70sSanO

I’ll stop for horses and let the rider wave me on. Usually they are just on some parts of a mtb trail.

I’m just thankful dogs are not on the list; but I imagine that is coming. Then again, mountain lions are exempt from giving pets the right of way so in the end it will all work out.

John

Chuckles1

This an interesting topic I'd never given much thought to before. I happened to come upon a lone rider yesterday going the opposite direction from me on the same gravel road where I encountered the group of five teen riders a couple years back. (Covid closed the camp this year, so no student riders this year). The woman on horseback pulled her horse off to the right side and waited for me to pass, but having been recently chastised on the forum, I stopped and dismounted my bike about fifty yards shy of her, and waved her on. She stayed put and said, "no, you're OK", so I got on and slowly climbed the steep gravel hill towards her.

As I approached at a crawl, I asked, will talking spook your horse? She said, no, talking is good. I proceeded to tell her about my exchange on the forum with a fellow from out west who informed me the law says I have to dismount and wait for the horse to pass. She said her horse was afraid of bicycles, and that my speaking while approaching was good experience for the horse and might help to make bikes less scary for her horse.

I looked up Maine law as best I could this morning. It defines both bicycles and horse/ riders as" vulnerable operators" with special rights vs motor vehicles. On cyclists passing horses, when passing a horse from behind, the cyclist may proceed with caution. On passing a horse in the opposite direction, the cyclist may proceed unless the horse appears frightened or the rider holds up his hand in a "stop" gesture. In that case, the cyclist must stop and wait until the horse proceeds past him.

So here, I needn't stop unless the rider signals for me to do so, which they are allowed to do if their horse appears frightened. In addition, cyclists (or motor vehicle operators) may not throw objects or otherwise engage in threatening or disruptive behavior when encountering a rider. No mention that I could find of dealing with multiple horses, so I guess the same common sense rules apply.

In the future, I'll be sure to watch for the upraised hand and stop if I see it, or if the horse appears agitated, which I would always have done regardless of the law.

Danhedonia

Sweet Jesus, thank you for that post.

Also, just want to echo: there's a massive difference between assuming that one knows best, and simply being considerate within surroundings.

True story: in my community, we have a restaurant adjacent to a trail network that is used by equestrians and others. The restaurant has a hitching rail out side, at one end of a dirt parking lot. There is a sign over it that says "Horse Parking Only."

I **** you not, last time I was there a gaggle of Boomers who just moved to town from California got out, started laughing and taking pics in front of the post, and wandered inside. Their jumbo SUV was parked in front of the post, although it wasn't crowded and there were plenty of spots to park.

My wife (who painted the sign for the owner) and her two friends rode up. Boomers got out and moved the SUV, almost backing into one of the horses.

I don't think it's about the letter of the law. It's about overconfidence and entitlement and just being a situational jerk.

Anyhow, many thanks to those who are thoughtful and respectful and work with equestrians. Everyone's safety benefits, and we all go home feeling nicer.