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

[djg21]

Originally Posted by glepore

What you're doing is fine. Slow way down and start talking to the the rider(s) as soon as you're in range-just casual stuff-"hey, I'm behind, how's your day, can I come by slow?" . You just want both horse and rider to be aware of your presence as a human before you pass. The rest is up to them.

Horses are prey animals, and cannot see anything directly behind them. If you approach relatively quickly from behind, you very well may spook the horse, which can perceive you as a predator. It’s obviously best to give as wide of a berth as possible, and to put yourself in a position so it can more easily see you.

[glepore]

Well, sort of. Yes horses have a blind spot directly to the rear, but you don't pass directly to the rear, you're off to the side a bit. Horses have a 340 degree field of vision, with blind spots directly in front and behind. Of course, if you stay directly behind and then swing out without a sound its going to get ugly.


What is most likely to spook them is for you to appear suddenly and moving in their field of vision without some audible clue. If I hear a cyclist talking from behind, I'll turn, and usually turn the horse so that the horse sees the bike and person and also knows that I'm aware and in control.

[Philster]

I had a horse rear up as I passed in the other direction on a dirt road. It scared the bejesus out of me. So, now I’m very respectful out of self preservation.

Still those right of way signs that show cyclists yielding to everyone bug me. Who do you think came up with that?

[benb]

Originally Posted by Philster

I had a horse rear up as I passed in the other direction on a dirt road. It scared the bejesus out of me. So, now I’m very respectful out of self preservation.

Still those right of way signs that show cyclists yielding to everyone bug me. Who do you think came up with that?

These bug me way less than the constant signs that cyclists have to dismount and push their bike to enable bad driver behavior.

We have one of those nearby at a dangerous crossing. I still ride across it. Cause I can get across the street way faster on the bike than walking, and we just had someone get killed getting off their bike and being good and walking.

This gets me at bridges too. You can have a long bridge and it says cyclists have to walk. (I would suspect that in some cases state law doesn't even say the cyclist has to walk.) GTFO of here until you make drivers push their vehicles. As long as they are treating cyclists as vehicular users it's BS.

The collisions never have to do with cyclists riding instead of walking their bike, it's always drivers speeding recklessly, and the drivers hit pedestrians as well.

At least with the horse it is actually logical that walking makes the horse behave more safely, with cars nothing changes their behavior.