Road Cycling - Spooked a horse & rider

I was riding on a rural road yesterday afternoon. The road was empty of cars and the only thing in sight was a lady riding a horse in the grass of the left hand side of the road. She was riding the same direction as me and had her back to me. I was all the way on the right hand side of the road. As I got closer the horse got spooked and almost threw the lady on off the horse. She got it under control fairly quick, pretty much as I came even with her.

She turned and said that I needed to tell her I was coming. She was nice about it but I could tell she was a bit shook by almost getting tossed. I apologized and said I just didn't realize that the horse would have gotten spooked like that.

Anybody ever have this happen?

I've never had it happen on a bike, but I have had it happen. You should have called out. Mistakes do happen, so I wouldn't feel bad. Most horses won't spook that bad but it's a good idea to call out.

I come across horses all the time when mtb'ing. If I come close, I'll annouce myself and/or wait.

However, in your scenario, I wouldn't have announced myself and I wouldn't have cared if the horse threw the rider. If someone's horse is that easy to spoke, then they need to train it better or shoot the bugger. You did nothing wrong, sounds like you were a fair distance away.

I passed a horse drawn carriage/wagon thing the other night. It wasn't so much the horse that got spooked but the riders in the wagon. You should have seen the freaked out look they had on their faces when I went by them. I just waved and went on. :D

I have not liked horses ever since one ran me down from behind and stomped on me when I was about 4 or 5 years old. Scared the bejeebers out of me and to this day I still can't stand being near the things. Every one is different....one may spook easily and the next one might be as mellow as can be. IMO...never trust a horse. :D :o :eek:

I was on that same road recently and had a horse drawn carriage coming toward me. The horse and the people in the carriage saw me coming and it was no problem. We waved to each other and that was it.

I guess I'll at least be aware of it in the future. Whether it would have been my fault or not I wouldn't have wanted the lady tossed.

Horses are strange creatures and have a mind of their own. Only God knows what spooks them! I have seen horses that wouldn't pass a certain tree on the left, but would on the right, go figure that one out!! :eek:

I would always anounce myself a goodly distance from a horse and rider especially if overtaking from the rear! I have seen one behave just as you described even with the anouncement, the difference is that the rider was ready to handle their unruly beast. ;)

LordOpie (I wouldn't have announced myself and I wouldn't have cared if the horse threw the rider.) Why, pray tell, would you like to see the rider thrown? That would be callous of you in the least! :mad:

LordOpie (I wouldn't have announced myself and I wouldn't have cared if the horse threw the rider.) Why, pray tell, would you like to see the rider thrown? That would be callous of you in the least! :mad:
Yes, because of course I actually said that I want the rider to be thrown :rolleyes:

Do you believe in personal responsibility? If you're on a horse that gets spooked from such a distance, then really, that's totally your problem.

my ex-gf is into horse back riding and i would often comment to her how i never realized they were so touchy. she would remind me that different horses were different - there are horses that are way more sedate and predictable, but generally speaking those don't make the best athletes (dressage, jumping, eventing, racing etc..)

also, while i do think it's the responsibility of the person with the horse to not take it someplace where it's gonna be nervous and put itself or anyone at risk - i have to say that while dating her i did see the reason for the fascination. horses are pretty incredible creatures, and the dressage and jumping that she does are the nicest life a horse could ask for as well as being very cool from a mental-link-between-horse-and-rider standpoint.

the last things i learned was that warmbloods are more stunning and majestic than throroughbreds (which are the horses you see on the track like Smarty Jones), and that thoroughbred racing is really vile because they run the horse until it's a ruined animal by the time it's three. like it's unhealthy for them to to run so hard while they're still growing.

However, in your scenario, I wouldn't have announced myself and I wouldn't have cared if the horse threw the rider. If someone's horse is that easy to spoke, then they need to train it better or shoot the bugger. You did nothing wrong, sounds like you were a fair distance away.

I am not going to pretend to understand where you are coming from with this comment, but I am assuming that you have NEVER been spoked in your life by someone walking up from behind you, if so then by your statement you should have been trained better or put down
It might not have been the horses fault, if you surprised the rider, she could have tightened her legs around the horse and that could have spooked the horse or told the horse to move forward, so you never know

So I am assuming that maybe you are one of people when passing another cyclist you dont feel that you should annouce your presents either, and you are expecting the rider you hold their line as you pass?

