Shocked By Child Rider Cantering Towards Traffic Today!

newforest

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2008
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Without giving away where i live, i am in a seaside tourist area with lots of tourists.
My heart sank when i saw a child on her pony cross the road to the otherside and canter towards the traffic up the verge. It is a busy B road and there was a double decker bus coming along.

It only takes one spook.:(
 
I used to do this all the time as a kid learning to ride on a hack in a town. I guess this is why little phases me now. Not something I'd be letting my daughter do though.
 
Years ago I went riding on holiday. We started in a park and then came out onto a very wide grass verge next to a busy road, we lined up, possibly about 12 ponies abreast and cantered up the verge next to lorries and buses. I would never contemplate it these days, let alone with unknown riders, but for years I used grass verges as canter track with the added fun of jumping the drainage channels.

Traffic is much worse now but attitudes and times change!!
 
Most of our hacking when I first got rosie involved cantering on verges - however I would never hav done that if cars were passing!

Think its also the case of if we had a better bridleway network then less people would feel the need to use grass verges.
 
Guilty too. As a 10yo a woman nearby had a few small ponios, and she used to take us out on 'hacks'. Best mate and I were going through a cowboys and Indians phase at the time, and we used to ride out BAREBACK and NO HATS!:redcarded: Trot and canter down the verges.......yikes!

How times have changed!
 
I used to do this all the time as a kid learning to ride on a hack in a town. I guess this is why little phases me now. Not something I'd be letting my daughter do though.

This- I used to do it all the time as a child. I used to play a game along a road that was about a mile long. I would trot on the concrete bits for driveways and canter on the grass verges.

Obviously a lot more sensible now - and like Joyscarer nothing much phases me but I wouldn't let my children do it.
 
lol I remember when the only strip of grass on a particular piece of Main road was the strip up the MIDDLE of the Road and you guessed it we ALWAYS used to canter there..............

Truth is there wasn't so much 'fast' or 'big' traffic about then, would I do it now.............NO WAY:wink: ITS THE RING ROAD NOW:bounce:
 
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