Heading down a trail in the woods today, not particularly tight or narrow, I slowed because there was a walker, then suddenly I saw a horse (and rider) galloping towards me up the hill. It was a little startled to see me but the rider controlled it and carried on.
Strikes me that this is exactly the kind of thing that other trail users complain about us doing. It was quite scary tbh because the horse was coming straight at me when I saw it. Not sure what the point of this story is other than a) I've never seen a horse actually galloping on trails before and b) we're not the only ones doing scary stuff to frighten other trail users.
They’re big creatures especially when up to speed. Main difference is hopefully you are in control, where as even the best horse rider can never fully be in control.
My sister rides a horse mostly jumping, cane off it once. It’s a long way to drop.
Always remember that you on a bike have to give way to pedestrians and horses.
That's what I did, I got WELL out of the way! She did have good control over it to be fair.
I feel she probably shouldn't be galloping. Maybe a trot or a short canter in one or two safer places.
She did well to pull the animal up in time.
It was probably cantering but that is just pedantry.
Horses are generally less likely to spoke when moving, particularly if they are moving quicker. If your horse is being a pain and spooking at things then often pushing it on to trot or canter is a safe way out of the situation. That's why riders will often trot past cars on the road.
Horse riders do the reverse of us. They will rarely go downhill at speed. Whenever you want to get a good bit of speed up you find a nice uphill. Reasonably firm ground that give's grip but isn't too slippy or too hard.
Horses can be scary- they are big. Even smaller ponies can be intimidating when they run at you. few hundred kilos even for small ones.
Yeah I don't know what's acceptable really. I mean it wasn't going flat out, about as fast as I'd have been going down given a clear trail. I have to admit it was a good thing I'd already slowed for the walker.
But it was a much busier day than normal too. I'd diverted from my favourite descent cos I knew it'd be busy. Perhaps not the best day to open it up.
Hope you tutted loudly and told them they should have a bell
They don’t pay road tax either
Lol yes excellent point 🙂
Be thankful for horses. They cause more trail erosion than either walkers or cyclists so the accusation that we damage tracks can never be sustained against us and used as a reason for shutting trails. Most trails have been worn into their present shape by centuries of horse hooves.
Was expecting more Sportive-style 'horse undertaking' content, TBH.
What else could you have done? You gave way to the horse (not that you had much choice in the matter), so I don't know why you'd think you were a bad'un. Did she lash you with her crop on the way past?
As mentioned above, horses are their most predictable when at above walking pace. They focus on where they're going don't tend to get spooked by bikers/cars etc.
If you're talking about the trails around and above Cefn Onn Park then it's very popular with horses on Sundays, I tend to avoid it on the weekends especially early morning or around 4-5pm.
we’re not the only ones doing scary stuff to frighten other trail users.
Definitely. Motorbikes are the worst though, noisy, fast, inconsiderate* and wreck the trails.
*not all, but the one I had a bit of trail rage with a couple of weeks ago was a right ****
Depends which rider has skulls on their insignia...
Thing with horses some are spooked all the time others dont bat an eye lid best just to keep away I have had way more spooked horses on a MTB than ever a Motorbike but they can hear you further off in general never had a problem with horse riders its just groups of Ramblers where is your bell.
The bell question is getting very tiring. I slow right down and start speaking to walkers from a fair distance back, I have never gone past someone without them knowing I'm there and being sure its safe, yet this last month I've had, 'use your bell' every off road ride... thinking of getting an airhorn:-)
I can't remember being asked about a bell in over 20years of mtbing until the pandemic struck...
Horses, I've always given them respect, I really don't want a hoof to face experience, and horses don't seem to care about strava either, the bloody cheek 😉
Just get a bloody bell ( but don't ring it at horses)
It wasn't a canter. It was a gallop. But that's podiatry.
Just get a bloody bell
and a helmet
edit: with MIPS
It was a gallop
We need a poll
But that’s podiatry.
Bit of a lame joke you're trotting out there.
Luckily I have a MIPs lid already. As for a bell, I still don't need one unless I can get one that dings STRAAAAAVA!
I jest of course.
Air horn on order...
