I’ve noticed recently that the “I slow down for horses” people are possibly the worst offenders for pulling out infront of vehicles, then drive well under the limit. They just seem incapable of waiting until the traffic has passed then they can have the road to themselves. Thinking about it, nobody would see their self righteous sticker in the windowif they didn’t pull out.
ND888 BIGJ:
There was a case a couple of years ago in Dunkeld just of the A9 a stagecoach bus passed a horse and rider to fast and to close. The horse threw the rider and she was very badly injured. To cut a long story short the driver got sacked and stagecoach got sued for a 7 figure sum. As far as i am aware the driver was hauled in front of the TC to explain his actions i think his PCV was revoked.Personally speaking when i come across a horse and rider when driving the coach the least i do is slow to down to walking pace and turn off the air-con unit which is at the rear N/S of the vehicle the noise from the aircon is deafening when its running at full tilt.
You have a link or evidence to back this up ?
Had a bit of human buckaroo the other day. Out in the van, down the lanes, couple of horses coming t’other way, so I slowed right to walking pace as I always do.
2nd horse was getting a bit twitchy so I stopped. It settled and they started to walk by, then the fridge kicked in, the first horse went right up on its back legs and the second went similar. Killed the engine straight away and both riders did a great job to stay on and keep the horses under control.
Apologies all round and everyone was fine but it scared me half to death, so god knows how the riders felt - probably had to change their trousers when they got home I’d imagine.
Talking of horses, this always makes me laugh when I go down the A27.
I always try to imagine the shenanigans that went on for them to erect such a sign in the first place.
Terry T:
Talking of horses, this always makes me laugh when I go down the A27.I always try to imagine the shenanigans that went on for them to erect such a sign in the first place.
And people think lorries ‘elephant’ racing is bad!
Terry T:
Talking of horses, this always makes me laugh when I go down the A27.I always try to imagine the shenanigans that went on for them to erect such a sign in the first place.
Dunno why they bother either. It’s not as if the people it’s aimed at can read or write anyway.
Sidevalve:
Terry T:
Talking of horses, this always makes me laugh when I go down the A27.I always try to imagine the shenanigans that went on for them to erect such a sign in the first place.
Dunno why they bother either. It’s not as if the people it’s aimed at can read or write anyway.
Yeah we have a horse and cart contingency by me. Or Oss n cart as they say in Tipton. The only reading they ever do is their bail notices 
i saw a horse carrying a mature woman one day and i slowed to a virtual stop but still got some comment from her,i replied i feel sorry for the horse having to carry her weight,i kid you not her backside was literally hanging over the sides of the saddle,horrible sight
F-reds:
I’ll always stop and switch off if it’s safe to do so.Having said that I can’t understand the attraction of riding your horse on a road instead of on the bridal path on the other side of the hedge, as often happens at our local equine centres road…
Is that the one that leads to the alter?
Altar. 
the maoster:
Altar.
You just altered his alter
Narrow lanes, stop, turn engine off & be careful when you apply the handbrake as the noise may startle a nervous horse which may result in damage to your pride & joy. Often better to hold it on the footbrake.
Wider roads, the above may apply to a particularly nervous horse, otherwise slow steadily to a sensible speed, but not too slow, lock an auto into manual & no exhaust brake, no sudden unexpected loud noises. Horses are also sometimes upset by headlights and tyre noise in wet weather.
Always watch the rider for clues, some horses are not bothered by anything, pay attention to the rider’s body language and general demeanour.
My nephew is a professional carriage driver, trust me that much, much more skill, knowledge, training & practice is required than driving the horseless carriages, even if the legal requirements are a lot less complicated.
I cannot believe some of the attitudes to the horsey set on here, they’re not all Pippa’s & Penelope’s filling in the day before hubby comes home.
Being ignorant of the behaviour & temperament of horses is one thing, but to actually think you have more ‘right’ to be on a highway than ANY other form of legitimate road user is something totally different.
GTF off my road, GTF off my planet & stop stealing decent peoples oxygen.
My nephew earns good money driving Brides to the church & the recently deceased to the graveyard. It’s a small business but still creates 4 much needed rural jobs.
Should this be banned so some R. Soles can merrily navigate our tight & twisty country lanes without hindrance or concern for other road users?
Because of very nature of the job, carriage teams have to do a lot of roadwork & it can be a very long training regime before a new horse can be totally trusted. My nephew & his grooms risk their lives daily so’s YOUR bride can arrive in style or YOUR granma gets a memorable send off.
Forgive me I’m forgetting myself, your stupid, you earn SFA 'cos your bone idle malcontents who opted for a driving career instead of something that needs a brain.