Sorry for the rant but being that I am a horse owner and my wife is a horse trainer, I spend my free time at the barn with my horse and I will admit there are some horses that are spooked by tree russing 100 yards away and then there are thoughs that you would think are blind b/c nothing will spook them, but I ask is it so hard to announce yourself as you came up to a horse? Because once a horse bolts, you could also endanger yourself (especially if the rider is thrown, there is no one there to calm the horse down, and if you think you could stop an 1100-1700 pound horse on your bike then I wish you the best of luck).

...but I ask is it so hard to announce yourself as you came up to a horse?
Either some of y'all are idiots or you're looking for an arguement. It's cool either way. In case you're too lazy to have actually read my post or you're so easily upset, I'll reiterate...

I come across horses all the time when mtb'ing. If I come close, I'll annouce myself and/or wait.

Anybody ever have this happen?

Something a little more dangerous happened to me...

There was a guy walking his horse on the right shoulder of a rural road and I'm coming up at about 25 km/h in the middle of the lane. He looks at me... and I mean *looks* at me like Lance checking out Ullrich with "The Look (TM)" so I figure I'm safe to pass after slowing to maybe 15 km/h. Nope, dude waits until I'm about 2m behind the horse and proceeds to mount it.

Now horses freak when stuff if coming up beside them from the rear so you can tell the horse is getting twitchy 'cause there's a big brown eye looking right at me, tracking me. Having this mental case climbing on is more than it can handle so it spins 90° blocking me and the lane forcing me over the oncoming lane and to the extreme left of the road. If there was a car coming either me or the horse would've been creamed.

In that case I wish the horse had thrown the rider, stomped on him then finished off by defecating on him. If the moron had waited 10 seconds for me to pass there would've been no problem. :mad:

Being a horseback rider and a roadie, I can say I prefer to speak at a reasonable volume when coming up behind a horse and rider. Don't shout, and don't just blow by. Either one would easily spook many a horse. There are plenty that wouldn't give a damn if you blew by at 50MPH with an entire marching band riding on unicycles behind you, but there are some that freak out if the car down the block has squeaky brakes.
I just make sure not to make any LOUD noises coming up behind a horse, but speak a sentence or two while passing. Cars have this habit of blowing their horn before passing a horse (sometimes to be idiots, but usually to let you know they're coming. That's not good at all. A horse can hear a freaking car coming!!) Just a "Hey there, coming up behind you, nice ride, man" is plenty. Lets the horse know there's a human back there, lets it know it's coming up fast and lets it know it's said human while you're passing. It also allows the rider time to get ready for whatever may happen. JMO

Cole

I come across horses all the time when mtb'ing. If I come close, I'll annouce myself and/or wait.

However, in your scenario, I wouldn't have announced myself and I wouldn't have cared if the horse threw the rider. If someone's horse is that easy to spoke, then they need to train it better or shoot the bugger. You did nothing wrong, sounds like you were a fair distance away.


Originally Posted by aluckyfiji...but I ask is it so hard to announce yourself as you came up to a horse?

Either some of y'all are idiots or you're looking for an arguement. It's cool either way. In case you're too lazy to have actually read my post or you're so easily upset, I'll reiterate... Originally Posted by LordOpieI come across horses all the time when mtb'ing. If I come close, I'll annouce myself and/or wait.

You say you annouce and/or wait on the trails, but in this scenario you would not have annouced yourself; this is where I am confussed. So in your eyes there is a distance factor (less than a yard annouce, otherwise they are on their own)?

So accouncing oneself only applies to MTBer, or is it a trail thing? Or is it the horse(s) is/are taking up the trail so that one can not pass and by annouce ones presents the hope is they will move over so one can pass?

Either some of y'all are idiots or you're looking for an arguement. It's cool either way. In case you're too lazy to have actually read my post or you're so easily upset, I'll reiterate...


I think the big point here is that you have to behave differently around a someone on a horse, as the horse involved may not be willing to let the someone on his back be in control. This can happen to even the most staid of horses (as well as someones).

You are doing right by announcing yourself and stopping on trails; this is good for the horse and the someone in this case, but also good for you, as on a trail you are generally more close to the horse and thus more apt to be involved in a horse-cyclist interaction (read "horse kicking/run-over/stomping) than on the other side of a road.

Generally, when on a street, I announce myself to a horse rider on my side of the street and I will slow down or stop to allow the rider to turn the horse so the horse can see that I am not a big, evil thing that might eat them. I allow plenty of room between myself and the horse and rider when I do so to avoid the afore mentioned horse-cyclist interacton(s).

It all boils down to courtesy and common safety sense. It is a courtesy to announce yourself when overtaking and passing another cyclist to avoid startling them and having them turn into you, as if you both crash there could be injuries. It is courtesy and common-sense to announce yourself to a horse rider because the horse is much more un-predictable than a mere human on a bike and if you and the horse collide or if the horse starts and collides with you, you are generally not going to win with the horse and there could be three injured parties--you, the horseman and the horse.

