Stupid driver :(

cleohorse

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Jun 11, 2014
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Well went on a hack today and I have to say for the first time in all my years of hacking I actually felt like my heart was in my mouth when a land rover pulling a trailer came down the road. It is a very thin road with a couple of passing points I saw him and thought ok he will stop, and let us trot on to the passing place which I would do. He drove past the passing point and kept coming and for the first time I felt scared as I had no were to go at all and he was not slowing down. I actually thought he was going to hit us as there was so little room and I was just thinking were am I going to go, so I took my horse right into the hedge if he had of stepped out even a few cms he would of been under the trailer. The trailer also had sheep in it he was star and stood there and did not move so lucky he is brilliant traffic if he was nervous in traffic then he of would of been of been hit. This is the road it is very thin and that is the first time a car has tried to squeeze past me on it, normally cars are pretty good and do slow down but this was just so bad. On the picture we are next to the passing point which is the widest past of the road
 

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Oh the joys of living in the countryside! Those kinds of roads are so pretty to ride along but really not practical if you bump into anyone else!
I was going to ask if you actually used any hand signals asking him to stop. In my experience most people who are going to be idiots and squeeze past will stop if you move your horse into the middle of the road and flag them down. They wouldn't actually drive into your horse, they don't want to hurt anyone they just don't think. Of course you shouldn't HAVE to be that insistent but as a horserider you have the right of way and sometimes people need reminding of that!
 
Country drivers are appalling. We drive out from London to watch polo in summer at some quite remote polo fields and on Saturday my poor OH who was not driving slowly got hooted at by a guy tail-gaiting us - again on a twisting one lane road with passing places. And when the other guy did overtake, hooting of course, it was not a safe place to pass and I remarked that people on NR had to ride their horses on roads like these.
 
What a scary thing to have happen. Where we live we get a lot of city people with caravans coming down to camp. And they are awful for coming past us at speed. I think it's probably down to just not knowing how to deal with a horse on the road but they just seem clueless when it comes to passing us

Your farmer and his trailer should have known better. Glad no physical damage was done though and you're both OK
 
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Horrible isn't it. I had this a few years back, almost exactly as you describe, luckily the horse I was riding at the time just stood into the hedge as far as he could and waited patiently, now days I do as Joosie suggested (and as I was taught when I did my motorbike training)and take my place on the road, if it's not safe for someone to pass me then I won't even attempt to move over until it is.
 
Sadly no I did not get his number I wish I had and no I did not signal for him to stop when I saw him before I knew it was about to pass so I don't think a signal would of helped. Just thankful I was riding my gelding and not my mare as if I was on my mare she would of tried to spin and she would of properly of got hit. Luckily my gelding just stood there and did not move, he was brill he has only just turned 6 and this was the first trailer he has ever met. Normally I don't have many issues with drivers as they do slow down but this today was just stupid this was the first time on my hacks that I actually thought my horse was going to get hit.
 
Horses have the right of way here too.
A couple years ago on a narrow cut thru road a Mother and kid on horses were riding from their house.
A woman hit the kid on her horse and threw them over a stone wall the horse was probably not gong to be
ridable ever again and he kid was badly hurt.
It's a horrible nasty road everyone cuts thru between 2 main roads. I almost got run off the road
with my truck and horse trailer. Everyone is in a hurry and certainly more important than you.
So I was not surprised to hear of that horrible accident on that road.

There are several houses with horses on that road and at first look sadly it seems like
a lovely country road - and it probably would be if it did not connect the 2 main roads.
 
Rpxy is stabled down a country lane now and I am scared even driving my massive 4x4 down there, let alone riding it. Cars come haring along with not enough time to stop, even though it's a single track road with passing places, and in the month I've had Roxy there, I've already been clipped (in the car, not on horse back) once. Scratched the wing mirror. Luckily there are loads of bridleways so I can stay more or less completely off road out hacking.
 
Whats a complete *%$!!# :eek: Its important that we as riders take possession of the road when need be, and that includes signaling, by squishing in a bush that is almost an invite for an ignorant twit to squeeze by. I am by no means saying he is in the right, but its important that we signal drivers as to what we need them to do for us to be safe, often they think no signal means they are already doing the right thing. The highway code says that drivers must obey signals from riders, so if the police got involved the driver ignoring a signal would add more weight to a case.

I think if I was still riding on roads like that I would have hat cameras to catch idiots like that and send the police to chat with them, its one of the reasons I moved away from Hertfordshire, most of our hacking was on lanes like those and some very fast 2 lane country roads too :(
 
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Glad you are okay what a scary experience.
Around here the hacking is allegedly "fantastic". Well no thank you very much. I wouldn't ride down some of the narrow lanes here for all the money in the world. Doesn't matter to me if my horse is good - (she is normally) but anything can happen, what if you squeeze in and something the other side spooks them?!
I know some of us have to ride on those kind of roads - I feel sorry for you if you have no choice.
Since coming to live here, I've had nearly all our four by four's scratched and mirrors clipped at some point. Mainly through folk who just won't stop and use a passing place - they just ignore it and come thundering on! It made me decide early on I would stick to my arena and fields.
 
Where we are all the roads are like that the only way to get to the bridal paths is to hack down them. The only other way we have got, that we can go is along or across a 60mph dual carriageway so this way is much safer. Normally people are really good and do slow down and are nice and friendly it is just the odd one you met which make the roads a bit scary. I also go out covered in hi-hiz as does my horse so there is no way someone could not see me as you can see on the pics
 

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Scary when that happens because there is absolutely nothing you can do except pray your horse doesn't react. If at all possible I would have tried to ride out into the middle of the road to force him to stop, but that does depend on your horse, and the speed at which the driver is going! Glad you are both okay.
 
Horses have the right of way here too.
A couple years ago on a narrow cut thru road a Mother and kid on horses were riding from their house.
A woman hit the kid on her horse and threw them over a stone wall the horse was probably not gong to be
ridable ever again and he kid was badly hurt.

Mr Chev's eldest son (10 at the time) was leading his pony on a fairly narrow road with his younger brother and Mr Chev when a drunk driver came screaming round a bend and into the lad. The pony tanked off dragging the boy up through the caravan park (Mr Chev managed the park at the time). He died from head injuries in his dad's arms while they waited for the ambulance. Speed kills. Drink driving kills. People driving like that never thinking that they might meet another road user kills. Texting or talking on the phone kils. It just takes one idiot on the road and that little boy never got to grow up.

Sorry but it's one thing I feel very strongly about.
 
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That's why I stay in the middle of the road until they are properly slowed down. Give them the idea they can squeeze past and they will try.
 
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What an absolute idiot.
I have become much more assertive both on horseback and on bikes to ride in the middle. If someone is bearing down on you at speed, that may not be possible but I generally take up a position in the middle of the road whenever it is narrow. My kids have done their bikeability levels and they are taught the same. Stay out in the middle of the lane, do not squeeze yourself into a gutter. I often think 'pretend I'm a car' and I take a central line.
 
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