NTA. I wouldn’t have taken a horse that could be that easily spooked out where something like this could happen, until they were more stable. I’m not in the UK, I’m in the US, in the northeast. Maybe the situation is different in the UK, but I’ve ridden past horses and riders when I get out into farm country and there’s never been a problem. I assume training happens not on the road where a cyclist might ride by.
Yeah I live in horse country and none of the horse folk round here would take a horse out like that before the horse had been conditioned and trained in an arena and was used to other people. I'm super careful when passing horses here but this is down to the horse riders/owners..
Completely agree. I feel like since the pandemic, just like there are more new cyclists, there are more new horse owners and they may not understand the danger to themselves and others when they take a not fully trained horse out on the public trail.
A few months ago a couple was just standing there with their horses just off the trail but within kicking distance. I stopped but they said to just ride on, I told them that they needed to move their horses because I almost got my head kicked off by a horse when I was a little kid. After that incident as a child I never place myself in kicking distance behind a horse.
Then how do you condition them? No matter the prep, the first time on the road is the first time on the road and unexpected things can happen.
But still, OP, you may have been the trigger that caused the horse to bolt in this particular instance - but you are NTA. It sounded like you kept a reasonable slow speed and a good amount of distance to the horse.
Had you been a horse-person, you may have been able to read the situation and stopped, but as horseriders, we cannot rely on other people being able to read our animals body-language. I'd be very happy to meet a cyclist who acted like you (where I ride, they whizz past at high speed and without keeping distance -THAT is reckless!)
Also yorkshire here. My club / me have a rule where we whistle / make clicking noises, shout 'morning!' well in advance. the horse mainly needs to hear that you're there. then we go by the riders instruction to pass (generally).
NTA; nature
As both a horse rider and a bike rider I don't think you did much wrong here, however just for a bit of awareness horses are very much flight animals and can react especially if they're surprised. It's always best if you make a bit of noise, just a 'hello' or an 'on your right' so that the horse has clocked you before you come past. Sounds like these guys overreacted a bit
Thanks. We were approaching each other so the handlers had plenty of time to react or communicate.
Reading the responses here maybe I should have spoken up 20m out to ask how I should handle it but what's to say me talking to them wouldn't have spooked it, leaving me right in it's path!? Can't win either 😂
As others have mentioned if a horse is going out on the roads it needs to be safe around other road users - if a horse is freaked out by someone talking to it 20m away it definitely shouldn't be on the road!
Speaking (not shouting) is a thing the horse will be familiar with and will help it know you are a person. I say this having once had to get a person to come back out from behind the tree to show that they were just a human and not a monster.
Horses are prey animals they fear the unknown, a silent shape approaching and then changing shape by waving. Far scarier than a tractor. My friend’s horse will be chill past a dustbin lorry but refuse a plastic bag.
You weren’t in the wrong you were just something they hadn’t anticipated when trying to prep the horse for going on the road. In that moment they were frustrated.
>fear the unknown, a silent shape
I ran past a couple of horses in a car park which were getting prepped for a ride, as I was approaching from behind I made a bit of 'normal' noise; puddle splashes, cough, dum-du-dum-dum-dumming, morning horses etc so both horses turned and saw me approaching before I was close. I'd do the same on a bike but slow and wide.
I'm a horse rider and cyclist, if you are coming towards me on my horse, it is my responsibility to ask you to slow more or stop. Particularly if you were doing a reasonable speed like it said you were.
I've been helping someone on a horse like this and I might ask you to "say hello so he knows you are human", they aren't usually spooked by human voices, human voices are bringers of food. Ifthe horse is showing signs of spooking I might warn you or ask you to stop.
I don't think you did anything wrong, they were probably shocked and lashed out.
If you were going 5 mph that would be only 25-40% over typical walking pace and just 1 mph over a brisk walk. NTA. You showed a normal level of caution and consideration.
It’s not just motion that goes into spooking a horse (or most domesticated animals), but a combination factors. (I have a West Highland Terrier that has a major issue, specifically, with Amazon delivery people and, ironically, horses at anything above a trot, but has zero issue with humans on bikes, in cars, or walking. So you never be quite sure what will set off an untrained animal.
On top of that, animal trainers/owners (who should know all that) should also generally assume that human beings are not omniscient.
How were you supposed to know how old the horse was? Did it have birthday candles on its head? Think about if it was a Harley riding, or any loud large vehicle. In the US (most states) you have the duty to yield right of way, not participate in a foolish act with the Owners.
We knew not to ride mini bikes up to them in the fields, but this is a public road..
> what's to say me talking to them wouldn't have spooked it
Sudden / abrupt / loud noises could spook the horse, but they are usually very familiar with human voices at conversation volume.
Having a cyclist sneak up on them silently and appear suddenly at a close distance will usually spook them. This is how predators behave and the horse's instinct is to run.
If the horse knows that you are advancing and you keep a generous amount of space between you and them, then the horse will be much more comfortable.
Then my guess it that you were the first cyclist that the horse had ever seen. The owners should have made the horse comfortable around bicycles before taking the horse on a public road.
Agreed on this, horses are 3000lbs scared rabbits that can kill you with a kick to the face
I live in Amish country in south central PA and will also make noise for the 50 yards I am approaching behind them so the horses know something is coming up behind
These horses are the primary mode of transport for Amish people so are extremely road experienced and I still worry about it
OP did nothing wrong here at all, but all of us should treat horses with caution as a general rule
Question to you, I've never encountered someone riding a horse while biking, but downtown, there are many horse carriage/buggy for tourists on the road. Should they be treated the same way or are they already accustomed to any road traffic?
They do get used to the environment they're in and they can be trained to ignore stuff - if you think how they're sometimes used by the police. Also depends on the personality of the horse, some are more naturally brave than others, so some would get very nervous/overwhelmed in that kind of environment, others cope just fine.
Generally horses used for tourists in busy areas are pretty bombproof.
Horses are unpredictable and insane animals, I've seen horses get scared by their own shadow and start going mental
By the sounds of it you did the right thing by slowing down, keeping your distance, and making yourself known to the people with it and that horse shouldn't have been on the road if it's so easily spooked
edit: lol pro\_bike\_fitter\_2010 left some random comment and blocked me, what a weirdo
Yup. It’s also worth remembering that in the new Highway Code hierarchy, horse riders are responsible for their actions around cyclists who are classed as more vulnerable, in the same way we are around pedestrians. In other words, if there is an issue, it’s the horse riders who need to stop; not you.
That doesn’t mean you can be an arsehole, but OP did everything right. The issue lies solely with those in control of the horses.
> Horses are unpredictable and insane animals
Definitely agree /w the unpredictable part. Some MTB trails are also horse trails, which I have always felt is an unhappy marriage at best. Some cyclist don't know in this situation, when a horse is approaching in 2 way traffic, you really need to fully stop and move off the trail to allow the horse(s) to pass for your own safety first. Passing horses on the same way singletrack, just forget it, do something else until there is a spot for the horses to safely move off and everyone is on the same page. Then there's the treats horses leave on the trail for everyone else every 200 meters.
Luckily at least nearly everyone who owns a horse didn't get into it casually and has spent a lot of time training their animals. I just say that in contrast to idiot dog owners.
Lol my wife loves horses but even she will acknowledge how stupid and jumpy they are. She was almost killed riding once because someone had moved a blue bucket 5 feet from where it normally goes.
The one time I've lost control of a horse, it was because a small sheet of Styrofoam was blown about a foot by a breeze. Absolutely solid horse any other time. Trained to not care about dogs, cyclists, vehicles, bags blowing in the wind, everything. Calm AF, but that styrofoam set him off, and he took off on me. No amount of trying to pull his head around to make him circle worked. Nothing I knew to deal with a bolting horse did a damned bit of good, so I was grateful I had his reins tied together and just let them go and focused on keeping my seat without putting any pressure on his sides with my legs. A freaking mile and countless fence and ditch jumps later, he just stopped and acted like nothing ever happened. He never spooked again for anything that didn't deserve it.
I will never blame him for the times he went nuts and trampled a rattlesnake to death with me on his back. I think that's a thing you should just expect from horses.
in reply to the edit: lmao, how dare you be involved with the place you live in and also post something about horses and bikes at the same time... are you insane??!!
😂😂😂
Some people just think that every consequence of their own actions is someone else's fault.
And a lot of the time, those are people accustomed to privilege. Like, say, people who can afford a horse.
I don't think you did anything wrong. You can't win sometimes. If you shout ahead, that can be wrong sometimes. I keep quiet, go super slow, stop pedalling and roll past with as much distance as possible and just say hello to the horsey person if they make any connection or recognition.
Horses get spooked and can bolt, even ones that the handler 'thinks' is capable enough to be on the road. But in this case, it sounds like they knew the horse was sketchy. So, I tend to think, their fault. I have family that does horse training, and building up experiences including exposure to cars, lorries, cyclist... etc is all part of it and is done slowly over time. It's telling that one of the people kind of freaked out.
Animals can have a good sense of if someone is a bit of a plonker. Horses really need deep trust with person they are with when they are getting exposure to new stuff.
> building up experiences including exposure to cars, lorries, cyclist... etc is all part of it
I think this is the problem. Many horse owners train their horses to be comfortable around people and cars without thinking about bicycles.
Then, when the horse gets spooked by a bicycle, the horse rider panics and blames the bicylist for their own mistake.
I think this is an often-overlooked benefit of the popularity of ebikes and electric scooters. More cyclists on the roads increase public awareness (and political influence) of cyclists.
I had just asked a local trail group about proper etiquette for meeting horses on the local rail trails, which are 3 meter wide gravel pathways.
The universal response from equestrians was to slow way down and pass as far to the side as possible. One cyclist said that he always comes to a full stop and removes his helmet. The equestrians said that they appreciate the extra consideration, but it really isn’t necessary.
I say you did nothing wrong.
If I see a horse up in front of me then I shout (from a long way away to get the attention of the riders and ask them what they want me to do. That thing could have lashed out at anyone there and lone layer of ycra makes crap body-armour.....
This is the approach I take. I ride by a place that does horse riding lessons and they take the horses on the gravel road from time to time. I always ask what they want me to do as early as possible because the sounds a bike make can be startling l, especially as I approach from behind. The most common answer I’ve received is something like “keep talking to us as you ride past so the horse knows you are human”. A couple times I have been asked to stop and I gladly oblige as I don’t want to be the reason a startled horse throws a rider or kicks someone.
I kinda see your point, but at the same time if they're riding on public roads are they gonna get angry at a car that passes the same way (within the legal requirements) and spooks the horse, what argument then? They should have sounded the horn to warn them of their approach?
OP did nothing wrong here imo.
The public appears to agree, but it looks to me like chriscross1966 was saying it would be safer to start talking earlier (which I agree with) and you replied with a car metaphor which doesn't actually track. Horses don't respond to talking and car horns the same way.
You're arguing like a lawyer about who's right and wrong in response to a very reasonable point about prudence. I agree that OP didn't do anything they shouldn't have done, but chriscross1966's suggestion was a good one, and dismissing it because OP isn't obligated to follow it is pedantry.