As for announcing myself to a horse on the other side of a street. . .I generally try to watch out for stuff happening up the road from me and a horse falls in that category. I'll watch the horse because it is usually pretty easy to tell if the horse has heard you if you watch it's head movements, ear movements and body language. If I see or think that the horse has not heard me/seen me, I try to call out and slow down. I don't want a rider thrown or a horse startled, just as I don't want to be thrown, or startled

Sometimes sh** happens and can happen with even the most mellow, laid-back of horses. Better to be safe than sorry, announce yourself to a rider on a horse.

And I try never to wish someone to be thrown, 'cuz I never want to thrown and I know how "interesting" riding a horse can be

You say you annouce and/or wait on the trails, but in this scenario you would not have annouced yourself; this is where I am confussed. So in your eyes there is a distance factor (less than a yard annouce, otherwise they are on their own)?
May I suggest a reading comprehension course? Wingnut said the horse was on the other side of the road, in the grass. Wingnut sounded like he felt like he had done something wrong, he didn't.

My mother-in-law breeds and trains "jumping" horses. She is also a Champion rider in the Montana Jumping Horse Assoc. Don't ask me the breed.

I asked her about this topic.

She was concerned that the horse had not been properly trained. She has a 2 year old mare that she had here recently that was still fairly green and hard to manage. That may have been the case with the horse in question here as well. Certain breeds are very hi-strung as well. (like her jumpers)

May I suggest a reading comprehension course? Wingnut said the horse was on the other side of the road, in the grass. Wingnut sounded like he felt like he had done something wrong, he didn't.

I have to say that while I wouldn't necessarily shoot the horse, I think LO isn't far off on this. The horse was on the other side of the road. In this situation, I doubt I'd have announced myself either. Maybe now, after reading this, I will :)

i think the crux of the issue is that none of our training as cyclists prepares us for the idea that somebody who's totally on the other side of the road needs to be warned about us coming up on them.

It seem to be differents in definition of rural road-
Rural road, so that means (to me) the kind of road where it is about a car and a half wide (where one car has to pull of the road to allow an other to pass, usually paved with pitch tar and gravel), so if wingnut was on the far right hand side and the horse was on the left eating grass the could have easily passed within 20 feet of each other (a rural road in the chiacgo area is probally not this narrow, but in tenn., miss. and ala. they are, and I just now looked and saw that wingnut is from chiacgo area)
At 20 feet, this is still close enough to spook a horse espeically if the horse is 'green' or spooky and coming from behind

All that I ask is that you annouce yourself as you came up to a horse (especially from behind), if does not harm you any and might prevent someone else from being harmed.
I would hate from this to happen to someone I know while they where riding their horse along the road and it could have been prevented simply by someone annoucing their presents.

Enjoyed the debate, have a great day

I have to say that while I wouldn't necessarily shoot the horse, I think LO isn't far off on this. The horse was on the other side of the road. In this situation, I doubt I'd have announced myself either. Maybe now, after reading this, I will :)
well, I'd never shoot a horse, but I might shoot a rider :D

I came upon my first horse this week. I just started to coast from a ways back and the rider heard my "clicking", turned and saw me. I then continued to pass very slowly w/o incident.

I have to say that while I wouldn't necessarily shoot the horse, I think LO isn't far off on this. The horse was on the other side of the road. In this situation, I doubt I'd have announced myself either. Maybe now, after reading this, I will :)

MacMan, I'm pretty sure that you and I ride some of the same areas (west of Rt 59). This was on Gilmore which intersects with 127th St. If your in Naperville I'm betting you have been there.

As far as the comment of "rural" roads, this is a road in which 2 cars can pass each other easily. When I say rural I'm saying it just doesn't get much traffic which is the way I like it!

My point in posting this thread was more of an FYI to anyone who cared. Had a car been on the road or the horse turned toward me instead of the other way it could have gotten interesting.

I plan to announce myself in the future and feel I will have done my part if the horse still gets spooked.

That's odd, on my daily biking route I always pass by a group of 4-5 fenced in horses, and I usually fly right by them, no riders on them or anything, but they just stay calm as if nothing happened, the dogs I pass by after that on the other hand.....I have never seen a dog run so fast, a matter of fact it was keeping up with me.

May I suggest a reading comprehension course? Wingnut said the horse was on the other side of the road, in the grass. Wingnut sounded like he felt like he had done something wrong, he didn't.

