite, no insurance payout

 

that says a lot about horses, and horse riders

 

IMO they should use bridal ways and private land, not public roads with insurance

 

Please point me towards your source of information to back up your assertion that most horses used on roads are not insured, I'm genuinely interested. I accept many won't be I'm just wondering how many and how close that it is to most.

 

I would also be interested to know how many cars were damaged and people killed by uninsured horses last year, as opposed to the same statistic for uninsured drivers.

 

Whilst a rider not insuring a horse may say a lot about the rider, it doesn't really say a lot about the horse which has very little say in whether it is insured or not.

 

Sadly not all bridle ways are accessible without the requirement to use the public highway, and if they are insured why should they not be on the road.

 

(I have no strong opinions on this one way or another I just thought I'd add a bit of balance)

 

Now replace the words horses and horse riders in your post with cycles and cyclists and I quite agree with you.

 

point yourself there, prove me wrong

 

that should be fun

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Cyclists on the other hand I utterly hate with a passion! 99% of them have no insurance, do not follow or respect the rules of the roads, have no courtesy (to vehicles or pedestrians), and are so up themselves, arrogant , self riotious and rude they can not and will not see any problem with their dangerous/illeagal actions. I think these muppets are the worst problem on the roads by far. They should all be made to have a number plate and some sort of insurance aswell, so then at least they can be traced if/when something happens, and then fined or prosecuted if need be - exactly the same as any other road user would be!

I know not all of them are like it but the majority seem to be.

 

As a frequent urban and country cyclist I beg to differ - although I do appreciate that, as with any road user group, there are the complete mongs who are either pointlessly aggressive or run the lights. To be fair though, it has taken me personally a decade or so, half of which additionally driving, to really know the laws of the road. Novice cyclists = just as irritating as learner drivers, but far more vulnerable. As as a driver I've never taken issue with any cyclist/horse (I live in the countryside too so there are plenty). Other road users on the other hand? Cycling around Birmingham where I spend most of my time I find weirdly that, without prejudice, there is a general correlation between price of car and courtesy. It is always an impatient, small penised X5 or RR Sport that cuts you up, not the Ford Escort in the impoverished area.

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point yourself there, prove me wrong

 

that should be fun

 

Ah, so it was just an unfounded assertion, fair enough; although aren't you supposed to put FACT afterwards when you make something up, just so that everyone knows not to express a contrary opinion?

 

I'll get used to this internet forum lark at some point, if I can be bothered.

 

no, not unfounded, i just can;t be arsed with trolls this evening.

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Can ANPR cameras read a horses face and arse? If so then it will be easy to see if they are insured or not.

 

Judging by the look of the women 'supervising' those children I mentioned in my initial post, ANPR would have had difficulty in distinguishing the horses from the riders...

 

I don't have a problem with lone cyclists, but those bastards that insist on riding two abreast on busy roads when there isn't any option for motor vehicles to overtake deserve all the abuse they get, and more. I was once in a minibus caught for ages in a huge traffic jam behind a peloton of road cyclists in the Peak District that *would not* allow the traffic to get past them. It was a Sunday morning, they were just out "training", presumably, so there was no reason why they couldn't have dropped into single file to let everyone past.

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i drove up behind a cyclist (almost in the centre of the road) on the brow of a hill this morning, i gave a short pip on the horn, to let the rider know i was behind, but instead of moving to the side of the road, or looking behind him, the prick decided i was harrassing him and seemed to think i was gareth hunt. i waited until after the brow and slowly overtook him while demonstarting the loud twin-tone horn of the granada. i bet he didnt have third party insurance either, the twat.

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i drove up behind a cyclist (almost in the centre of the road) on the brow of a hill this morning, i gave a short pip on the horn, to let the rider know i was behind, but instead of moving to the side of the road, or looking behind him, the prick decided i was harrassing him and seemed to think i was gareth hunt. i waited until after the brow and slowly overtook him while demonstarting the loud twin-tone horn of the granada. i bet he didnt have third party insurance either, the twat.