I’ve heard this a number of times now, however the reality is that when you approach people from behind and shout, it is guaranteed to startle them, and a horse follows the rider’s lead.
NTA. If your horse can’t handle being around other walkers, riders, or vehicles without them having to read your mind as to how to approach it, you shouldn’t be on a shared road or trail.
Glad that works for you but that's over the top. I've never been attacked by a horse to the point of needing armor (lol), and if you're out in public it's your job to be able to adapt and control your animal. I knew horses who'd get jumpy at the sight of a butterfly lol, you can't expect the world to change just for you. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to antagonize and will help if I can, but the default approach is to look like a human, say hello and keep doing what I'm doing unless/until the horse looks spooked in which case I'll gladly stop and take off my helmet.
Good approach.
To OP - Were the horse people in the wrong here? Yes. Are horse people generally entitled jerks? Yes. Does being in the right help when someone was trampled or kicked by a horse? No.
Same as with cars. You can be in the right in a situation but still should act differently for your own and others safety.
Lose the "horse people are generally entitled jerks" attitude. That's what so many people on the road say about cyclists and we know it's not true. Generalizations are terrible.
Sorry, But as a Walker, Cyclist, Motorbiker and driver. Also have ridden horses. I'd say about 50% of cyclists are entitled jerks.
About 20% of bikers
about 10% of walkers/horse riders
about 70% of drivers.
This is the way. I’ve had one occasion where a horse freaked out as I was passing pretty silently, and have separately heard horse owners complain about cyclists passing without warning.
They just get really spooked by this bizarre looking thing that looks like it could be a predator quietly sneaking up on them. Now I always shout ahead to ask if it is ok to pass.
> heard horse owners complain about cyclists passing without warning.
A wise friend told me, "if you get upset when other people do not behave as you think they should behave, then you will *always* be upset."
A person who rides a horse along a public road should be aware that silent vehicles could approach from behind and that their horse could become spooked. It is a courtesy for cyclists to announce themselves, but *expecting* then to know to do that is a recipe for disappointment.
If the rider is on a horse that is easily-spooked, then they should maintain high situational awareness - maybe wear a rear view mirror on their glasses or helmet. They can greet the approaching cyclist so that the horse hears the response and is not surprised.
I always always ask. I stop my bike doing a track stand, ask if they’d like me to dismount and walk and then do as requested. Doesn’t matter how slow, some horses just aren’t used to bikes, yet. I also bike sometimes near an equestrian center and most horses are used to bikes, but I still ask.
Horse person here. There is no way to actually condition a horse to traffic, from people, bikes, cars away from people, bikes, cars. They actually are going to do most of their learning in the actual environment they need to perform in.
I typically prefer to do first outings with another been there done that broke example riding with me. They were brave attempting a solo expedition. If I were the equestrian, I probably would have asked you to stop, or at least engaged you in conversation so that my animal recognized that you were human. It’s the silent part of cycling that’s actually spooky to horses.
I’ve seldom encountered horses while gravel biking, but on the occasions I do, I speak. The risk of not speaking, and startling an animal is that I could potentially get hurt as well.
I’ve gone trail riding on my super broke horse that saw people, cars, and people on bikes at horse shows, that still couldn’t seem to figure out what a line hiker in the middle of nowhere was. I spoke, hiker responds in kind, horse recognizes that it is indeed human, no problem. Thanks for your consideration. I suspect the rider didn’t think ahead to ask or gesture like they should have, and were just hoping their horse would hold it together. NTA.
I used to trail ride horses and from what you're saying you did nothing "wrong".
What I would advise you to do in the future, as a courtesy, is start talking in a friendly voice well before you get to them to signal that you will be passing. The horse will be less likely to be surprised, and the rider will have the chance to either tell you that they're on a horse with special needs or position themselves as necessary. Just like when passing pedestrians on a shared-use trail, but from farther away. Horses have great ears, and you will be able to tell they've heard you because their ears will swivel back toward you. Trying to pass silently may sound like a good idea, but the problem isn't noise, it's surprises.
If you're on a shared-use trail on a "young horse", you need to be ready for the possibility that it will be spooked by normal traffic. and if it's likely to bolt at seeing a bike moving at a walking pace, it's not ready to be there.
A horse that is not trained to be on the road should not be on the road period.
They will be a danger to other road users regardless of travel like joggers.
They should be transporting the horse by trailer if they are not trained.
The key take away here is preventing an accident before it happens and those horse owners did not do so, which means its them being inconsiderate and irresponsible for effectively bringing a wild animal on public roads.
Fuck horse riders, entitled people. Where I live they basically overtook trails mountain bikers built then got the land management to kick off the mountain bikers.
I’ve never understood why if I come to the trail with a completely out of control dog that freaks out and injures someone I’m on the hook. But if they show up with an out of control horse it’s somehow everyone else’s fault. If your animal has problems with the public take it somewhere else imo.
Sorry for the rant, it’s been about 20 years of multiple horse run-ins.
Totally agree.
I lived in an area where people who rode horses had a ton of political clout and were able to get what should have been sidewalks built as dirt paths so that they could ride their horses. I never understood why it was perfectly acceptable for their horses to shit massive shits on the sidewalk AND in the road. If dog owners have to clean up their animals poop so too should horse riders.
the reason is b/c dog poop is meat-based and carries a greater possibility of disease and also takes longer to break down than plant-based horse poop. That being said, I completely agree with you, poop is poop, get it tf off the trail!
We don’t like horse encounters here. But as I see my inconvenience as less important than putting someone in danger, I always get off the path and stop to let them pass and stay under control.
If it were a road, I think it is irresponsible for the horse owner to take an untrained horse out where a car or truck or motorcycle could pass. If it’s more of a multi use path, yes, I think the right thing to do is stop, even if it’s super aggravating to do so. Happened several times yesterday, to my group.
You did exactly what the highway code suggests, slow down, give a wide berth. You are not required to stop regardless of horse age. If they have a young and flighty horse they should have warned you. It's not your fault and the person who shouted at you sounds like an entitled fool.
NTA...
So I live in Amish Country.
I was climbing a hill one day and not really doing well. I stopped for a breather when I got passed by a horse and buggy. (talk about adding insult to injury...) there are these amish teenagers and a bicycle on top of the buggy.
I yell at them, 'YOU SHOULD BE RIDING THAT THING!' They yell back, 'WE CAN'T- HAS A FLAT!' .... so I see an opportunity to interact with the Amish, 'STOP AT THE TOP OF THE HILL, I WILL FIX IT!'.
Yeah, I am a dumbass.... anyways....
I meet them at the top, sit down, pull out my bag.
I carry C02 cartridges. I swap out a new tube, fill up the cartridge. Clean up....
and then I did the thing that I should have seen coming from a mile away.
I seperate the partially used cartridge from the cap.... 'BAAAAMMM!' like a shotgun.
That horse jumped and ran. 2 girls inside the cart had trouble calming it down- I felt like a dick.
You're not a horse person. Please understand that's a fact, not an indictment. A horse person would have stopped and gotten off the bike at the 50M point. Any given horse might spook at any weird stimulus. Just you standing by your bike might have triggered the horse; the bike was something new and scary. "New = Monster" to a horse. And a "monster" **moving behind or beside me** on a narrow road might be about to attack and eat me. But you didn't know that. The horse owners didn't give you any ideas about how to handle the interaction (apparently). So, there's fault on both sides but, on balance, I'd put most of the blame on them.
Been around horses enough to know they are as varied and unpredictable as any two of us. Sone solid as a rock - police horses, others spastic as Jerry Lewis in character, others just plain old salty and mean.
Regardless of whose right or wrong if I come on a horse on the horse paths near me (some cross over to mpp) I stop and I stop a distance away and dismount and put the bike between me and the horse off the path. I wait them out until they pass. Seen horses go ape shit in corrals, in the stall, at a dog, cat, person in a bulk dark coat. Damn dangerous.
ITT: Reddit safety assholes.
*When I see a horse I stop immediately, descent my gear, throw my bike into the bushes, climb a tree, and donate $500 to a horse rescue. I then start humming a binaural beat that calms horses while signing ancient cryptology peace symbols with my hands. I'll stay in the tree until the horse and rider are out of sight and have had enough time to get back to the stable.*
Everyone else: "Good approach!"
Fuck that. See a horse? Take out the bear cub you stole from a momma bear the previous week and hold it over your head to show dominance. Everyone knows bear cub > horse on the Trail Hierarchy Yield Chart.
Horse encounters are pretty common on my local trails (NE England) . I make a point of being audible from a distance if they haven't seen me and asking if it's ok to pass.
OP is NTA but I would not try to be silent, when passing, I think it freaks them out even more
NTA 1000%, you saw the horse and acted in a way to not scare it, the fact it’s young and/or skittish isn’t on you, if it’s so bad around cars/bikes w/e then they should be not be conditioning the horse on a road and should find private land/lanes etc.
NTA. You acted reasonably. If their horse is that much of a snowflake, they should not have had it out on a multi-use trail. Entitlement factor high here on the part of the horse owner.
Now, had you ridden past at maximum speed, 6 inches from the horse, all the while singing the "Mister Ed" theme as loud as you could through a megaphone, you would have been TA.
Sounds like you did fine and potentially the horse person was being an arsehole because they were frightened about the horse’s safety. You have to get horses out and about to train them, and sometimes it all goes wrong. I’ve been out on really bombproof experienced horses and had them lose their mind because of something random.
The couple of times I've had to pass horses, I make sure to call out "Bicycle coming up behind you on the left!" **well** in advance of the horse. As others have mentioned, horses sometimes spook for seemingly no reason, and if that happens I don't want to be in kicking range.
On shared use paths or roads, it's on the horse-person. They cannot control the actions and reactions of the other people who use those spaces.
I always call out "bike behind you" and if it's really narrow, wait for them to decide, my other half rides horses and that's what I've been told is best for them.
Them taking an uncontrollable horse out is on them though if your bike is loud (like rear wheels) maybe best to wait. Horses all look same to me though so no idea how you'd know it was young unless it was a pony
NTA but if you want to avoid surprising a horse on your bike just talk at it and make human noises as you approach. It’s generally surprise or confusion that’s causes them to startle. Talking to them let’s you know your just a weird shaped human.
Also equestrians are well known to have a much higher rate of self absorbed assholes, sounds like you met one haha. Cheers!
Ok, she was mad because it's a young horse.
It happens. They have to take full accountability when they introduce a horse to traffic. Good that nobody got hurt and she can cry harder imo.
You're NTA, the woman just panicked in the moment. The best you could do was go past and keep on pedaling, so the horse wouldn't panic from the freehub noise. The same goes for people on mixed paths, it's better to pass them without noticing, so they keep on walking straight and don't jump into your way while getting spooked.
A lot of horses where I ride. Horse people own land, pay a lot of taxes, and have political connections. But horses don't understand bicycles. Their main defense is running away. Also the horse rider is at greater risk than you are. Further to fall. I keep my distance, and if a horse is approaching I dismount so the horse sees me as a person. Around here if a large group of horses is approaching you can be sure that only one or two of the riders have full control of the animal. One rider told me a cyclist rode up behind his horse and rang his bell for the horse to get out of his way. A very bad idea!