I don't see that he anything wrong or different what I would have done either. If she was on the same side of the road then yes, calling out would have been the correct thing to do. But she is on the opposite side and riding against traffic. Her problem!

MacMan, I'm pretty sure that you and I ride some of the same areas (west of Rt 59). This was on Gilmore which intersects with 127th St. If your in Naperville I'm betting you have been there.


I ride that very route! I take 127th/simmons out to Schlapp all the time and on the loop come back on Collins and then Gilmore (that's the one with the short sharp hill and 90-degree turn, right? - I know the roads but sometimes forget the names). That road is wide enough to get two farm vehicles down on opposite sides. No way I'd have announced myself unless the horse was on my side. 127th is busy enough that any horse around that area should be trained well. You did nothing wrong.

That's odd, on my daily biking route I always pass by a group of 4-5 fenced in horses, and I usually fly right by them, no riders on them or anything, but they just stay calm as if nothing happened...
That is an excellent and interesting point.

I too ride by a couple of large fenced ranches on one particular ride. I'll grind up and fly down past 'em. Some of 'em are right up against the fence. Sometimes they ignore me, sometimes they watch me. They never seem anything more than bored to slightly interested with my presence. Even when I'm talking to 'em, which is a bit offensive, but that's my problem.

Why is it that -- from my limited experience -- horses never seem to have a problem when they don't have someone riding them?

That is an excellent and interesting point.

. . .

Why is it that -- from my limited experience -- horses never seem to have a problem when they don't have someone riding them?

This is because horses take their cues from whoever is riding them, and some horses take real advantage of this and some horses know the skills of who is riding them. The horse that a friend of mine used to have would act like a complete, well, horse's a&&, whenever my friend was aboard. She used a double bit and curb on the horse (pretty serious head control on a horse). When my friend was gone I got to go ride and exercise the horse. I would get up on the horse, halter only and we would both saunter down to the local ring to "work out". I later found out that this was a horse that had dumped my friend and run away with her. The horse gave me no trouble untill I learned to ride better--and then she started her prancing, dancing, seemingly-high-strung ways with me.

All animals (humans included) have their own personalities and ways of behivior. It would be a very boring world if everyone was the same.

Her problem!

Well, true unless the horse heads for you.

I always announce myself when approaching from behind. A matter of self-preservation, as a spooked horse, no matter how untrained or who is at fault for the spooking, can be 1500 pounds of dangerous hooves. I always ask the rider, in a soft controlled voice, if it is clear to ride my bike through, then I talk gently the entire time I am passing. Horses need to be able to tell where you are, and do so by hearing.

We used to have a field where the local trail went through a boarding and pasture area for about 30 horses. One day, when we were walking through, a horse came up, nudged Nora hard with his nose and pushed her over, and then proceeded to step over her. Very, very scary. She ended up in the emergency room. It seemed some of the walkers had been illegally feeding the horses and they were looking for food in Nora's coat.

The horses are gone now, but I am not a fan of horses.

If you're on a public road you're under no obligation to let a horse know you're coming, at least not in Michigan. You are only required to ride to the far right of the road and obey traffic laws. Still a good idea to let the horse know you're coming while still at a safe distance away but most riders/drivers do not and are not expected to know how to properly approach a horse.

That said a horse is a prey animal that is still around today because it is good at quickly escaping from anything that wants to eat it. Prey animals are naturally jumpy though a well trained horse won't be spooked easily. It is irresponsible and dumb to take an easily spooked horse out on a public roadway. Imagine how that horse may deal with an unmuffled motorcycle or loud car racing by while passing another vehicle or a yahoo screaming and honking their horn at a bicycle rider from their car window or a dog deciding to chase it for fun, etc., etc..

If some guy pedaling his bike down the other side of the road can dangerously spook that horse then, sorry, but that horse has no business being there.

sorry I skipped most of the posts here (read about the first half page)

I used to live in Niagara Falls where they have carriage rides, and I can pass those horses screaming at the top of my lungs if I want and they dont care.

On the other hand where I live now if I see people riding there horses so much I dont know, maybe its a new to them horse, maybe their a new rider etc;

I usually pull to the far side of the road and pass if I'm training or call out if I'm not in a hurry (which isn't typical of me...usually I just fly by far away).

Meh.

Chad

I think it's a good idea to announce yourself as mentioned. I kinda doubt I would have done it in this situation though. I've ridden a fair amount with different horses and feel if you are going to take your horse on a public road that you and the horse should be adequetely prepared and trained. This horse obviously wasn't. Not much of a consolation if the horse runs away and hurts you, the rider, itself or others. So good post to expand our knowledge to make it a little safer for everyone.