Viewing 37 posts - 1 through 37 (of 37 total)
  • Angry horse lady in Steyning Woods
  • timnwild
    Full Member

    Over the last few months, we’ve had a run-in or two with an apoplectic horse rider in and around the MTB trails in Steyning Woods. First encounter was after spooking a pony she’d chosen to exercise at the point where the bridleway opens out into the field down to Mouse Lane. We were accused of riding irresponsibly (which was not the case) and she was too furious to reason with, so we left her be.

    Second time involved no conversation, but she was standing atop a berm in the trails themselves with an SLR, snapping riders as they passed. Charitably, I have to assume that she’s not doing that because she’s a fan of middle-aged blokes failing to navigate trail features.

    Despite her foaming-at-the-mouth fury, I bear her no ill-will. I’ve made mistakes with regard to riding near horses in the past which I and the riders were lucky to escape from unharmed and I’m keen to keep the relationship between MTB/Equestrian folk on the Downs as cordial as possible. However, I’m aware of the power one angry zealot can wield when unopposed, so I was wondering if any of the crew who work on the Steyning trails have had any trouble? I’d hate to see the trail access revoked or the relationship with the landowner compromised.

    Thanks

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    I did have a ‘discussion’ with a woman on horseback near Clapham (only a few miles away from Steyning) because she’d put a pole across the path. I was out walking at the time and she didn’t like me removing the pole as she’d put it there to slow speeding MTBers. I told her she couldn’t block the bridleway but underneath it all I have some sympathy for her attitude because I know there are a lot of idiots out there and some ride bikes.

    dannyh
    Free Member

    I did have a ‘discussion’ with a woman on horseback near Clapham (only a few miles away from Steyning) because she’d put a pole across the path. I was out walking at the time and she didn’t like me removing the pole as she’d put it there to slow speeding MTBers. I told her she couldn’t block the bridleway but underneath it all I have some sympathy for her attitude because I know there are a lot of idiots out there and some ride bikes.

    I hope you mentioned to her that if you hadn’t removed it and someone was seriously injured you would appear as a witness for the prosecution at the trial……………

    It all just comes back to rubbing along with others. I always slow down for horses and walkers, but I don’t do it not to offend them by my very presence – it’s just good practice.

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    nickc
    Full Member

    I’m always slightly in awe of people who can get properly frothy at the mouth angry at stuff like this. So furious that they can’t even speak…

    sorry, nothing constructive to say, but some peoples’ sense of entitlement is astonishing

    tomatoevousparlour
    Free Member

    I’m a Steyning person and never had any issues with a crazy horse lady, but I will keep an eye out now.

    Jon

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    She’s very well known to those behind Steyning MTB and they’ve done everything possible to placate her, to the point that plans are afoot for a new horse trail which is nicer/safer than the existing steep slippery one. Have a look on the Facebook group! Don’t get involved in arguments with her you will only make matters worse – her hatred of mountain bikes is quite incomparable. On the plus side, her vehement protests have meant that Steyning MTB have had to be extremely rigorous in terms of all the trail building, health & safety and all other concerns.

    It makes me quite sad, as someone who enjoys riding horses, riding bikes and walking on the South Downs.

    DaRC_L
    Full Member

    Yeah she’s been muttering about starting a petition to ban MTB’ers from the Upper/Lower Horseshoe and the trail down to Mourse Lane…
    I only know this as my wife’s good friend lives in Mouse Lane in Steyning and when she was round the other weekend she circuitously started mentioning the events the OP mentions.
    Except with less clarity (and some exaggeration I suspect) around time / place how often and what actually happened. It was done with a MTB’ers are wrong perspective.

    Anyway I think once the dust had settled in the irresponsible MTB’ers (her view) vs Nimby Horse Riders & we-all-have-to-share the trails argument discussion I think my wife’s friend took my point that a petition banning MTB’ers from Steyning trails was not the way to proceed in keeping MTB’er Equestrian relationships cordial.

    So keep an eye out for that petition Stening folks.

    dannyh
    Free Member

    I think other users fall into three general categories:

    The ‘We are all users’ bunch who are happily in the majority. You say “morning”, they say “morning”, you may even stop for a quick chat if it is at a gate or some other natural stopping point.

    The ‘tit in a trance’ bunch. Difficult to firmly categorise. You slow down, ride behind them at their speed a good five metres or so back, then they suddenly turn, jump and recoil. They probably regard you as a dangerous menace when, in fact, it is their total lack of awareness and realisation that there are other people in the world that has caused them such shock. A sizeable minority.

    The ‘petty and mean-spirited’ bunch. They have a problem with nearly every other user group – and often with anyone else in their own grouping because they want the whole place to themselves and just can’t stand sharing. A vocal, but small minority.