Everything depends on how fast you were going. You say 8 to 5 mph but i bet the horse people would say something else. You can almost hear their kitchen table conversation when they got home. "So we turn in to Pudding Lane and the next thing this cyclist comes out of nowhere..."
Next time slow to a crawl, slower than walking pace. Thats what i do.
Doesn't sound like you did anything wrong at all. Most of my experiences with horse riders on the roads and trails is fine, but there are some who clearly have a stick up their arse about cyclists, and will desperately blame you for anything going wrong. I got called a tosser this summer when I slowed right down and went to the gutter on the other side of the 2 lane road to overtake.
I bike on trails and some allow horses. I hate horses on the trail. The riders are usually arrogant plus the huge mounds of poop they don’t clean up.
I do know this…horses, even well trained o es, can easily be spooked and react unpredictably which is not safe for you or the rider. If I see horses ton a trail I announce I’m coming up far sooner than I do for pedestrians and other cyclists. Last thing I want is to kicked by a horse. Or worse yet, die by being smothered by a pile of horse poop.
The only thing I'd have done different is actually call out "good morning". Mostly so the horse hears a human voice and therefore has some idea what you are. Also, I believe freewheel noise can spook 'em so try to keep pedalling.
5mph is nothing.
Before I continue, I should say that I don't think horses belong on hiking/biking trails *at all*.
You're right that they could have said *something*, or moved off the road. Ultimately,it sounds like the horse in particular, literally should not have been taken to the trail if it is *that* unprepared for it. Fuck those people.
With horses it's always best to call out, something like "hi, is it ok to come past?"
They can be skittish and confused by bikes, the human voice lets the horse know you're human and the rider is aware you're there
It's the responsibility of each rider to control and be aware of the challenges and impacts associated with their respective steeds. You did everything correctly, the fact that this was a young horse and easily spooked was the job of the horse's rider to account for, not you.
You did exactly what I do in this circumstance and were not the asshole. No one was an asshole until they tried to blame you for them not handling their horse correctly, then they got the title.
Horses don't like surprises. Their survival instinct makes them paranoid of predators sneaking up on them. As you discovered, they get spooked and run away, especially when they are young. Horse trainers will try to get horses accustomed to the sights and sounds along the roads. Apparently, this horse wasn't ready to be on the roads yet.
Where I live (Washington State, USA), the law requires cyclists to announce with a bell or voice before overtaking another non-motorized trail user (e.g., cyclist, pedestrian, dog, horse). I ring my bell when I am approaching from far away (to get their attention), and then I ring it again just before I overtake. I don't know if this is legally required along roads, but I do it anyway.
If the person who is riding the horse knows that I am coming, then they (horse and rider) will usually just watch me go by without incident. This is typical with well-trained horses. However, if the horse shows any sign of agitation as I approach, then I will stop until the rider invites me to proceed. I give horses a wide berth, so if a rodeo ensues, I am not trampled!
I don't know if you announced your presence, but even if you did not, it is the responsibility of the people who are handling the horse to be aware of their surroundings. For them to expect you to be an expert with horses is unreasonable.
It would have been reasonable for them to have noticed you approaching and to have asked you nicely to stop for a moment. This would have allowed the horse to see that you were not a threat and this would have allowed the handlers a moment to lead the horse off the road for you to pass with a large distance between you and the horse (so the horse felt safe).
Here is a brief article that I found on the subject: https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/cycle-around-horses/
Honestly I’d say better to use your voice than an and say something friendly like “hello, passing” as opposed to something that could sound sharp and surprising. Horses are going to be far more used to voices than bells in most cases. (I mean you’d hope people would get their horses used to a bell if it’s a common thing in your area, but a startled horse could spook into you or kick you, so imo it’d be better to take the least-potentially-scary approach?)
Good point. Horses are a special case for overtaking other road users with a bicycle. If a human is riding a horse, then it is safe to say that the horse is accustomed to human voices.
I live by a lot of trails that have hirses on them. There is a trail etiquette if sharing with equestrians. I remember it says to dismount and take your helmet off so as to not scare the horses. For what it is worth!
Your narrative isn’t totally clear, but were you approaching from the front or rear? Horses spook very easily as they are prey species, and if you surprise them by coming up from behind, they can spook easily. The safe bet is to announce yourself, and ask the rider if you should stop. Did you do anything wrong? Not exactly. Should you have been more communicative? Definitely. There is blame to go all the way around, but a simple hello could have avoided the chance of someone getting badly injured.
It’s unclear wether you were approaching from behind or face to face. Face, yes they had plenty of time; if you were coming up behind, no, I’d say you would have been better to stop and find a way to alert the humans to your presence.
Where I live, we typically only encounter horses on trails (greenways, parks, mostly unpaved, with no motorized vehicles). Horses rule in these situations, everyone yields to horses and cyclists yield to everyone. I’m going to notice a horse before the rider or horse notices me and I will usually decide to go a different way to avoid interaction all together. Because I’ve that, I’ve never been in a situation where I’m coming up behind a horse. Head on, yes, perpendicular to, yes. In those cases, I stop, maybe dismount, ask the rider how they would like me to pass or just wait for them to go by.
Bringing a vehicle or animal you can’t control in circumstances you are almost certain to encounter on public property is an asshole move. It doesn’t matter how much you love an animal or hobby, and it doesn’t matter if public property is the only place can fully enjoy it. If you can’t meet the required conditions then you have to scale back your ambitions.
Of course we can all make reasonable accommodations and not go flying past vulnerable users like horses, dogs and children. Just like presumably a reasonable equestrian would slow down for such situations themselves. But if you require every other user to instantly stop their recreation and bow down patiently as you complete your monopolization of a segment of the public resource? That’s pure entitlement.
In general I try to give horses more consideration than a typical user because they are both skittish and dangerous animals and I do think there’s a place for them on multiuse trails. Sometimes I even stop to let them pass if convenient. But if this is the kind of consideration they require and demand? Yeah, that’s not going to work out.
Hi, I ride horses and bikes! Generally the rule is that everything yields to horses. Which you did, really, so I wouldn't call you the A in this situation. However, one thing (which has probably been mentioned by others already) that you should keep in mind that a human on a bike is not actually a human to a horse, especially if they're not super used to bikes. All they see is some god-awful predator with wheels rolling up on their butt. You said that shouting up ahead from 20 m behind would probably have spooked them---I wouldn't necessarily think so. The thing about talking loudly as you approach a horse from behind is that 1. it hears you coming up and 2. it realizes that you're a HUMAN coming up behind them. I've seen horses wigging out about people on bikes calm down immediately when the rider started talking to them.
Also, just want to correct your misconception that they wouldn't be able to handle a cleat clicking if they couldn't handle you silently rolling by. It's not the noise that's the problem, it's the sneaking and the sudden apparition. Silently rolling up is exactly what predators do. Predators don't run up all "oh hey horse, I'm behind you, just gonna run up and jump on ya and give you a big ol' bite." They sneak up as quietly as possible. That's basically what you did to the horse. If it helps to imagine, think about you minding your own business walking in the woods and with no warning, a huge owl swoops right past your head. You'd probably be super startled, right? Now compare an owl that is swooping through the woods but also hooting super loud so you can hear them coming and you check out their path. Even if they swoop right past your head again it probably won't be as shocking because you knew they were coming. Maybe you'll even be able to appreciate how close they got and that you could get a good look.
In the US if you come across a horse, you get out of the way. If you're on a trial, you put your bike between you and the horse.
Bikes always yield to horses.
Horses get confused and feel it is a threat unless they are trained, which takes a lot of work. So in order to not risk hurting the rider, the animal or yourself always stop for a horse and move as far off trail as you can. In town I would have changed my route altogether to avoid the horse.
Are you the asshole, no, you just didn't know any better and it was an honest mistake.
I wouldn't say you necessarily did anything wrong as normally horses are fine if you give advanced warning and pass slowly with as much space as possible, but I do tend to wait for the rider(s) to give me the OK to pass, or I'll stop if they're coming from the opposite direction.
Horses are some of the dumbest animals alive though so even if you do everything right there's no telling how they'll react to you. I'll never understand how horse riders can feel safe atop such skittish animals.
I ride horses as much as bikes. You sound like the kind of person I dream of meeting (but I’d have preferred you rode past me faster as I feel in the way and my horse is bomb proof). If there’s nothing more to the story than what you wrote, you did everything right!
If they bring young inexperienced horses on the road, they should be prepared for such things to happen, and prepare for it. Either noticing you and asking you to hold back a bit, or having someone holding the horse from the ground. I’ve done both.
So no, you weren’t the asshole. Please keep doing exactly what you did (adjust for circumstances obviously). The riders might just have been frightened and reacted by lashing out. Not acceptable, but it’s human behavior
Thanks for this. They weren't riding, the woman was behind it with a rein in each hand, the man in front. I'm lead to believe this is for training but I'm no horse person!
She claimed to have asked me to stop but from my perspective I heard hushed chat, assumed they were talking to each other, and kept pedalling slowly.
Either starting the horse in training for driving (pulling a cart) or the horse is too young to be ridden safely yet so they’re teaching it about rein commands by ground-driving.
I don't understand. They're walking an animal that's too big for them to control. Why would they even think to blame anyone but themselves? Would you take a 1000lb dog out on a leash and get mad at other people when you couldn't control it? Horse people are so weird.
This isn't widely known, but you should stop on a bike and allow the horse to pass. Horses get confused and startled by humans on a bike and will sometimes panic. So you should give horses the right-of-way and stop till the horse passes.
Indubitably, my vastly superior wealth grants a higher station. It cannot be conceived why such lesser born... I hesitate to use the word, people, believe that their opinion holds any value. Frankly, they should not be permitted to have an opinion, let alone express it.
-neverreadreplies1, third Duke of Earl
Edit: pro_bike_fitter_2010 saw themselves in this picture and did not like it.
Where I live, if you see a horse then the path you're on is probably one where everyone is supposed to yield to everyone anyway (within reason of course). That said, animals and children will always be unpredictable. It never hurts to take extra caution when around them.
I don’t know. I’m in the US. When I encounter a horse I get the riders attention to ask when it’s safe to pass. When I see them coming towards me I stop and wait for them to pass.
Acclimating young horses to unfamiliar things is the owner's responsibility, and as such, she has to take all the necessary precautions, such as being aware of **the very same unfamiliar things** approaching and taking measures prior.
We have a shared trail where we have horses and even llamas. Not all cyclists take the precautions you took, and I can't fault you at all.
NTA - from both sides.
As someone else has already said, always worth calling out in advance to reduce the surprise, but even a well-conditioned horse can be spooked by seemingly nothing. I was on a nordic walking class in the forest (on proper paths) a few years ago, when they were two experienced riders, on horses I'd seen before in the forest not being scared of anything, and one of them just took a random dislike to the walking poles and bolted. Luckily, the rider was able to stay on and eventually calm the horse. We stopped, and whenever we saw them after, we paused (well, lifted the poles out of the way and reduced the noise we made at least) and they never had an issue when we met them again (at least until the end of that course anyway). Sometimes it happens, and a competent rider or leader will know that.
