Horse Encounters of the Bicycle Kind

[LimboJim]

I just read a post by someone about riding by horses on a trail, and being surprised that the horses were startled.

It's my opinion, and that of pretty much all experienced trail riders, that we should always dismount our bikes immediately upon seeing a horse for several reasons, most importantly safety and courtesy.

Getting along with equestrians increases our chances for sharing trails, so it’s well worth the effort. If you fail to yield to a horse, guess who wins? 1,400 lbs of spooked animal can be a bit dangerous.


Yielding to horses isn’t just good etiquette,
it’s also self preservation!
Photo: Arizona State Parks

 

[mrgold35]

Our trails near the Rio Grande river are open to walker, joggers, hikers, MTB, and horses along with rabbits, porcupines, squirrels, skunks, and coyotes. The only reason I have a fender is mostly because of doggy and horsey poo on the trails. There are a ton of folks using these trails and horses are use to seeing people, bikes, and pets on the trails. I usually treat the horses the same as folks with pets (or folks with headphones). I slow down to walking speed, use my bell (seems to be heard better with headphones), and usually give a verbal greeting, wave, or head nod if I make eye contact.

I've noticed if you slow down and are friendly to the horse rider, the horse doesn't get startled as you ride by.

 

[PDoz]

Please don't use a bell around a horse!

Assume they are the most unpredictable and irrational creature this side of a donkey. Stop,put your bike between them and you so there is at least some protection when the crazy creature decides it's time to bolt / kick / rear / ignore you....and then assume next time you see exactly the same creature under exactly the same circumstances it'll do the opposite. Or not.

My daughter seems to enjoy risking her life on her stupid equine....occasionaly I ride my mtb and most of the time we seem to have lovely rides together along the local trails. Then I start getting complacent and the evil sneaky mongrel of a thing decides my daughter doesn't really need skin on her hands and it might be fun to run in front of a car......all because our donkey made a weird noise....did I mention stupid equines?

Horses are stupid - don't give a horse rider an excuse to blame your bell ......

Ps this post is only 50% tongue in cheek...horses really are stupid....ringing a bell might startle them

 

[Volts]

I wouldn't have thought of dismounting, I could try that. I went on a trail recently and encountered a couple horses.

I softly greeted them and kept up a short patter because it seemed like the relaxing thing for the benefit of the horses to do. The rider thanked me for talking, she said it calms them.

 

[vincent]

A horses eyesight is not the same as humans
they are not stupid, mother nature has programmed them different, they are geared to see animals/predaters coming at them from a distance - like a lion

They are prey animals not predators, they react like deer and are scared of things coming at them fast

It would be very unusual for a horse to bite or kick a bike rider, they only do those things when very frightened and feel cornered
Mainly if spooked they will want to leave


They cannot tell what bicycles with humans riding on them are

I would not use the bell

Do like others said above
slow down or stop
Talk softly to the horse
If this still does not calm it get off your bike slowly and remove your helmet still talking
Any movements need to be away from the horse not toward it unless the rider asks you to approach

Once they realize you are a human most will calm down

 

[AlanDB]

Good advice, but I am wondering why you would remove the helmet.

 

[vincent]

Because if talking to them is not enough you dont really look like a human with a helmet on your head

Granted a lot of horse riders use helmets but those people are known by their horses and brushed them/ tacked them before they got on

They know their smell etc

They may not be worried about their owner with a helmet on but this contraption moving toward them that does not look like something they recognize

Try to look like a human, Removing the helmet helps that

 

[ebikemom]

horses really are stupid....ringing a bell might startle them

I think it's less about smarts or stupidity and more about being a prey animal that flees when startled.

It's all about what a horse is used to.

Riders have to use their judgment about what environments are safe for riding their particular horse--I know a horse owner who moved her horse out of our suburb into a more outlying area because her horse couldn't adjust to being around cars and bicycles, much less ebikes.

Lots of great advice here on how to behave around horses.

 

[JRA]

On shared trail systems it is the responsibility of both parties to show respect. Horses as has been noted view things differently than we do so ultimately it is the riders, both bike and horse, and their knowledge of proper trail etiquette that can make the difference.

On a trail ride a few months ago we see sawed with two women on horseback. The person I was riding with had no idea how to deal with them but I have had a lot of prior experience so it all went quite smoothly.

If you use a bell as noted within close proximity to a horse it stands a chance of spooking it. However the method I use is to give it a few rings well before as soon as I feel the riders will hear it. Then I follow at a distance and savvy riders will find a spot to pull off the trail and give a call out that the coast is clear. Passing is done at a slow pace with no sudden moves and usually some voice interaction. This method has worked for me well over the years of riding in the West.

If you stop on a shared trail do so in a spot that allows for others to pass freely also.

 

[PDoz]

I guess my stupid comment needs a bit of context to stop me looking stupid?

Meet Syd, he evolved as a prey AND pack animal, but has been bred as a bolt animal. Unfortunately he wasn't very well bred so his racing career was short, I suspect his racing owner may have been learning about horses....then for a while he enjoyed a life of leisure as a pampered jumping / prancing show horse with very nice owners - they helped him develop a temperament that made him seem ideal as his current role - a middle aged old man with a young girl as part of his pack. Nobody has really decided if the young girl is his pack leader, or just someone to be tollerated, but the young girls father seems to deserve a bit of caution - especially when he's on that buzzy electric thing that goes almost as fast as Syd. On a good day, Syd loves nothing more than going exploring with the human / bike pack . Depending pn how much pain he's in, or which way the wind is blowing, or what mood his human cargo is in, he might prefer to be in front of or behind the rest of the human pack. Sometimes he might want to be alone , but sometimes he MUST know exactly where everyone is. Perhaps it's the fathers fault that he can't always work out when, why, or if syds preferences change?

One thing is for certain, though, if the other pack member - Jingo - is left behind and gets a bit noisy, it's a LOT harder to predict what syd is going to do. Jingo is the small donkey pack member, I find it hard to believe there was any deliberate breeding input and sometimes I consider jingo living proof of the selfish gene theory. It would be very stupid to startle jingo.....most of the time he will just bolt with a trail of dust from his kicking rear legs.....but not always.

Soooo...please don't ring the bell!

 

[PDoz]

Now, for a bit more context.

I've heard horse riding freinds refer to cyclists as the silent death.

We live in a rural town, population 4500 people, and a very high proportion of recreational horse riders , mountain bike riders, and motorcycle riders share an informal network of trails best described as heaven. It's rare to come across anyone else during a day invested enjoying these trails, but occasionally we cross paths.

From a horse riders perspective, the motorbikes are relatively easy - they can hear us coming, stop, regroup, point the horses towards the potential threat and even dismount if their horse is insecure / flighty / competitive etc. The bikes are not so easy to hear coming.

From an artificial riders perspective, we suddenly come across a herd of prey animals that may still be trying to negotiate who is in charge, who is responsible for defending the herd, and who gives the " bolt" signal. It can be very difficult to know the herd dynamics. The rear rider might be the most experienced and able to give us a reliable indicator of the safety of proceeding, or they might be a complete stranger to the herd with absolutely no understanding of the dynamic. Or they might just be wrong. Or we might flick up a stick that looks like a snake.

I think cautious respect is wise