    The key is to avoid arguing with anyone in the last group. Just agree with them, smile, and then carry on as you were. Try not to antagonise anyone in the second grouping too much as they might join the third. Enjoy meeting and talking to the first group, they are the ones who enjoy the countryside and want to share that enjoyment with others.

    cloudnine
    Free Member

    Smile… It confuses people

    mrbelowski
    Free Member

    Just whip out the old chap and start crying. They won’t bother your any more

    zippykona
    Full Member

    You can’t win with some people. I was going down to a dip and could see a lady walking a horse the other side of the dip so I stopped got off and waited for her to pass.
    You would not believe the bollocking she gave me. Sometimes you just wish it was a bloke so you could return the mouthful.
    As an aside horses are happy to watch you from their field as you zoom by on adjacent track ,they only seem to go mental when someone is on their back.

    scandal42
    Free Member

    Just whip out the old chap and start crying. They won’t bother your any more

    Cheers, just peppered my screen with coffee.

    amedias
    Free Member

    I try not to argue with people like this, the only time I do, (and get quite grumpy about it) is when they place obstacles on the trail that could cause harm.

    Having had a friend suffer almost life changing back injury some years ago due to NIMBYs placing logs and stones across a trail it’s the only thing that makes me get properly angry.

    There is NO excuse, no matter how valid your complaint, for trying to cause bodily harm to another human being simply to keep them off a trail, no matter what mode of transport they are using.

    Fortunately most of the people I ever meet are in dannyh’s first group

    PJM1974
    Free Member

    It’s a difficult one, but you’ll never placate the crazies who start the day angry and then spend their time on the trails looking to get angrier still.

    Luckily, although I live in a horsey part of the country also beloved of the red sock brigade I’ve only ever had a couple of run ins with people, neither of which were initiated by me. First time out a mad old woman drove her Corsa onto a bridleway and jumped out to berate me about where I might ride my bike that afternoon. The second time, a woman berated me for nearly falling over her dog, after she threw a stick for it out of a field in front of me and then declared that the bridleway I was on was “not a cycle path”, despite standing next to a sign stating the contrary.

    You just have to be as polite and courteous as possible, especially if the crazy is accompanied by a long suffering friend or family member. Kill ’em with kindness.

    allthepies
    Free Member

    Or a rusty, serrated knife.

    Sandwich
    Full Member

    In the woods you say, on or near built trails? Next digging day a couple of bags of quicklime accompany the crew. Body in a nice deep hole and covered in quicklime and Bob is your mothers brother. (It’s the BOFH way).

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Sometimes you just wish it was a bloke so you could return the mouthful.

    Their gender is irrelevant to my response

    timnwild
    Full Member

    I’ll keep my eye on the FB group and mind my ps and q’s. Hats off to all those doing the hard work of maintaining the trails and good local relations both – it truly is much appreciated.

    steezysix
    Free Member

    I believe the correct nomenclature is Kentaurides, not “Angry Horse Lady”. Honestly, I despair at the state of our education system…

    kbomb
    Free Member

    I’ve met crazy horse lady before at Steyning. Spent about half an hour listening to her whinge on about the situation. I could sympathise with some of it, but she won’t be placated, she’s mostly making her own life a misery. If you come across her, its best to be courteous, and get away from her as soon as possible, nothing you say will persuade her we’re not all evil.

    This sort of thing happens everywhere except Scotland. I recently organised a MTB non race event over 36 legal miles which attracted 84 riders in small groups.
    We had a farmer tweeting that we were doing 40mph along a flat trailway.
    We had a walker who emailed me along the lines of ‘don’t you know this bridleway is a footpath’.
    We had an angry motorist who got on to our club forum to moan that he didn’t give him enough room to pass on a bendy country lane.
    Then there was the horse rider who greeted us riding slowly up a woodland bridleway with ‘**** off and don’t come back’

    No point placating some people. If they ask me where the hell I think I’m going the reply is ‘that’s for me to know and you to guess’. If they get really stroppy, it’s ‘I ride where I damn well please and I have no consideration for anybody except myself’

    hatter
    Full Member

    I can somewhat empathise with the rage when you’ve inadvertently spooked a horse or come hurtling out of a undergrowth somewhere you shouldn’t be. But getting the treatment when you really have done nothing wrong is somewhat galling.

    I was in a mixed group of 6 going up a marked bridleway in Ashridge this spring just past, the lead rider saw a horse and rider coming down the hill towards us. It was a bit narrow so the lead rider called ‘Horse!’ and we all stopped and moved over.

    The rider stonily refused to acknowledge our presence until she drew level with the girl who was the last rider in the line, at which point she turned and loudly hissed “This is a BRIDLEway, clue’s in the title” and rode off huffing to herself.