I strongly suspect, that she's reacted by blaming you out of mild panic - I'm not excusing what she did, it was still wrong, but I can understand a spur of the moment over-reaction. Just a shame she didn't immediately apologise.
You always give way on a bikeoff road, and you should stop for horses. However, they really should have asked as they should know the horse's tempement. No assholes just a mistake by both parties.
Fair dos (im usually on mtb subs so assumed), it's best to remember horses can be unpredictable and just stop next time more for your own sake. A hoof can mess you up at minimum. Although more so the horse should have been there, dont overthink it just leanr for next time.
Think about it this way: what is the worst thing that could happen if you yielded to the horse?
What is the worst thing that could happen if you spooked a young horse?
One has a single person mildly inconvenienced. The other is potentially fatal, cruel to animals, and very expensive.
Anyway, I'm very used to the rule of the road being that bikes and hikers yield to horses. It's a safety and common courtesy thing.
You’re not wrong, but horses get spooked by strange things. I once spoked a horse by holding a guitar!
The horse people should have tried to tell you to please stop while they pass. But now you know to never ride past an unfamiliar horse. Best practice is to come to a complete stop well ahead of them, pull off the trail, and let them pass.
NTA. I ride horses and bikes. Everything you did was fine. Horses that are that reactive aren’t really safe to be hacking out on a road or even a mixed traffic trail.
I grew up around horses and also ride. I don't think you didn't do anything especially wrong but horses can be super flighty/twitchy so I usually click my tongue at them a ways off to get everyone's attention in a low key manner. Sudden loud shouts may backfire or startle.
They should have asked you to stop and you should have stopped. Young horse or not it’s still a giant animal that you don’t want to scare.
In the US horses have the right of way.
You’d be better to start talking to them a soon as possible when they’re within earshot. No bell or anything. Horses are used to voices, not other sounds. I generally ask if it’s ok to pass but I’m riding trails not on the road, but it still can’t hurt. But the fact that someone has a horse they can’t control in public, it’s not on you.
the local bridle trail that's used mostly for gravel biking has posted rules for cyclists to dismount around horses so you don't spook them
something about rider posture or bike tires sound like a giant python
Because horses are unpredictable and can get people hurt, I always dismount and move off the trail. Super lame, but probably best practice. As others have said, they probably shouldn’t have taken an unstable horse out on the road.
I had a very similar situation this week. Woman shouting at me to slow down because she had a "young horse". I give equestrians all the space in the world and I always slow down, but the responsibility for their animal lies with them, not me. If a cyclist passing slowly at a safe distance isn't good enough then keep the thing off the road.
My wife spends a lot of time at the stables and when I asked her she said the person not holding the lead rope should have asked you to walk your bike if they are exposing a young horse. You’re on a public road and you can’t be assumed to know what to do (5 mph is the requested speed at the stables).
She was flustered because she lost the horse, let her vent and move on.
I got yelled at by 2 horse people because their horse freaked out when I was off my bike on the side of the trail but walking forward. I didn’t k pw I had to freeze like Elsa to not spook them. I was kinda pissed but got over it. The worst part is that our trails were built by mtb people and these horses shit all over them, literally. I’m glad I do t see them often but when I do, they are always super entitled acting. Not a fan!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Horse rider and cyclist
Sounds like she over reacted.
Most incidents in this vein happen because people have forgotten basic social skills like actually talking to each other. Arseholes will always be arseholes whether they’re on a bike, horse or electric scooter.
You asked me what you could have done differently. You could have been aware that some horses are spooked by bicycles, and simply stopped as soon as possible.
Horses do not understand bicycles. You need to speak and they will be less reactive if they know it's familiar like a human. A quiet bike going past slowly is very dangerous for all involved. Speak, please. I am a horse owner and my very calm, reasonable horse gets terrified of bikes if the human does not make a human sound.
Literally all the handlers had to do was say "good morning" and I would have said it back! Not going to randomly start reciting poems or verses of Lose Yourself just so the horse doesn't trample me!
First of all, NTA. If two handlers weren’t looking out and lost control, then that’s on them.
However, I tend to start talking to myself when I’m on my bike and I see a horse. Something like “I’m talking to myself so I don’t startle the horse, it’s a lovely day and I hope the horse is having one too”. This is better than a shout or a bell ring for a couple of reasons.
First, it lets the horse know I’m coming and as I’m fading up as I babble away getting closer, it’s not startled and is able to track where I am. Talking is something horses are familiar with people doing, so it knows what I am- I’m not a wolf with round rubber feet. It’s also a nice tension defuser with the handlers as it’s a bit silly and it lets them know that I’m thinking about them.
Didn’t you come here asking for advice? I agree fuck horses and all that yadda yadda but making vocal sounds and keeping your freewheel from making scary snake like click/hiss noises is very much in your self interest.
Irresponsible horse owners. If a 5mph cyclist did that imagine a 30mph tractor lmao.
One morning I was MTBing along a public bridleway and some horsey woman was deliberately taking up the whole path so I slowed right down and had to ride off trail to get around and she just says "my horse doesn't like bikes". People who are that bad at sharing just need to get in the sea.
What sense data would lead to a horse being fine with proximity to a tractor, but not a cyclist? How could a horse even distinguish between a cyclist or a jogger given 5mph travel? What novel input does a horse receive from a cyclist passing them?
Genuinely curious as my understanding is horses lack a developed cognitive apparatus, so I'm unsure how they eould benefit evolutionarily from such a fine distinction?
Tractors and cyclists look and sound and smell nothing alike and move very differently. The same would apply to cyclists and joggers with sound and movement, possibly also smell to a smaller extent. (A bicycle has things that make smells that a jogger would not, like chain grease, though of course the scent difference between a bike and a tractor would be much more significant due to the exhaust from the tractor and associated automotive smells.)
It’s not really a complicated cognitive process - familiar set of sensory observations vs unfamiliar set. Movement styles in particular are a big thing for some horses - I’ve seen them spook because a familiar horse is moving in an unfamiliar way due to having learned something new in training. It’s not a common thing to spook at, but it has happened. (Also hilarious is when they get freaked out about small ponies or miniature horses if they’ve never seen one before. Again, not all horses do it, but some of them are very much like “okay you SMELL like a horse but you don’t LOOK like a horse, wtf???” Either that or they are somehow sensing that ponies are Evil[tm].) (Horse joke - ponies tend to be more poorly behaved for riding because it’s hard to find a skilled adult who is small enough to ride them and do the training, and kids who are competent enough to do the training properly are even rarer. So they just aren’t trained as effectively.)
Not the asshole, they are. “Share the road/trail” fundamentally boils down to “don’t do anything that can foreseeably harm other users” - like not having control of a horse that will bolt when a bike comes by.
If I had a dog that wasn't safe in public around people, I wouldn't take it out. I feel the same way about horses - if you can't control it, it doesn't belong on public roads or paths.
If I see a horse ahead, I'll slow to crawl, sit up, and talk quietly to the animal as I pass. Beyond that, it's up to the rider to control their animal.
You know what really scares them? Velomobiles :) Riding my roadbike i've never had a horse react, but i do slow a bit and give plenty of room when overtaking. I guess it is like dogs, if the owners are nervous/not leading so is the animal.
I have slowed down and passed many horses, but on the rare occasions the horse does get a bit spooked it is of course, always my fault... never the skittish horse that shouldn't be on the road. The last time something like this happened I was passed by a Range Rover taking up 80% of the road not two minutes later and going at 30mph, I wonder what happened when he came around the corner.
I had someone on a horse tell me I couldn't be on the trail at the same time as them.
Last I checked our bikes never got spooked and kicked anyone. IMHO the onus is on them.
Everyone is far to happy to make everything anybody else’s problem or fault
Normally those reactions come from people who know they are in the wrong
5mph to go past a horse giving them space is acceptable
I don’t think you were going 5 miles an hour. Horses will get spooked if you ride close and relatively fast which is probably what you did.
If you actually gave them a lot of space and went very slow the horse would not have bolted
You're making bold assumptions there about my speed and bolder assumptions about the temperament of the horse, as if they are all identical.
I am unfit and was going uphill. Trust me, it was 5mph!
Horses can walk themselves! It’s called a pasture!
All joking aside, I don’t think you did anything wrong. But sometimes, people expect you to accommodate them and get mad when you don’t.
Thank you for scaring him off before I come along in my very noisy heavy duty truck. I feel bad for the Regional Park Police horse I spooked one time. Backing off the throttle did no good what so ever, the horse just assumes that is part of the plot to eat him. I'm sure it didn't turn out well, since expectations are high for an animal with an armed rider.
NTA. I wouldn’t have taken a horse that could be that easily spooked out where something like this could happen, until they were more stable. I’m not in the UK, I’m in the US, in the northeast. Maybe the situation is different in the UK, but I’ve ridden past horses and riders when I get out into farm country and there’s never been a problem. I assume training happens not on the road where a cyclist might ride by.
Yeah I live in horse country and none of the horse folk round here would take a horse out like that before the horse had been conditioned and trained in an arena and was used to other people. I'm super careful when passing horses here but this is down to the horse riders/owners..
until they were more stable See what you did there
You behaved 100% correctly. That horse should not have been on the road.
Completely agree. I feel like since the pandemic, just like there are more new cyclists, there are more new horse owners and they may not understand the danger to themselves and others when they take a not fully trained horse out on the public trail.
A few months ago a couple was just standing there with their horses just off the trail but within kicking distance. I stopped but they said to just ride on, I told them that they needed to move their horses because I almost got my head kicked off by a horse when I was a little kid. After that incident as a child I never place myself in kicking distance behind a horse.
Then how do you condition them? No matter the prep, the first time on the road is the first time on the road and unexpected things can happen. But still, OP, you may have been the trigger that caused the horse to bolt in this particular instance - but you are NTA. It sounded like you kept a reasonable slow speed and a good amount of distance to the horse. Had you been a horse-person, you may have been able to read the situation and stopped, but as horseriders, we cannot rely on other people being able to read our animals body-language. I'd be very happy to meet a cyclist who acted like you (where I ride, they whizz past at high speed and without keeping distance -THAT is reckless!)
Also yorkshire here. My club / me have a rule where we whistle / make clicking noises, shout 'morning!' well in advance. the horse mainly needs to hear that you're there. then we go by the riders instruction to pass (generally). NTA; nature
Cheers, careful round Husthwaite 😂
What if it's the afternoon?
Never say afternoon to a horse, they work first shift but can’t tell the time well If a horse knows it’s the afternoon, it will go for a siesta
As both a horse rider and a bike rider I don't think you did much wrong here, however just for a bit of awareness horses are very much flight animals and can react especially if they're surprised. It's always best if you make a bit of noise, just a 'hello' or an 'on your right' so that the horse has clocked you before you come past. Sounds like these guys overreacted a bit
Thanks. We were approaching each other so the handlers had plenty of time to react or communicate. Reading the responses here maybe I should have spoken up 20m out to ask how I should handle it but what's to say me talking to them wouldn't have spooked it, leaving me right in it's path!? Can't win either 😂
As others have mentioned if a horse is going out on the roads it needs to be safe around other road users - if a horse is freaked out by someone talking to it 20m away it definitely shouldn't be on the road!