 

To be fair, even if it was no meant to be, any cyclist would interpret that initial action as an impatient sign of aggression. Let's face it, horns these days are only used by lorries on narrow bridges and people saying hello to each other to exchange a casual racist joke. Any other time, it's, let's face it, accompanied by either one or two specific fingers. Surely patience is the key here? If that was a tractor, which moves at cyclist speed, you wouldn't do that. And let's face it - on practically any non-trunk single carriageway you need a clear oncoming lane to overtake a cyclist (or horse), so I fail to see how a cyclist being a couple of feet further into the road makes such a difference.

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my initial horn 'pip' was about 1/2 to a whole second of noise, just to let him know someone was behind him on a 60mph speed limit road. i didnt expect such a reaction to it, and it wasnt my impatience, i can easily wait until a clear road ahead is visible. he looked like he was serious in his cycling too, with dayglo spandex and dawes racer.

 

I used to go to York quite a lot in the 1990s and was amazed at the antics of cyclists who ignored red lights, pedestrian crossings and one-way street and right-of-way signs.

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6 of 1 and half a dozen of another

 

again being one of those who lives in the country most horse riders are pretty decent there's just a few in particular that are utter sponges, a minority giving a majority a bad name.

 

Either way I'm fooked as I'm shit scared of horses so I'd do whatever they say just so long as they keep the evil things well away from me

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Can ANPR cameras read a horses face and arse? If so then it will be easy to see if they are insured or not.

 

Its a shame people don't ride zebras, then the divler could use a barcode reader an the anpr.

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

Until a few months ago I lived mostly in London, where the great majority of cyclists are utter twats in my experience*. There are a few exceptions of course, and when occasionally I saw one stop at a red light or show any kind of consideration for pedestrians (never mind vehicles) it was a genuine surprise.

 

I now live mostly in semi-rural South Wales, as I have on and off since I was born, where we have plenty of people on horses (and some wild ponies for that matter, which definitely aren't insured, MOT'd or even taxed). Unlike the London cyclists, though, hardly any of the horse riders seem to behave in a twunty fashion*. Again, I'm sure there are exceptions - but I reckon the balance is the other way round.

 

 

*Not facts, just opinions. Other points of view are available.

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one-way street

 

We can use these the wrong way now :D

That's interesting, when did that change?

 

As to horses etc., it's usually not the horse that's the problem, it's the person "in control", just like it's a person on a bike, in a car, in a lorry, or whatever.

 

A5, I'd check behind me if I were tooted whilst on the bike and try to make sure there wasn't enough room to squeeze past on the brow of a hill - there's nothing like being sideswiped whilst cycling over the brow of a hill to make you wary of it happening again.

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I have to say I rarely have any problems with horsey types round here - the ones I encounter tend to be quite sensible and courteous. The lycra-wearing cyclist set can be a bit of a PITA though with riding two or three abreast - although I sometimes quite enjoy happening across a group in the Innocenti as it's LHD with quite precise steering so it's easy to pass with the door mirror within about four inches of the outside cyclist without hitting them, and it also has a nice loud air horn for added effect.

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I have to ask, is it a legal requirement for bikes to stop at lights, or is it just something that is expected like people crossing when the green man is on?

 

TBH I don't wait at red lights in my car if nothing is coming. What's the point? Bit of an old link but still relevant http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7998182.stm I don't like waiting at lights so it its clear on a visible road off I go. Been doing it for 20 years and have not had any bother yet although I am sure Alistair Stewart would slur out some abuse at me if I had ever got onto Police Camera Action.

 

True I would not want everyone doing it as you get some right fucking goons out there but I trust my own judgement and have never had any bother. If I do get caught, sod it fine, I have broken the law of the land I live. Will build a bridge and get over it but may as well chance my arm.

 

Will be properly fucked now though if SOD is reading this so will probably get 6 points for doing it next time I do.

 

Back to the subject of horses, there is a sign on the a27 that says 'no racing by horse drawn carriages'. I used to think this was for not racing past horse drawn carriages on their way to Goodwood, but as it turns out the A27 was popular with the Gypsy community for racing and a byelaw was passed to ban it.

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AFAIK going through a red light on a bike is the same as going through one in a car- 3 points and £60 fine!

 

I thought a red light was 6 points? Anyhow, how can they put points on a licence when you don't need one to ride a bike? I may ask my mate this as he is a legal eagle as I know he loves it when people ask him EVERY question they can think of about law when he only specialises in fraud.

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