What Do YOU Do When You Encounter an Equestrian on a Trail?

[YesNdeed]

Hopefully stop, and ask the rider how to proceed.

https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico...-after-injury/

[NHAero]

We (small group of old MTBers) always just stop and let the equestrians pass us. Coming up on them we announce ourselves then stop.

[nalax]

I always stop, say hello and give them the right of away. The rider almost always will then tell me how to proceed. On the rare occasions when I might be passing I'll call out hello and let them know where I am. Then they pull over and let me know when it's good to pass. I always make time for a little conversation.

[bigbill]

The etiquette is normally that bikers and hikers yield to equestrians. In Arizona, the state parks have signs stating that. I trail ride on horseback and on my MTB and for the most part, when I'm on a horse, the MTBr's have been courteous. The only real issue we ever had on a trail ride was a Karen who thought that she was a pedestrian and had the right away over equestrians. Even though I tried to explain that she was a hiker, she said she was reporting us to the park rangers. I hope she did.

On the case linked in the OP, the MTB person should have never overtaken the riders without clearly communicating and getting the okay from the riders.

[Spdntrxi]

dismount and walk (wide berth)

[bironi]

It depends on your hood.
Very rare occurrence in my hood.
I was shocked by the meetup.
I read the rules recently, but nobody reads the rules.
So just take more caution.
I can't bunny hop a horse.

[prototoast]

Usually I curse to myself, then wonder why they never clean up their horses' excrement.

[osbk67]

I haven’t ridden a horse more than three times in my life but encounter them frequently on the rural and farm roads where I ride.

In slowing down and waiting for clearance to overtake I make conversation and was once asked not to freewheel, as the sound can apparently be very unsettling for some horses. Maybe it sounds like a rattlesnake, not that I’ve heard one in real life.

Most riders say they just want the chance to let their horse see you before you ride past. I seldom if ever completely stop unless it’s children riding and not looking confident.

[verticaldoug]

It doesn't matter how bomb proof the horse is or strong the rider is, when a horse wants to be stupid and spook, they will,


Calling out to a rider when approaching is a good idea. Even more important when coming up behind. The horse has probably already heard you, but maybe the rider has not. By calling out, you let the rider know you are a friend, and the rider relaxes a bit. When a rider tenses up or is startled, the horse tenses up and is startled. It's a funny relationship.

A lot of issues are the rider and not the horse.

(A few bad experiences can really wreck a horse)

[marciero]

The article mentions the "side of the road" and "traffic laws" so it sounds like they were actually on a road. When I encounter a horse I slow down and start talking or greeting horse and rider, starting from just in audible range of normal speaking voice. Talking to the horse shows the rider that you are respecting the animal. Thats my thinking anyway. I'd like to think the horse knows you are talking to them too. In my experience horses on roads are usually acclimated to it.

[Alistair]

Trail? Slow/stop, say hello, and let the horse rider tell me how to proceed.

Road (with car traffic)? Slow a bit, say hello, and keep on riding.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by marciero

The article mentions the "side of the road" and "traffic laws" so it sounds like they were actually on a road.

Yeah, a bit more detail would have been useful.

I see horses on the road fairly frequently - either "hunt country" people out in Loudoun County, VA or Mennonites near Harrisonburg, VA. I give them room, but I assume the horse and rider are competent and used to riding with other road users (if not, they shouldn't be there).

Totally different than approaching a horse on single-track, which I see a few times/year here in Fairfax County, VA (almost all our trails are open to horses and bikes).

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by Alistair

or Mennonites near Harrisonburg, VA.

Hey, that's home!!! And good to see you mention them as Mennonites not Amish, a common mistake.

[glepore]

Originally Posted by Alistair

Yeah, a bit more detail would have been useful.

I see horses on the road fairly frequently - either "hunt country" people out in Loudoun County, VA or Mennonites near Harrisonburg, VA. I give them room, but I assume the horse and rider are competent and used to riding with other road users (if not, they shouldn't be there).

Totally different than approaching a horse on single-track, which I see a few times/year here in Fairfax County, VA (almost all our trails are open to horses and bikes).

Long time rider of both horses and bikes here. The important thing to remember is that in the wild a horse is a prey animal and has a very well developed "fright or flight" response. While they have great (almost 360 degree) peripheral vision, they can't distinguish a moving but silent bike from a panther.

If approaching from the rear, PLEASE let the horse and rider know you're there. Talk. Say hi. Anything to identify you as human. Don't assume we know you're there. The horse will usually tense, but the rider may not know why. If the horse identifies you as a person, all's good. A seasoned rider will often turn the horse to face you if you speak out. The really bad spooks are almost always when a cyclist silently passes from behind. And yeah, Chris King hubs are bad for horses...

Same deal when approaching from the front-slow, speak out. If possible, stop til we pass.

I find that MTB'ers usually know trail priority and etiquette - the real risk is on narrowish singletrack when you can come suddenly around a corner and surprise everyone.

As to the riders on the road being more in control, well, maybe. Amish and Mennonite horses are one thing, they're in daily use as transportation. The rest of us, not so much. A stealthy pass is dangerous.

The comment that the rider hasn't trained the horse is not really fair. My horse is very traffic safe as far as horses go. But I've been hurt twice by another horse in the group spooking, leading to a mass bolt of all of the horses-remember, they think the last one gets eaten. You can ride out a full gallop bolt for only so far before you get unlucky and you either get thrown or worse, the horse passes a tree that it clears but you don't. Smacking a tree at 30 mph six feet in the air is more than unpleasant.

Poop is an issue. But you can't really dismount and clean it up-we don't carry shovels and its not easy to remount from the ground for some of us. Keep in mind though that horses aren't carnivores and their poop is much less of a gross health risk than other forms of poop.

Remember this when you're driving as well-slow and give the horse and rider time to assess and consider the sightline. Horses have difficulty seeing directly in front of them (weird, I know) so if approaching head on especially slow down.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Usually I curse to myself, then wonder why they never clean up their horses' excrement.

Well I know this is a useless point to make for many here but there really is not any health danger from horse poop and it's actually good for the environment.

"Horse manure is a solid waste excluded from federal EPA solid waste regulation because it neither contains significant amounts of hazardous chemicals, nor exhibits hazardous characteristics. The chemical constituents of horse manure are not toxic to humans."

Now that said, and this is coming from someone raised on a horse farm, it is a "pain" to encounter it on the trail in some ways.