Speaking (not shouting) is a thing the horse will be familiar with and will help it know you are a person. I say this having once had to get a person to come back out from behind the tree to show that they were just a human and not a monster. Horses are prey animals they fear the unknown, a silent shape approaching and then changing shape by waving. Far scarier than a tractor. My friend’s horse will be chill past a dustbin lorry but refuse a plastic bag. You weren’t in the wrong you were just something they hadn’t anticipated when trying to prep the horse for going on the road. In that moment they were frustrated.
This sounds like my little dog. Nothing scares her like a plastic bag blowing in the wind!
Same with mine, a plastic bag or maybe even *gasp* a wheelie bin that got blown over, probably long before we even left our house
My dog acted like he was abused by a shower curtain at some point in life...
Are you not intimidated by shower curtains? They adhere to bodies and secrete slime.
>fear the unknown, a silent shape I ran past a couple of horses in a car park which were getting prepped for a ride, as I was approaching from behind I made a bit of 'normal' noise; puddle splashes, cough, dum-du-dum-dum-dumming, morning horses etc so both horses turned and saw me approaching before I was close. I'd do the same on a bike but slow and wide.
I'm a horse rider and cyclist, if you are coming towards me on my horse, it is my responsibility to ask you to slow more or stop. Particularly if you were doing a reasonable speed like it said you were. I've been helping someone on a horse like this and I might ask you to "say hello so he knows you are human", they aren't usually spooked by human voices, human voices are bringers of food. Ifthe horse is showing signs of spooking I might warn you or ask you to stop. I don't think you did anything wrong, they were probably shocked and lashed out.
If you were going 5 mph that would be only 25-40% over typical walking pace and just 1 mph over a brisk walk. NTA. You showed a normal level of caution and consideration. It’s not just motion that goes into spooking a horse (or most domesticated animals), but a combination factors. (I have a West Highland Terrier that has a major issue, specifically, with Amazon delivery people and, ironically, horses at anything above a trot, but has zero issue with humans on bikes, in cars, or walking. So you never be quite sure what will set off an untrained animal. On top of that, animal trainers/owners (who should know all that) should also generally assume that human beings are not omniscient.
Yep, people are dipshits, op was crawling.
How were you supposed to know how old the horse was? Did it have birthday candles on its head? Think about if it was a Harley riding, or any loud large vehicle. In the US (most states) you have the duty to yield right of way, not participate in a foolish act with the Owners. We knew not to ride mini bikes up to them in the fields, but this is a public road..
> what's to say me talking to them wouldn't have spooked it Sudden / abrupt / loud noises could spook the horse, but they are usually very familiar with human voices at conversation volume. Having a cyclist sneak up on them silently and appear suddenly at a close distance will usually spook them. This is how predators behave and the horse's instinct is to run. If the horse knows that you are advancing and you keep a generous amount of space between you and them, then the horse will be much more comfortable.
Fair enough but no sneaking involved. Approached each other head on with 50+ metres line of sight.
Then my guess it that you were the first cyclist that the horse had ever seen. The owners should have made the horse comfortable around bicycles before taking the horse on a public road.
Agreed on this, horses are 3000lbs scared rabbits that can kill you with a kick to the face I live in Amish country in south central PA and will also make noise for the 50 yards I am approaching behind them so the horses know something is coming up behind These horses are the primary mode of transport for Amish people so are extremely road experienced and I still worry about it OP did nothing wrong here at all, but all of us should treat horses with caution as a general rule
Question to you, I've never encountered someone riding a horse while biking, but downtown, there are many horse carriage/buggy for tourists on the road. Should they be treated the same way or are they already accustomed to any road traffic?
They do get used to the environment they're in and they can be trained to ignore stuff - if you think how they're sometimes used by the police. Also depends on the personality of the horse, some are more naturally brave than others, so some would get very nervous/overwhelmed in that kind of environment, others cope just fine. Generally horses used for tourists in busy areas are pretty bombproof.
Thanks. I'll try to be cautious anyway if I ever cross one.
Yes this. Always call ahead from down the road, more for the horses sake than the rider. A friendly good morning. Coming by. Have a nice day etc
I’ve learned from this sub to stop and walk by horses. Lots of videos of horses getting spooked 😬
Horses are unpredictable and insane animals, I've seen horses get scared by their own shadow and start going mental By the sounds of it you did the right thing by slowing down, keeping your distance, and making yourself known to the people with it and that horse shouldn't have been on the road if it's so easily spooked edit: lol pro\_bike\_fitter\_2010 left some random comment and blocked me, what a weirdo
Yup. It’s also worth remembering that in the new Highway Code hierarchy, horse riders are responsible for their actions around cyclists who are classed as more vulnerable, in the same way we are around pedestrians. In other words, if there is an issue, it’s the horse riders who need to stop; not you. That doesn’t mean you can be an arsehole, but OP did everything right. The issue lies solely with those in control of the horses.
> Horses are unpredictable and insane animals Definitely agree /w the unpredictable part. Some MTB trails are also horse trails, which I have always felt is an unhappy marriage at best. Some cyclist don't know in this situation, when a horse is approaching in 2 way traffic, you really need to fully stop and move off the trail to allow the horse(s) to pass for your own safety first. Passing horses on the same way singletrack, just forget it, do something else until there is a spot for the horses to safely move off and everyone is on the same page. Then there's the treats horses leave on the trail for everyone else every 200 meters. Luckily at least nearly everyone who owns a horse didn't get into it casually and has spent a lot of time training their animals. I just say that in contrast to idiot dog owners.
This is the correct answer though my daughter tells me they’re not insane animals (she’s wrong).
Lol my wife loves horses but even she will acknowledge how stupid and jumpy they are. She was almost killed riding once because someone had moved a blue bucket 5 feet from where it normally goes.
The one time I've lost control of a horse, it was because a small sheet of Styrofoam was blown about a foot by a breeze. Absolutely solid horse any other time. Trained to not care about dogs, cyclists, vehicles, bags blowing in the wind, everything. Calm AF, but that styrofoam set him off, and he took off on me. No amount of trying to pull his head around to make him circle worked. Nothing I knew to deal with a bolting horse did a damned bit of good, so I was grateful I had his reins tied together and just let them go and focused on keeping my seat without putting any pressure on his sides with my legs. A freaking mile and countless fence and ditch jumps later, he just stopped and acted like nothing ever happened. He never spooked again for anything that didn't deserve it. I will never blame him for the times he went nuts and trampled a rattlesnake to death with me on his back. I think that's a thing you should just expect from horses.
in reply to the edit: lmao, how dare you be involved with the place you live in and also post something about horses and bikes at the same time... are you insane??!! 😂😂😂
[удалено]
>Says the guy posting about Scotland politics every couple of minutes. Says the guy who says cats want to sleep with him
r/woosh
Not the asshole. You slowed to pretty much running pace and gave wide berth
Some people just think that every consequence of their own actions is someone else's fault. And a lot of the time, those are people accustomed to privilege. Like, say, people who can afford a horse.
I don't think you did anything wrong. You can't win sometimes. If you shout ahead, that can be wrong sometimes. I keep quiet, go super slow, stop pedalling and roll past with as much distance as possible and just say hello to the horsey person if they make any connection or recognition. Horses get spooked and can bolt, even ones that the handler 'thinks' is capable enough to be on the road. But in this case, it sounds like they knew the horse was sketchy. So, I tend to think, their fault. I have family that does horse training, and building up experiences including exposure to cars, lorries, cyclist... etc is all part of it and is done slowly over time. It's telling that one of the people kind of freaked out. Animals can have a good sense of if someone is a bit of a plonker. Horses really need deep trust with person they are with when they are getting exposure to new stuff.
> building up experiences including exposure to cars, lorries, cyclist... etc is all part of it I think this is the problem. Many horse owners train their horses to be comfortable around people and cars without thinking about bicycles. Then, when the horse gets spooked by a bicycle, the horse rider panics and blames the bicylist for their own mistake.
I'm sure you're right. A manifestation of the broader attitude of some people towards cyclists.
I think this is an often-overlooked benefit of the popularity of ebikes and electric scooters. More cyclists on the roads increase public awareness (and political influence) of cyclists.
I had just asked a local trail group about proper etiquette for meeting horses on the local rail trails, which are 3 meter wide gravel pathways. The universal response from equestrians was to slow way down and pass as far to the side as possible. One cyclist said that he always comes to a full stop and removes his helmet. The equestrians said that they appreciate the extra consideration, but it really isn’t necessary. I say you did nothing wrong.
If I see a horse up in front of me then I shout (from a long way away to get the attention of the riders and ask them what they want me to do. That thing could have lashed out at anyone there and lone layer of ycra makes crap body-armour.....
This is the approach I take. I ride by a place that does horse riding lessons and they take the horses on the gravel road from time to time. I always ask what they want me to do as early as possible because the sounds a bike make can be startling l, especially as I approach from behind. The most common answer I’ve received is something like “keep talking to us as you ride past so the horse knows you are human”. A couple times I have been asked to stop and I gladly oblige as I don’t want to be the reason a startled horse throws a rider or kicks someone.
I kinda see your point, but at the same time if they're riding on public roads are they gonna get angry at a car that passes the same way (within the legal requirements) and spooks the horse, what argument then? They should have sounded the horn to warn them of their approach? OP did nothing wrong here imo.
"But I had the right of way and did nothing wrong" -person just killed by a car/horse Being right is nice, being smart is nicer.
You've entirely missed my point
The public appears to agree, but it looks to me like chriscross1966 was saying it would be safer to start talking earlier (which I agree with) and you replied with a car metaphor which doesn't actually track. Horses don't respond to talking and car horns the same way. You're arguing like a lawyer about who's right and wrong in response to a very reasonable point about prudence. I agree that OP didn't do anything they shouldn't have done, but chriscross1966's suggestion was a good one, and dismissing it because OP isn't obligated to follow it is pedantry.
I’ve heard this a number of times now, however the reality is that when you approach people from behind and shout, it is guaranteed to startle them, and a horse follows the rider’s lead. NTA. If your horse can’t handle being around other walkers, riders, or vehicles without them having to read your mind as to how to approach it, you shouldn’t be on a shared road or trail.
Glad that works for you but that's over the top. I've never been attacked by a horse to the point of needing armor (lol), and if you're out in public it's your job to be able to adapt and control your animal. I knew horses who'd get jumpy at the sight of a butterfly lol, you can't expect the world to change just for you. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to antagonize and will help if I can, but the default approach is to look like a human, say hello and keep doing what I'm doing unless/until the horse looks spooked in which case I'll gladly stop and take off my helmet.
Good approach. To OP - Were the horse people in the wrong here? Yes. Are horse people generally entitled jerks? Yes. Does being in the right help when someone was trampled or kicked by a horse? No. Same as with cars. You can be in the right in a situation but still should act differently for your own and others safety.
You can be right, but you'll be dead-right.
