Should Horse Riders Be Banned From Using Roads

[hauxwell]

 Batman’s car was on display at the Metrocentre in Gateshead today, I had visions of it overtaking a horse on the road, 

 

[Prettytom]

Anyone who is incapable of navigating a vehicle safely around a horse, should be banned from the roads.

[Chekhov]

On 23/03/2024 at 19:29, gaz678 said:

Well horses were on the roads well before motor cars so yep its a tricky one let's be polite and give them room 😉 

I agree, up to a point.

I significantly slow up for horses, but even that never seems enough for some riders. I can remember once I was doing about 10mph and the rider looked at me as if she expected me to actually stop. I thought no way, if your horse really is that jumpy with vehicles on the road you should not be taking it on the road.

[peak4]

According to The AA, there's about 3½ million regular riders and about 1 million horses in the UK

Safely sharing the road with horses  The AA    

Horses are easily scared – here's how to approach them

Responsible riders will try to avoid busy or fast roads and will wear high-visibility clothing, but driving carefully, particularly around bends on narrow roads, will help you spot horses and riders in time and react safely.

If you do spot a horse:

Slow right down and be ready to stop

 

Advice for motorists British Horse Society

Most horse riders and carriage drivers would prefer not to be on the roads. However, for many, it is their only option.

What should you do if you see a horse on the road?
If I see a horse on the road, then

Slow down to a maximum of 10mph 
Be patient, I won’t sound my horn or rev my engine 
Pass the horse wide and slow – at least two metres 
Drive slowly away 

What else can you do?
Be prepared to stop if necessary.
Look out for hand signals – stop or slow down if asked – this is for your own safety as it is others.

[gaz678]

On 24/03/2024 at 10:59, cuttsie said:

Cars aren't either

Only quads and illegal trail.bikes ..balaclava to be worn at all times!

[Delbow]

On 25/03/2024 at 11:19, peak4 said:

According to The AA, there's about 3½ million regular riders and about 1 million horses in the UK

Safely sharing the road with horses  The AA    

Horses are easily scared – here's how to approach them

Responsible riders will try to avoid busy or fast roads and will wear high-visibility clothing, but driving carefully, particularly around bends on narrow roads, will help you spot horses and riders in time and react safely.

If you do spot a horse:

Slow right down and be ready to stop

 

Advice for motorists British Horse Society

Most horse riders and carriage drivers would prefer not to be on the roads. However, for many, it is their only option.

What should you do if you see a horse on the road?
If I see a horse on the road, then

Slow down to a maximum of 10mph 
Be patient, I won’t sound my horn or rev my engine 
Pass the horse wide and slow – at least two metres 
Drive slowly away 

What else can you do?
Be prepared to stop if necessary.
Look out for hand signals – stop or slow down if asked – this is for your own safety as it is others.

Sounds like an absolute piece of pis$, hard to see what the problem is.

[rogets]

Just tax the horses when they use the road, this will solve all problems

 

Ensure they are registered, insured too

[Anna B]

People seem to be in a terrible hurry to ban things these days...

 

I could count the number of times I have been heldup behind horses on one hand. \are they really such a menace? 

Yes they require extra care to pass, and yes the riders can sometimes be oblivious to the rules or selfish, but doesn't that apply to every type of road user? 

 

They have to use roads to get to places where they can graze their horses or exercise them satisfactorily, so banning them using roads full stop would  cause all sorts of problems.

 

Think on.