Locally cyclists are getting a bad rep for "erosion" as non cyclists see tyre marks, which must mean erosion, when horse hoof prints and boot marks are invisible.
Has anyone got any links to any decent studies on bikes vs boots vs hoofs regarding damage to trails/ countryside?
I'd be interested to find out more.
That was done over 25 years ago. What they found was that cycles do about the same amount of eroding as walkers, but in different parts of the trail. It was a university study in the USA I think. IMBA may still have a link to it.
Did she lash you with her crop on the way past?
Kinky Skipton pervert busted?
If anything bikes actually repair the damage from horses, at least locally. Lots of clay here that horses sink into leaving deep hoof prints that bike tyres then smooth out. That's until it sets like concrete in summer and rattles our fillings loose. Erosion tends to be more prevalent in steeper, sandy or rocky areas where it's running water and failure to consider drainage responsible more than a particular user group, apart from motorised traffic on byways/farm tracks of course.
When a bridleway does get surfaced there's always signs up asking horse riders to keep the speed down to avoid chunks getting taken out of the new surface. No mention of runners or cyclists being asked to slow down.
Not really come across any horse riders behaving badly or being inconsiderate but some should think more carefully about whether their particular horse is safe to be out in public. Have witnessed a few incidents.
Gavin, is that you?
A lot of the trails I ride down here on the NDW are bridleways and I can't remember ever having a bad experience with a horse/rider.
I'd be a liar if I said the same about all mtbers unfortunately.
Not taking sides, just a personal observation is all.
As for "where's your bell?" from some walkers though.. yeah, that grates but a Timberbell is the best solution ever to that one. It's absolutely impossible for rider or walker to get enraged when you hear that little fella ringing away.😁
It must have been one of those caution horses that drive around in vans.
Locally cyclists are getting a bad rep for “erosion” as non cyclists see tyre marks, which must mean erosion, when horse hoof prints and boot marks are invisible.
I think a lot of this is foot prints become mangled mess. Indistinguishable from each other an no pattern. A bike tyre though is an clear individual line or two usually. Obviously pattern to see. The fact that it's no different damage to foot prints is doesn't matter as it's all in the head.
Fatbikes are particularly good at smoothing down tyre eroded tracks and, of course, tend to cause less terrain damage anyway. I only ride mine as a public service.
so I don’t know why you’d think you were a bad’un.
I'm sure I wasn't - the thread title is a tongue in cheek M&W reference but also because MTBers are normally blamed for frightening the walkers (not always without justification) but I think a galloping/cantering horse is a lot more scary.
And yes I'm sure it wasn't galloping, I know there's a difference, I originally wrote 'canter' but changed it because I didn't want to sound like I knew about horses, which I don't 🙂
The trail in question (@reluctantjumper probably knows it - it's the short steep climb up from the double gate onto the top of the Ridgeway, the one with the rusty old cable in the bushes to your left and that has a nice bombhole coming the other way.. I wonder what that cable was for?) is actually not soft ground at all, it's about 60% bare rock polished into cobbles with a thin layer of loam, quite surprised that a horse would want to go fast up there but as said I'm not an expert!
Did she lash you with her crop on the way past?
Sadly not, that would have changed the dynamic somewhat 🙂
I can’t remember ever having a bad experience with a horse/rider.
I think this is probably the first time I've been up close to a fairly rapidly moving horse in my life, including over 25 years of MTBing, so you may have a point. However I've been quite concerned many times as I press myself into the bushes trying to avoid some freaking out animal as the rider tries to calm it down, when I've absolutely just been riding along a flat trail or road in an entirely reasonable way. I think some riders train their animals carefully to be around cars but they forget about cyclists. Riders are usually apologetic in those instances though.
Fatbikes are particularly good at smoothing down tyre eroded tracks
Yes, this works by the huge tyres picking up all the loose mud on the trail and spreading it all over the rider where it gradually falls back to the trail over time giving a redistribution effect 😉
Kinky Skipton pervert busted?
My favourite tribute band.
I have sort of "dwarvish" opinion about horses, that means they are best in sausages :p
... and how can you trust "vehicle" without brakes xD
Cheers!
I.
A lot of the trails I ride down here on the NDW are bridleways and I can’t remember ever having a bad experience with a horse/rider.