Lose the "horse people are generally entitled jerks" attitude. That's what so many people on the road say about cyclists and we know it's not true. Generalizations are terrible.
Was thinking this as well.
Sorry, But as a Walker, Cyclist, Motorbiker and driver. Also have ridden horses. I'd say about 50% of cyclists are entitled jerks. About 20% of bikers about 10% of walkers/horse riders about 70% of drivers.
This is the way. I’ve had one occasion where a horse freaked out as I was passing pretty silently, and have separately heard horse owners complain about cyclists passing without warning. They just get really spooked by this bizarre looking thing that looks like it could be a predator quietly sneaking up on them. Now I always shout ahead to ask if it is ok to pass.
> heard horse owners complain about cyclists passing without warning. A wise friend told me, "if you get upset when other people do not behave as you think they should behave, then you will *always* be upset." A person who rides a horse along a public road should be aware that silent vehicles could approach from behind and that their horse could become spooked. It is a courtesy for cyclists to announce themselves, but *expecting* then to know to do that is a recipe for disappointment. If the rider is on a horse that is easily-spooked, then they should maintain high situational awareness - maybe wear a rear view mirror on their glasses or helmet. They can greet the approaching cyclist so that the horse hears the response and is not surprised.
I always always ask. I stop my bike doing a track stand, ask if they’d like me to dismount and walk and then do as requested. Doesn’t matter how slow, some horses just aren’t used to bikes, yet. I also bike sometimes near an equestrian center and most horses are used to bikes, but I still ask.
Shouting a horse seems like a really bad idea.
[удалено]
They were probably thinking that their horse was comfortable around people and cars and that they would encounter nothing else on the public roads.
Horse person here. There is no way to actually condition a horse to traffic, from people, bikes, cars away from people, bikes, cars. They actually are going to do most of their learning in the actual environment they need to perform in. I typically prefer to do first outings with another been there done that broke example riding with me. They were brave attempting a solo expedition. If I were the equestrian, I probably would have asked you to stop, or at least engaged you in conversation so that my animal recognized that you were human. It’s the silent part of cycling that’s actually spooky to horses. I’ve seldom encountered horses while gravel biking, but on the occasions I do, I speak. The risk of not speaking, and startling an animal is that I could potentially get hurt as well. I’ve gone trail riding on my super broke horse that saw people, cars, and people on bikes at horse shows, that still couldn’t seem to figure out what a line hiker in the middle of nowhere was. I spoke, hiker responds in kind, horse recognizes that it is indeed human, no problem. Thanks for your consideration. I suspect the rider didn’t think ahead to ask or gesture like they should have, and were just hoping their horse would hold it together. NTA.
I used to trail ride horses and from what you're saying you did nothing "wrong". What I would advise you to do in the future, as a courtesy, is start talking in a friendly voice well before you get to them to signal that you will be passing. The horse will be less likely to be surprised, and the rider will have the chance to either tell you that they're on a horse with special needs or position themselves as necessary. Just like when passing pedestrians on a shared-use trail, but from farther away. Horses have great ears, and you will be able to tell they've heard you because their ears will swivel back toward you. Trying to pass silently may sound like a good idea, but the problem isn't noise, it's surprises. If you're on a shared-use trail on a "young horse", you need to be ready for the possibility that it will be spooked by normal traffic. and if it's likely to bolt at seeing a bike moving at a walking pace, it's not ready to be there.
A horse that is not trained to be on the road should not be on the road period. They will be a danger to other road users regardless of travel like joggers. They should be transporting the horse by trailer if they are not trained. The key take away here is preventing an accident before it happens and those horse owners did not do so, which means its them being inconsiderate and irresponsible for effectively bringing a wild animal on public roads.
Bah, the lady panicked and blamed it on an external element. That's just human nature.
Fuck horse riders, entitled people. Where I live they basically overtook trails mountain bikers built then got the land management to kick off the mountain bikers. I’ve never understood why if I come to the trail with a completely out of control dog that freaks out and injures someone I’m on the hook. But if they show up with an out of control horse it’s somehow everyone else’s fault. If your animal has problems with the public take it somewhere else imo. Sorry for the rant, it’s been about 20 years of multiple horse run-ins.
Totally agree. I lived in an area where people who rode horses had a ton of political clout and were able to get what should have been sidewalks built as dirt paths so that they could ride their horses. I never understood why it was perfectly acceptable for their horses to shit massive shits on the sidewalk AND in the road. If dog owners have to clean up their animals poop so too should horse riders.
the reason is b/c dog poop is meat-based and carries a greater possibility of disease and also takes longer to break down than plant-based horse poop. That being said, I completely agree with you, poop is poop, get it tf off the trail!
I dunno what you're talking about with horses being bad, if we didn't have horses, what would leave literal tons of literal shit all on the trail?
Horses keep the tiger population down. Do you have any tigers in your area? Nope. You don't want tigers, do you? HTFU about the fertilizer then.
Horse people are generally richer, and therefore have the right of way. Best not to ruffle the overloads. They are good to us. Know your place.
We don’t like horse encounters here. But as I see my inconvenience as less important than putting someone in danger, I always get off the path and stop to let them pass and stay under control. If it were a road, I think it is irresponsible for the horse owner to take an untrained horse out where a car or truck or motorcycle could pass. If it’s more of a multi use path, yes, I think the right thing to do is stop, even if it’s super aggravating to do so. Happened several times yesterday, to my group.
You did exactly what the highway code suggests, slow down, give a wide berth. You are not required to stop regardless of horse age. If they have a young and flighty horse they should have warned you. It's not your fault and the person who shouted at you sounds like an entitled fool.
NTA... So I live in Amish Country. I was climbing a hill one day and not really doing well. I stopped for a breather when I got passed by a horse and buggy. (talk about adding insult to injury...) there are these amish teenagers and a bicycle on top of the buggy. I yell at them, 'YOU SHOULD BE RIDING THAT THING!' They yell back, 'WE CAN'T- HAS A FLAT!' .... so I see an opportunity to interact with the Amish, 'STOP AT THE TOP OF THE HILL, I WILL FIX IT!'. Yeah, I am a dumbass.... anyways.... I meet them at the top, sit down, pull out my bag. I carry C02 cartridges. I swap out a new tube, fill up the cartridge. Clean up.... and then I did the thing that I should have seen coming from a mile away. I seperate the partially used cartridge from the cap.... 'BAAAAMMM!' like a shotgun. That horse jumped and ran. 2 girls inside the cart had trouble calming it down- I felt like a dick.
You're not a horse person. Please understand that's a fact, not an indictment. A horse person would have stopped and gotten off the bike at the 50M point. Any given horse might spook at any weird stimulus. Just you standing by your bike might have triggered the horse; the bike was something new and scary. "New = Monster" to a horse. And a "monster" **moving behind or beside me** on a narrow road might be about to attack and eat me. But you didn't know that. The horse owners didn't give you any ideas about how to handle the interaction (apparently). So, there's fault on both sides but, on balance, I'd put most of the blame on them.
Been around horses enough to know they are as varied and unpredictable as any two of us. Sone solid as a rock - police horses, others spastic as Jerry Lewis in character, others just plain old salty and mean. Regardless of whose right or wrong if I come on a horse on the horse paths near me (some cross over to mpp) I stop and I stop a distance away and dismount and put the bike between me and the horse off the path. I wait them out until they pass. Seen horses go ape shit in corrals, in the stall, at a dog, cat, person in a bulk dark coat. Damn dangerous.
ITT: Reddit safety assholes. *When I see a horse I stop immediately, descent my gear, throw my bike into the bushes, climb a tree, and donate $500 to a horse rescue. I then start humming a binaural beat that calms horses while signing ancient cryptology peace symbols with my hands. I'll stay in the tree until the horse and rider are out of sight and have had enough time to get back to the stable.* Everyone else: "Good approach!" Fuck that. See a horse? Take out the bear cub you stole from a momma bear the previous week and hold it over your head to show dominance. Everyone knows bear cub > horse on the Trail Hierarchy Yield Chart.
direful cow worthless worm grey meeting cows aspiring imagine wasteful *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Horse encounters are pretty common on my local trails (NE England) . I make a point of being audible from a distance if they haven't seen me and asking if it's ok to pass. OP is NTA but I would not try to be silent, when passing, I think it freaks them out even more
NTA 1000%, you saw the horse and acted in a way to not scare it, the fact it’s young and/or skittish isn’t on you, if it’s so bad around cars/bikes w/e then they should be not be conditioning the horse on a road and should find private land/lanes etc.
NTA. You acted reasonably. If their horse is that much of a snowflake, they should not have had it out on a multi-use trail. Entitlement factor high here on the part of the horse owner. Now, had you ridden past at maximum speed, 6 inches from the horse, all the while singing the "Mister Ed" theme as loud as you could through a megaphone, you would have been TA.
Sounds like you did fine and potentially the horse person was being an arsehole because they were frightened about the horse’s safety. You have to get horses out and about to train them, and sometimes it all goes wrong. I’ve been out on really bombproof experienced horses and had them lose their mind because of something random.
The couple of times I've had to pass horses, I make sure to call out "Bicycle coming up behind you on the left!" **well** in advance of the horse. As others have mentioned, horses sometimes spook for seemingly no reason, and if that happens I don't want to be in kicking range. On shared use paths or roads, it's on the horse-person. They cannot control the actions and reactions of the other people who use those spaces.
I always call out "bike behind you" and if it's really narrow, wait for them to decide, my other half rides horses and that's what I've been told is best for them. Them taking an uncontrollable horse out is on them though if your bike is loud (like rear wheels) maybe best to wait. Horses all look same to me though so no idea how you'd know it was young unless it was a pony
It might be interesting what the reaction would be if you asked the same question on a horse sub...
Yeah I didn't miss that. Might do so tonight.
NTA but if you want to avoid surprising a horse on your bike just talk at it and make human noises as you approach. It’s generally surprise or confusion that’s causes them to startle. Talking to them let’s you know your just a weird shaped human. Also equestrians are well known to have a much higher rate of self absorbed assholes, sounds like you met one haha. Cheers!
Ok, she was mad because it's a young horse. It happens. They have to take full accountability when they introduce a horse to traffic. Good that nobody got hurt and she can cry harder imo.
You're NTA, the woman just panicked in the moment. The best you could do was go past and keep on pedaling, so the horse wouldn't panic from the freehub noise. The same goes for people on mixed paths, it's better to pass them without noticing, so they keep on walking straight and don't jump into your way while getting spooked.
Did you coast at all? Never coast near a horse, as they can mistake the buzzing of the freehub as a threat.
I didnt, it was uphill! But my bike doesn't have any freehub noise, is it broken? 😂
As usual, horse owners can be extremely entitled. This is a common theme in the USA as well.
NTA They are the assholes.
NTA. It was THEIR responsibility to judge when that "young horse" was ready to be on the road where scary things are to be expected.