I was heading up the M3 between Lightwater and the M25 the other evening. On the common land were some fitys on their fillies, one of them looked over and gave the give me the horn signal 
I nearly did but decided it probs not a good idea.
Even in the car I knock it into neutral and let the car coast past them quietly, stop if needed. Never felt the need to turn an engine off but nothing I drive has ever been massivly loud.
It’s not on that the op wasn’t thanked for stopping by the rider, unfortunately there are always some who will let the side down for everyone else.
I’ve got horses and I’m not stuck up posh snobby or go hunting. The majority of horse riders only go on the roads as a means to get to somewhere off road. Off road riding is few and far between as we obviously cannot just go riding in any old farmers field as we would get in serious trouble for damaging crops and trespassing and most off road tracks are classed as foot paths which again we would get into trouble for riding on them.
Horses are born nervous of lorries and traffic so it is up to the owners to train each and every horse to be brave and keep walking forwards when 30+ ton of truck is heading towards it. One of the first steps in training is usually riding an inexperienced horse along side an experienced horse who will act as a shield and also give confidence to the young horse. Another use of riding in pairs is also if there is an inexperienced or young rider.
Once the horse is happy going out with another horse in traffic the rider will then start taking it out by itself, this is where things can go wrong. Especially if the horse takes fright at something yet the driver just pushes on regardless, in these instances it can be very hard to let go of the reins either to ask the vehicle to stop or slow down or to say thank you so if in doubt stop as there is really nothing more frightening than the prospect of ending up under the wheels of a truck. I would always try to nod and smile if I feel letting go of the reins is too risky.
If a horse does have a wobbler with traffic all the driver may think is 'bloody dangerous shouldn’t be on the road ’ when in reality the rider will be faced with having to retrain the horse alongside a buddy until it is ready to go it alone again.
I hope this doesn’t sound patronising but maybe highlights why we do what we do. Unfortunately there will always be good or bad out there whether that be the rider ignoring curteous drivers while chatting on the phone or a lorry driver responsible for many tons of truck who think their delivery is more important than someone’s life.
SteveR:
Narrow lanes, stop, turn engine off & be careful when you apply the handbrake as the noise may startle a nervous horse which may result in damage to your pride & joy. Often better to hold it on the footbrake.
Wider roads, the above may apply to a particularly nervous horse, otherwise slow steadily to a sensible speed, but not too slow, lock an auto into manual & no exhaust brake, no sudden unexpected loud noises. Horses are also sometimes upset by headlights and tyre noise in wet weather.
Always watch the rider for clues, some horses are not bothered by anything, pay attention to the rider’s body language and general demeanour.
Couldn’t have put it better myself. Excellent advice follow this and all your encounters with horses will pass without incident
JJ192:
ND888 BIGJ:
There was a case a couple of years ago in Dunkeld just of the A9 a stagecoach bus passed a horse and rider to fast and to close. The horse threw the rider and she was very badly injured. To cut a long story short the driver got sacked and stagecoach got sued for a 7 figure sum. As far as i am aware the driver was hauled in front of the TC to explain his actions i think his PCV was revoked.Personally speaking when i come across a horse and rider when driving the coach the least i do is slow to down to walking pace and turn off the air-con unit which is at the rear N/S of the vehicle the noise from the aircon is deafening when its running at full tilt.
You have a link or evidence to back this up ?
Sorry dunno how to post links but will google later just off to me kip after a long nightshift buddy
I distinctly remember the story on the news in the papers ect
Left hand down!:
bonnie lass:
Left hand down!:
The only place horses should be is in fields or on race tracks. If getting them to either involves traversing a road then they should be forced to go in a horse box or other suitable vehicle.Why?
Because they are pointless and a menace to society.
I ride a motorcycle for no purpose other than pleasure (well, occasionally for commuting), others drive cars on a Sunday for nothing but pleasure, my missus takes her horse for a ride for pleasure, each to their own I say.
As for the ‘right’ to use a road, it is correct that Pedestrians, Cyclists and Horses have the RIGHT to use the roads, all motorised vehicles have a LICENCED PRIVILEGE to use it.
I use all forms of transport - well, I very very very rarely get on the horse tbh - and use the road with equal respect for all other road users, but there are impatient self important ■■■■■■■■■ in all walks of life, from cycling, walking, horse riding to hgv driving.
Some of the comments on here are downright shameful. I would hope that a TC would have a read and then invite some of these knuckle dragging idiots for a drink of tea and a chat - no ■■■■■■■ biscuits for your kind 
Chas:
Forgive me I’m forgetting myself, your stupid, you earn SFA 'cos your bone idle malcontents who opted for a driving career instead of something that needs a brain.
We may not need a brain to do our jobs, but some of us do know the difference between “your” (possessive pronoun) and “you’re” (short for “you are”). 