    It genuinely left us shaking our heads at the internal processes that justified such an outburst after we’d all gone out of our way to be so impeccably courteous.

    Still, gotta keep up appearances, don’t give them any more fuel for their fires.

    devash
    Free Member

    England = Small island, angry people.

    DaRC_L
    Full Member

    Still, gotta keep up appearances, don’t give them any more fuel for their fires.

    And I suppose that’s what I find most galling; that even after almost 25 years of MTB’ing the walkers and horse riders still presume they have more justification to be on bridleways.

    I would be curious whether my suppositions about what the statistical difference is between equestrians, walkers & offroad cyclists is in terms of
    > Participants
    > Tax Contribution
    > Local wealth generation
    > Providing young people with an outside activity

    Of course I think MTB’ers lead the way 😆 but I might be biased.

    allthepies
    Free Member

    It’s not an Island 🙂

    Stoner
    Free Member

    It’s not an Island

    ….yet 🙂

    sandwicheater
    Full Member

    @mrbelowski

    I’ve tea all over my shirt/computer after that comment, excellent sir.

    dunmail
    Free Member

    Is this a southern thing? Don’t seem to have the same problems up north.

    Might be down to high concentration of recreational users of a small amount of space.

    Nobby
    Full Member

    The rider stonily refused to acknowledge our presence until she drew level with the girl who was the last rider in the line, at which point she turned and loudly hissed “This is a BRIDLEway, clue’s in the title” and rode off huffing to herself.

    Heard the self same b******s on a group ride a few years back. Fortunately, there was a group of walkers close by one of whom pointed out to the angry woman that bridleways were so named because they were tracks upon which non-mechanically propelled vehicles could be drawn – by horse or otherwise. At the time they were first introduced horses could be ridden on paths etc and this was often done without saddle nor bridle. I thought she was gonna explode at one point – the chemical reaction between anger and embarrassment is really quite potent.

    The walker calmly doffed his cap & said “stay safe & keep to the proper tracks eh chaps” and wandered of with his friends chuckling. 🙂

    enfht
    Free Member

    Horses are so stupid AND nervous that I wouldn’t sit on one even if they were waist height, let alone over 2 metres off the ground. Horse folk clearly know how twitchy horses are which may explain but not excuse their anger towards cyclists.

    daleftw
    Free Member

    Kickstarter to make Ms. Sigournay disappear, obviously.

    daleftw
    Free Member

    dunmail – Member
    Is this a southern thing? Don’t seem to have the same problems up north.

    Might be down to high concentration of recreational users of a small amount of space.

    I got a mouthful of abuse from some horsehole up near Druridge Bay not long ago, on National Cycle Network route 1…

    nickc
    Full Member

    I’ve only once got involved in an argument with a horsey lady who was riding what appeared to be one the devil’s own mares from His Satanic Herd. She was shouting at my riding buddy that bikes spooked the horse. When he replied that riding an easily spooked clearly uncontrollable horse on a popular bridleway perhaps wasn’t the best idea, she became even angrier. When I suggested that she might want to try a standing or german martingale to control the horses head, she literally couldn’t form sentences, she was that cross.

    It was quite funny really.

    I’d agree with dannyh summation, people do pretty much fall into those catergories I reckon. Thankfully, mostly tend to meet 1 and 2, and not many 3’s

    hatter
    Full Member

    There does seem to be something about the elevated position being on horseback gives you that encourages those already predisposed to asshattery to act in this way.

    Considering the traditional advantage of traveling on horseback was to make it easier for one to bark at peasants this probably shouldn’t be a surprise.

    The best way to deal with horses is to ride past them as fast as possible so that you are well out of the way by the time it starts doing wheelies and tipping the rider off.

    timnwild
    Full Member

    Just to be as clear as possible – my post wan’t a venting of, or call for, any anti-horserider sentiment. I don’t agree with any stereotyping of people based on something so slender as what they choose to explore the countryside on the back of.

    Courtesy and consideration for all other trail users has, in my experience, been the most effective way to share the paths – an attitude the Steyning MTB folks have been adopting from the beginning, with excellent results.

    dannyh
    Free Member

    Just to be as clear as possible – my post wan’t a venting of, or call for, any anti-horserider sentiment. I don’t agree with any stereotyping of people based on something so slender as what they choose to explore the countryside on the back of.

    Courtesy and consideration for all other trail users has, in my experience, been the most effective way to share the paths – an attitude the Steyning MTB folks have been adopting from the beginning, with excellent results.

    Exactly. The keener eyed amongst you will have noted that my classifications could cut across all the available ways of moving in the countryside. It’s not got much to do with how you are travelling, more to do with how much of an arsehole you are in the first place…….

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