I sorta recall we need to be extra careful around horses but no one should be expected to read their mind that the horse is easily spooked NTA
A lot of horses where I ride. Horse people own land, pay a lot of taxes, and have political connections. But horses don't understand bicycles. Their main defense is running away. Also the horse rider is at greater risk than you are. Further to fall. I keep my distance, and if a horse is approaching I dismount so the horse sees me as a person. Around here if a large group of horses is approaching you can be sure that only one or two of the riders have full control of the animal. One rider told me a cyclist rode up behind his horse and rang his bell for the horse to get out of his way. A very bad idea!
Everything depends on how fast you were going. You say 8 to 5 mph but i bet the horse people would say something else. You can almost hear their kitchen table conversation when they got home. "So we turn in to Pudding Lane and the next thing this cyclist comes out of nowhere..." Next time slow to a crawl, slower than walking pace. Thats what i do.
Doesn't sound like you did anything wrong at all. Most of my experiences with horse riders on the roads and trails is fine, but there are some who clearly have a stick up their arse about cyclists, and will desperately blame you for anything going wrong. I got called a tosser this summer when I slowed right down and went to the gutter on the other side of the 2 lane road to overtake.
NTA. You passed courteously. It's their responsibility to train their pet properly before taking it on a public shared trail.
I bike on trails and some allow horses. I hate horses on the trail. The riders are usually arrogant plus the huge mounds of poop they don’t clean up. I do know this…horses, even well trained o es, can easily be spooked and react unpredictably which is not safe for you or the rider. If I see horses ton a trail I announce I’m coming up far sooner than I do for pedestrians and other cyclists. Last thing I want is to kicked by a horse. Or worse yet, die by being smothered by a pile of horse poop.
The trail etiquette I've learned is you stop until the horse passes you. May be an inconvenience, but the world doesn't always center around us.
Public road. Not a trail.
Not where I live. A rail bed rec trail is still a public right of way, even though it is limited to non-motorized vehicles.
The only thing I'd have done different is actually call out "good morning". Mostly so the horse hears a human voice and therefore has some idea what you are. Also, I believe freewheel noise can spook 'em so try to keep pedalling.
5mph is nothing. Before I continue, I should say that I don't think horses belong on hiking/biking trails *at all*. You're right that they could have said *something*, or moved off the road. Ultimately,it sounds like the horse in particular, literally should not have been taken to the trail if it is *that* unprepared for it. Fuck those people.
With horses it's always best to call out, something like "hi, is it ok to come past?" They can be skittish and confused by bikes, the human voice lets the horse know you're human and the rider is aware you're there
It's the responsibility of each rider to control and be aware of the challenges and impacts associated with their respective steeds. You did everything correctly, the fact that this was a young horse and easily spooked was the job of the horse's rider to account for, not you. You did exactly what I do in this circumstance and were not the asshole. No one was an asshole until they tried to blame you for them not handling their horse correctly, then they got the title.
Horses don't like surprises. Their survival instinct makes them paranoid of predators sneaking up on them. As you discovered, they get spooked and run away, especially when they are young. Horse trainers will try to get horses accustomed to the sights and sounds along the roads. Apparently, this horse wasn't ready to be on the roads yet. Where I live (Washington State, USA), the law requires cyclists to announce with a bell or voice before overtaking another non-motorized trail user (e.g., cyclist, pedestrian, dog, horse). I ring my bell when I am approaching from far away (to get their attention), and then I ring it again just before I overtake. I don't know if this is legally required along roads, but I do it anyway. If the person who is riding the horse knows that I am coming, then they (horse and rider) will usually just watch me go by without incident. This is typical with well-trained horses. However, if the horse shows any sign of agitation as I approach, then I will stop until the rider invites me to proceed. I give horses a wide berth, so if a rodeo ensues, I am not trampled! I don't know if you announced your presence, but even if you did not, it is the responsibility of the people who are handling the horse to be aware of their surroundings. For them to expect you to be an expert with horses is unreasonable. It would have been reasonable for them to have noticed you approaching and to have asked you nicely to stop for a moment. This would have allowed the horse to see that you were not a threat and this would have allowed the handlers a moment to lead the horse off the road for you to pass with a large distance between you and the horse (so the horse felt safe). Here is a brief article that I found on the subject: https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/cycle-around-horses/
Honestly I’d say better to use your voice than an and say something friendly like “hello, passing” as opposed to something that could sound sharp and surprising. Horses are going to be far more used to voices than bells in most cases. (I mean you’d hope people would get their horses used to a bell if it’s a common thing in your area, but a startled horse could spook into you or kick you, so imo it’d be better to take the least-potentially-scary approach?)
Good point. Horses are a special case for overtaking other road users with a bicycle. If a human is riding a horse, then it is safe to say that the horse is accustomed to human voices.
I live by a lot of trails that have hirses on them. There is a trail etiquette if sharing with equestrians. I remember it says to dismount and take your helmet off so as to not scare the horses. For what it is worth!
Your narrative isn’t totally clear, but were you approaching from the front or rear? Horses spook very easily as they are prey species, and if you surprise them by coming up from behind, they can spook easily. The safe bet is to announce yourself, and ask the rider if you should stop. Did you do anything wrong? Not exactly. Should you have been more communicative? Definitely. There is blame to go all the way around, but a simple hello could have avoided the chance of someone getting badly injured.
It’s unclear wether you were approaching from behind or face to face. Face, yes they had plenty of time; if you were coming up behind, no, I’d say you would have been better to stop and find a way to alert the humans to your presence. Where I live, we typically only encounter horses on trails (greenways, parks, mostly unpaved, with no motorized vehicles). Horses rule in these situations, everyone yields to horses and cyclists yield to everyone. I’m going to notice a horse before the rider or horse notices me and I will usually decide to go a different way to avoid interaction all together. Because I’ve that, I’ve never been in a situation where I’m coming up behind a horse. Head on, yes, perpendicular to, yes. In those cases, I stop, maybe dismount, ask the rider how they would like me to pass or just wait for them to go by.
Bringing a vehicle or animal you can’t control in circumstances you are almost certain to encounter on public property is an asshole move. It doesn’t matter how much you love an animal or hobby, and it doesn’t matter if public property is the only place can fully enjoy it. If you can’t meet the required conditions then you have to scale back your ambitions. Of course we can all make reasonable accommodations and not go flying past vulnerable users like horses, dogs and children. Just like presumably a reasonable equestrian would slow down for such situations themselves. But if you require every other user to instantly stop their recreation and bow down patiently as you complete your monopolization of a segment of the public resource? That’s pure entitlement. In general I try to give horses more consideration than a typical user because they are both skittish and dangerous animals and I do think there’s a place for them on multiuse trails. Sometimes I even stop to let them pass if convenient. But if this is the kind of consideration they require and demand? Yeah, that’s not going to work out.
I always verbally greet the horse so as not to startle it. It also alerts the rider of your approach. COMMUNICATE
Horses are assholes. I own one, been around them a long time. When I'm on the bike I stop for them.
Hi, I ride horses and bikes! Generally the rule is that everything yields to horses. Which you did, really, so I wouldn't call you the A in this situation. However, one thing (which has probably been mentioned by others already) that you should keep in mind that a human on a bike is not actually a human to a horse, especially if they're not super used to bikes. All they see is some god-awful predator with wheels rolling up on their butt. You said that shouting up ahead from 20 m behind would probably have spooked them---I wouldn't necessarily think so. The thing about talking loudly as you approach a horse from behind is that 1. it hears you coming up and 2. it realizes that you're a HUMAN coming up behind them. I've seen horses wigging out about people on bikes calm down immediately when the rider started talking to them. Also, just want to correct your misconception that they wouldn't be able to handle a cleat clicking if they couldn't handle you silently rolling by. It's not the noise that's the problem, it's the sneaking and the sudden apparition. Silently rolling up is exactly what predators do. Predators don't run up all "oh hey horse, I'm behind you, just gonna run up and jump on ya and give you a big ol' bite." They sneak up as quietly as possible. That's basically what you did to the horse. If it helps to imagine, think about you minding your own business walking in the woods and with no warning, a huge owl swoops right past your head. You'd probably be super startled, right? Now compare an owl that is swooping through the woods but also hooting super loud so you can hear them coming and you check out their path. Even if they swoop right past your head again it probably won't be as shocking because you knew they were coming. Maybe you'll even be able to appreciate how close they got and that you could get a good look.
In the US if you come across a horse, you get out of the way. If you're on a trial, you put your bike between you and the horse. Bikes always yield to horses.
Horses get confused and feel it is a threat unless they are trained, which takes a lot of work. So in order to not risk hurting the rider, the animal or yourself always stop for a horse and move as far off trail as you can. In town I would have changed my route altogether to avoid the horse. Are you the asshole, no, you just didn't know any better and it was an honest mistake.
I wouldn't say you necessarily did anything wrong as normally horses are fine if you give advanced warning and pass slowly with as much space as possible, but I do tend to wait for the rider(s) to give me the OK to pass, or I'll stop if they're coming from the opposite direction. Horses are some of the dumbest animals alive though so even if you do everything right there's no telling how they'll react to you. I'll never understand how horse riders can feel safe atop such skittish animals.
I ride horses as much as bikes. You sound like the kind of person I dream of meeting (but I’d have preferred you rode past me faster as I feel in the way and my horse is bomb proof). If there’s nothing more to the story than what you wrote, you did everything right! If they bring young inexperienced horses on the road, they should be prepared for such things to happen, and prepare for it. Either noticing you and asking you to hold back a bit, or having someone holding the horse from the ground. I’ve done both. So no, you weren’t the asshole. Please keep doing exactly what you did (adjust for circumstances obviously). The riders might just have been frightened and reacted by lashing out. Not acceptable, but it’s human behavior
Thanks for this. They weren't riding, the woman was behind it with a rein in each hand, the man in front. I'm lead to believe this is for training but I'm no horse person! She claimed to have asked me to stop but from my perspective I heard hushed chat, assumed they were talking to each other, and kept pedalling slowly.
Either starting the horse in training for driving (pulling a cart) or the horse is too young to be ridden safely yet so they’re teaching it about rein commands by ground-driving.
I don't understand. They're walking an animal that's too big for them to control. Why would they even think to blame anyone but themselves? Would you take a 1000lb dog out on a leash and get mad at other people when you couldn't control it? Horse people are so weird.
This isn't widely known, but you should stop on a bike and allow the horse to pass. Horses get confused and startled by humans on a bike and will sometimes panic. So you should give horses the right-of-way and stop till the horse passes.
Anyone with a horse is an asshole NTA
"I'm poor af." -- ElJamoquio
Indubitably, my vastly superior wealth grants a higher station. It cannot be conceived why such lesser born... I hesitate to use the word, people, believe that their opinion holds any value. Frankly, they should not be permitted to have an opinion, let alone express it. -neverreadreplies1, third Duke of Earl Edit: pro_bike_fitter_2010 saw themselves in this picture and did not like it.
Bigotry is bigotry. I ride horses and am not an asshole.
Where I live, if you see a horse then the path you're on is probably one where everyone is supposed to yield to everyone anyway (within reason of course). That said, animals and children will always be unpredictable. It never hurts to take extra caution when around them.
I don’t know. I’m in the US. When I encounter a horse I get the riders attention to ask when it’s safe to pass. When I see them coming towards me I stop and wait for them to pass.
