Horses on roads.

It was highlighted on the local news today about horses being killed on roads or at the least being spooked and causing accidents.

I'm just wondering if I'm the only one who thinks modern roads are far too crowded for horses to be allowed on and wouldn't it be much better if landowners were to create a system of bridleways that horse riders can follow in order to move around.
It would be safer for all concerned.

I use some rural roads for getting to work every day and although I dont see that many horses when I do it is always fairly frustrating for all.
I tend to feel mostly sorry for the horses concerned being put into that diabolical situation.
One person I often come across persists in taking one of those horse buggy things, where the horse has to trot very fast, out onto the roads at 5 pm most evenings.
The horse is looking very stressed to me, but I think the bloke sitting on the buggy is just enjoying the traffic jam he is causing.

Any thoughts, I guess it depends a lot on where you live and what the traffic is like in your area.

 

This area is quite rural. We have lanes which are used by horseriders, but we locals know to be patient. The riders care about their mounts BUT so do we motorists.

 

Hi, I ride regularly, and I can assure you that most riders would only be too happy to ride along a network of bridleways instead of using roads. Unfortunately in many places these do not exist, and even persuading a landowner to allow access along a small section of land to connect two paths can be a real struggle. We ride on roads where there is no choice.

 

When 'they' finally get around to banning horses, bicycles, pedestrians, motorcyclists, lorries, tractors and cars from rural roads, the rural lanes will be much safer for, er, er ........ Badgers and Hedgehogs?

 

Here there is good riders and bad riders, here they are good drivers and bad drivers
We had to get off the road sharpley because of people that do not want to slow down,
ie: cars,4x4,tractors and vans, even we have had to get out of the way with some one in a 4x4 with a horse box and we say the words " if we drive past you when your on the road with your horse we'll be in the wrong"

Please don't do as i do, but do as i say

We have seen horse out in the dark with on lights or high ves vests and going out in the rush hour and here there is lots of bridleway, some of the horse owns have lots of land (100 acres +) but they like to ride on the road

don't forget tractor speed has gone up from 20mph to 25mph but they can reach speeds of 35-40mph (illegelly)

Resect works both ways and when it doesn't it causes problems which we have nowerdays

 

I live in a small town with 2000 horses.
Not a problem .........us humans know our place........

 

It's dangerous enough on the roads driving around in a car - I wouldn't like to be on a horse

Driving to Peterborough last Thursday - two riders move aside on a blind bend - another car comes around the corner on my side (in an attempt to maximise the distance between themselves and the horses). Luckily I had slowed right down and was crawling along - it could have been a head on if I was driving 'normally'.

Horses and cars don't mix

 

On some occasions I've even come across horses being ridden by children, on roads that I wouldn't even let a kid ride a bike on, let alone something as strong and unpredictable as a horse.

I know these are country roads mainly, in question, but around here the country roads are pretty much as busy as the main roads, busses and even artics use them, due to the fact that a good percentage of the farms now rent their buildings out to other businesses and there appears to be no limits set as to what kinds of vehicles these businesses use.

Transport yards are a favourite for using farms.

 

I've only ever come across one inconsiderate horse rider, on Exmoor, leading another 2 ponies and hogging the narrow road for what seemed like ages, but probably just taking a little more time than local riders who will allways either pull in, or break into a trot to avoid causing inconvenience to following motorists.

Unlike the lycra clad bands of cyclists who hog the rural lanes around here.

 

That's exactly what our farming friends turned up with when some dodgy types turned up to nick our stuff.