I’d be a liar if I said the same about all mtbers unfortunately.
Opposite for me but then I live in Tory/Brexit country where the horse riders are VERY self important.
Very rarely see horse riders going above walking pace with their horses though and never understood it. What is the point of a horse if you could walk at the same speed, I would be racing it around everywhere and guessing have lots of veterinary bills which maybe answers why I never see horses being ridden above walking pace...
Opposite for me but then I live in Tory/Brexit country where the horse riders are VERY self important.
I think we're in the same area but I did have some **** in Burley telling me to move as we walked as they and their mate wanted to run up and down the path we were walking along (which was close to a car park why you would choose such a busy are to do your galloping / cantering I don't know). At least they warned up I guess.
Very rarely see horse riders going above walking pace with their horses though and never understood it.
They are almost certainly letting loose on soft smooth grassy trails or in private fields, which are the sort of trails or places you are never likely to ride your MTB because what makes it nice for a horse at speed has the opposite effect on you as an MTBer!
I was somewhat taken aback seeing a horse and rider crossing the A272 near Rogate yesterday.
It's an anecdote, it doesn't cover all horsey types or mtb types. Most of us treat each other with respect, but there are dicks everywhere. Just carry on being nice.
I'll add that whilst I don't see hundreds of horses a year down here near Cardiff I do see dozens, and they've all been friendly even the ones going at speed 🙂 I cannot remember a single instance of aggro.
Plenty of horses and riders near me and often see them using the roads, lanes, and bridleways in and around the village. It makes me happy to see them out as it reminds other road users that it’s not just cars being driven on the roads.
Some of the riders built some hurdle jumps in the local woods which were good for cx practice too.
It’s also good to chat with the riders about bits of bridleways that have become labelled/signed as walking routes and then suddenly and bizarrely little signs appear remonstrating with anyone using the thoroughfares for anything other than walking.
The horse riders have a very good knowledge of the older and time-established rights of way.
They (or rather the horses) don’t like (and neither do I) the flashing led bike lights, or noisy freehubs. I’m ok with the freehubs.
I hadn't thought about freehubs. Probably sounds like a snake and triggers some ancestral memory in the horse.
While love my current wheels, the freehub & rim combo is *loud*.
I always change to a higher gear and pedal slowly past horses as a result to avoid buzzing my way past freewheeling, or looking like I don’t GAS by just pedalling at normal cadence!
Plus, always call out ahead when overtaking from behind so the rider & the animal know you’re there. Horses react fairly well to voices, but sudden mechanical noises from right behind are a recipe for bolting.
Bells are often not a great help. Voices are better
All the places I used to ride my horse are now built on. There is a John Lewis on the old 'gallop track'. Meaning fewer places for horses to be ridden.
As an mtber I always put a horse rider first, even getting off the bike if I think something's going to happen.
But for all you people thinking you can train a horse to be used to all aspects of life, it's impossible. luckily the horse riders near us are used to mtbs and we all get along very well. Although there has been an element of some weekend warrior type mtbers thinking our local bridle ways are a trail centre, with them only have the right to blast around.
I still think the rider in the OP shouldn't be cantering in that particular place.
yet this last month I’ve had, ‘use your bell’ every off road ride…
yep, I have a bell but always give a 'rider back' or 'on your left / right' call but find an increasing number of people want to be told to get out the way by the ringing of a bell, perhaps they've become so accustomed to being bullied out the way by drivers that their brains can't cope with being asked?
I still think the rider in the OP shouldn’t be cantering in that particular place.
This was my thought, without wishing to be grumpy about it. It was a really busy day, far busier than I've ever seen it, walkers all over the place. So yes both the place and the time were probably not ideal!
There is a horse riding school along the road from me so i do see horses out on local trails fairly regularly. Never above a walking pace though.
Never had an issue with a horse or rider. They do make a hell of a mess of the trails though, particularly at this time of year when the ground is wet.
I had to a laugh at a notice in one of the bits of woodland the FC manage nearby though.
It was basically asking horse riders to kick horse shit off the path if their horse "drops". If this happened I'd be more worried about dodging the poo from the flying pigs.