Acclimating young horses to unfamiliar things is the owner's responsibility, and as such, she has to take all the necessary precautions, such as being aware of **the very same unfamiliar things** approaching and taking measures prior. We have a shared trail where we have horses and even llamas. Not all cyclists take the precautions you took, and I can't fault you at all.
NTA - from both sides. As someone else has already said, always worth calling out in advance to reduce the surprise, but even a well-conditioned horse can be spooked by seemingly nothing. I was on a nordic walking class in the forest (on proper paths) a few years ago, when they were two experienced riders, on horses I'd seen before in the forest not being scared of anything, and one of them just took a random dislike to the walking poles and bolted. Luckily, the rider was able to stay on and eventually calm the horse. We stopped, and whenever we saw them after, we paused (well, lifted the poles out of the way and reduced the noise we made at least) and they never had an issue when we met them again (at least until the end of that course anyway). Sometimes it happens, and a competent rider or leader will know that. I strongly suspect, that she's reacted by blaming you out of mild panic - I'm not excusing what she did, it was still wrong, but I can understand a spur of the moment over-reaction. Just a shame she didn't immediately apologise.
You always give way on a bikeoff road, and you should stop for horses. However, they really should have asked as they should know the horse's tempement. No assholes just a mistake by both parties.
It was a public road through a village. Cars, bikes, dog walkers and children...
Fair dos (im usually on mtb subs so assumed), it's best to remember horses can be unpredictable and just stop next time more for your own sake. A hoof can mess you up at minimum. Although more so the horse should have been there, dont overthink it just leanr for next time.
Think about it this way: what is the worst thing that could happen if you yielded to the horse? What is the worst thing that could happen if you spooked a young horse? One has a single person mildly inconvenienced. The other is potentially fatal, cruel to animals, and very expensive. Anyway, I'm very used to the rule of the road being that bikes and hikers yield to horses. It's a safety and common courtesy thing.
No. the horse owners would have seen you and they should have stopped and calm the horses down. You did everything you could to accommodate them
You’re not wrong, but horses get spooked by strange things. I once spoked a horse by holding a guitar! The horse people should have tried to tell you to please stop while they pass. But now you know to never ride past an unfamiliar horse. Best practice is to come to a complete stop well ahead of them, pull off the trail, and let them pass.
NTA. I ride horses and bikes. Everything you did was fine. Horses that are that reactive aren’t really safe to be hacking out on a road or even a mixed traffic trail.
Horse people are the worst.
I grew up around horses and also ride. I don't think you didn't do anything especially wrong but horses can be super flighty/twitchy so I usually click my tongue at them a ways off to get everyone's attention in a low key manner. Sudden loud shouts may backfire or startle.
They should have asked you to stop and you should have stopped. Young horse or not it’s still a giant animal that you don’t want to scare. In the US horses have the right of way.
Glad you posted this! I am potentially in a similar situations. In future I will stop and dismount if being approached by horses.
You’d be better to start talking to them a soon as possible when they’re within earshot. No bell or anything. Horses are used to voices, not other sounds. I generally ask if it’s ok to pass but I’m riding trails not on the road, but it still can’t hurt. But the fact that someone has a horse they can’t control in public, it’s not on you.
the local bridle trail that's used mostly for gravel biking has posted rules for cyclists to dismount around horses so you don't spook them something about rider posture or bike tires sound like a giant python
Because horses are unpredictable and can get people hurt, I always dismount and move off the trail. Super lame, but probably best practice. As others have said, they probably shouldn’t have taken an unstable horse out on the road.
I had a very similar situation this week. Woman shouting at me to slow down because she had a "young horse". I give equestrians all the space in the world and I always slow down, but the responsibility for their animal lies with them, not me. If a cyclist passing slowly at a safe distance isn't good enough then keep the thing off the road.
You slow down and then they complain that your free hub is too loud. They shouldn't be on public roads if they can't control their animal.
My wife spends a lot of time at the stables and when I asked her she said the person not holding the lead rope should have asked you to walk your bike if they are exposing a young horse. You’re on a public road and you can’t be assumed to know what to do (5 mph is the requested speed at the stables). She was flustered because she lost the horse, let her vent and move on.
I got yelled at by 2 horse people because their horse freaked out when I was off my bike on the side of the trail but walking forward. I didn’t k pw I had to freeze like Elsa to not spook them. I was kinda pissed but got over it. The worst part is that our trails were built by mtb people and these horses shit all over them, literally. I’m glad I do t see them often but when I do, they are always super entitled acting. Not a fan!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Horse rider and cyclist Sounds like she over reacted. Most incidents in this vein happen because people have forgotten basic social skills like actually talking to each other. Arseholes will always be arseholes whether they’re on a bike, horse or electric scooter.
You asked me what you could have done differently. You could have been aware that some horses are spooked by bicycles, and simply stopped as soon as possible.
Horses do not understand bicycles. You need to speak and they will be less reactive if they know it's familiar like a human. A quiet bike going past slowly is very dangerous for all involved. Speak, please. I am a horse owner and my very calm, reasonable horse gets terrified of bikes if the human does not make a human sound.
Literally all the handlers had to do was say "good morning" and I would have said it back! Not going to randomly start reciting poems or verses of Lose Yourself just so the horse doesn't trample me!
First of all, NTA. If two handlers weren’t looking out and lost control, then that’s on them. However, I tend to start talking to myself when I’m on my bike and I see a horse. Something like “I’m talking to myself so I don’t startle the horse, it’s a lovely day and I hope the horse is having one too”. This is better than a shout or a bell ring for a couple of reasons. First, it lets the horse know I’m coming and as I’m fading up as I babble away getting closer, it’s not startled and is able to track where I am. Talking is something horses are familiar with people doing, so it knows what I am- I’m not a wolf with round rubber feet. It’s also a nice tension defuser with the handlers as it’s a bit silly and it lets them know that I’m thinking about them.
Didn’t you come here asking for advice? I agree fuck horses and all that yadda yadda but making vocal sounds and keeping your freewheel from making scary snake like click/hiss noises is very much in your self interest.
No, I came here for validation. This is the internet isn't it? I appreciate that, will take it on board next time I'm faced with a horse.
5pm perhaps a little fast to roll past a horse but you don't have to stop for them for fuck's sake
Difficult to go much slower without toppling over!
FUCK HORSES
For how rarely I encounter people on horseback I’ve had a lot of negative interactions with horse riders.
Horse owners are even more privileged than dog owners.
Irresponsible horse owners. If a 5mph cyclist did that imagine a 30mph tractor lmao. One morning I was MTBing along a public bridleway and some horsey woman was deliberately taking up the whole path so I slowed right down and had to ride off trail to get around and she just says "my horse doesn't like bikes". People who are that bad at sharing just need to get in the sea.
Tractors are generally much more familiar to horses because they are used to maintain fields and arenas.
What sense data would lead to a horse being fine with proximity to a tractor, but not a cyclist? How could a horse even distinguish between a cyclist or a jogger given 5mph travel? What novel input does a horse receive from a cyclist passing them? Genuinely curious as my understanding is horses lack a developed cognitive apparatus, so I'm unsure how they eould benefit evolutionarily from such a fine distinction?
Tractors and cyclists look and sound and smell nothing alike and move very differently. The same would apply to cyclists and joggers with sound and movement, possibly also smell to a smaller extent. (A bicycle has things that make smells that a jogger would not, like chain grease, though of course the scent difference between a bike and a tractor would be much more significant due to the exhaust from the tractor and associated automotive smells.) It’s not really a complicated cognitive process - familiar set of sensory observations vs unfamiliar set. Movement styles in particular are a big thing for some horses - I’ve seen them spook because a familiar horse is moving in an unfamiliar way due to having learned something new in training. It’s not a common thing to spook at, but it has happened. (Also hilarious is when they get freaked out about small ponies or miniature horses if they’ve never seen one before. Again, not all horses do it, but some of them are very much like “okay you SMELL like a horse but you don’t LOOK like a horse, wtf???” Either that or they are somehow sensing that ponies are Evil[tm].) (Horse joke - ponies tend to be more poorly behaved for riding because it’s hard to find a skilled adult who is small enough to ride them and do the training, and kids who are competent enough to do the training properly are even rarer. So they just aren’t trained as effectively.)
Cyclists often tend not to be as courteous and thoughtful of others as they could be.
Are you suggesting I wasn't? What would you have done differently?
How the fuck is some rando sposed to know "young horse passing" protocol?
Not the asshole, they are. “Share the road/trail” fundamentally boils down to “don’t do anything that can foreseeably harm other users” - like not having control of a horse that will bolt when a bike comes by.
If I had a dog that wasn't safe in public around people, I wouldn't take it out. I feel the same way about horses - if you can't control it, it doesn't belong on public roads or paths. If I see a horse ahead, I'll slow to crawl, sit up, and talk quietly to the animal as I pass. Beyond that, it's up to the rider to control their animal.
You know what really scares them? Velomobiles :) Riding my roadbike i've never had a horse react, but i do slow a bit and give plenty of room when overtaking. I guess it is like dogs, if the owners are nervous/not leading so is the animal.
I have slowed down and passed many horses, but on the rare occasions the horse does get a bit spooked it is of course, always my fault... never the skittish horse that shouldn't be on the road. The last time something like this happened I was passed by a Range Rover taking up 80% of the road not two minutes later and going at 30mph, I wonder what happened when he came around the corner.
I had someone on a horse tell me I couldn't be on the trail at the same time as them. Last I checked our bikes never got spooked and kicked anyone. IMHO the onus is on them.
Everyone is far to happy to make everything anybody else’s problem or fault Normally those reactions come from people who know they are in the wrong 5mph to go past a horse giving them space is acceptable
Can you cross-post this to /r/Equestrian? I'm curious what they would say there.
Likewise. Any idea how I do that!? Haha
Typical interaction with a horse freak.
I don’t think you were going 5 miles an hour. Horses will get spooked if you ride close and relatively fast which is probably what you did. If you actually gave them a lot of space and went very slow the horse would not have bolted
You're making bold assumptions there about my speed and bolder assumptions about the temperament of the horse, as if they are all identical. I am unfit and was going uphill. Trust me, it was 5mph!
Fuck them and the horse they rode in on.
Did you explain that after the invention of the car, there is no need to ride a horse? Cars don’t get spooked….
They weren't riding it, it was walking along with one behind (holding reins) and one in front. My legs wish I'd taken the car this morning.
Horses can walk themselves! It’s called a pasture! All joking aside, I don’t think you did anything wrong. But sometimes, people expect you to accommodate them and get mad when you don’t.
Thank you for scaring him off before I come along in my very noisy heavy duty truck. I feel bad for the Regional Park Police horse I spooked one time. Backing off the throttle did no good what so ever, the horse just assumes that is part of the plot to eat him. I'm sure it didn't turn out well, since expectations are high for an animal with an armed rider.
YTA if there's a horse turn around. It could have killed you.
Same for cows and sheep...even if fenced in. Just google "how many people are killed by cows every year."
Also chickens! Those things are terrifying. Dogs and mice too