Horses

[Jackrat]

What do you people do when you come across horses on the road side.
My wife rides a horse and reports allsorts of different things happening with road users in general.Bike riders seem to come off with a pretty good rep' but of course there is always some that don't care.
So what is your opinion about the things.
Just in case you wonder,I try to pass em' in a calm quite manner, but I would rather not come across em' in the first place.

[Zed]

What do you people do when you come across horses on the road side.
My wife rides a horse and reports allsorts of different things happening with road users in general.Bike riders seem to come off with a pretty good rep' but of course there is always some that don't care.
So what is your opinion about the things.
Just in case you wonder,I try to pass em' in a calm quite manner, but I would rather not come across em' in the first place.

I also pass them quietly, only cos someone told me once that their hearing (like many animals) is awesome, and loud motorcycles scare them!

The last thing I want to do is to encourage a horse to gallop after me! Imagine if it caught up and passed me? (never!- oh maybe if I was riding a 150cc or something. )

Zed

[wkid_one]

Well - having had (past tense) a partner for 10 years who who an equestrian rider....I was 'told' what to do.......and berated if I didn't 'empathise' with the riders situation.

The old VTR was a bitch around horses - however they got a fairly good idea you were coming. If coming from the front - just shut the throttle, pulled the clutch and coasted past on idle. If coming from the rear - I also slowed a little to allow the rider time to gather the reigns if need by and I would take a wider berth using the other lane if poss.

The R1 was different as it didn't project much noise forward - so was quieter when approaching horses.

The problem with horses is not primarily their hearing - but when approaching from behind - they have LITTLE IF ANY rearward vision - which means that they are easily startled from behind........most road problems occur when a bike/vehicle is approaching the horse from behind...

Also horses are notoriously stupid - in that they can see the same thing for 4 days in the row and then get spooked by it on the 5th day even tho nothing has changed.

However - I do disagree with riders taking horses on the road - KNOWING that the horse is spooked on the road and a danger.....this is just asking for trouble.

[LB]

I slow down, keep the bike as quiet as possible, give them as wide a berth as I safely can.

Horses can move and change direction very quickly. Had a bit of an experience a couple of years ago round East Cape - the horse was on its own, we slowed etc but it was really spooked (had been spooked already I think, not just because of our three m/cycles, all of which had standard exhausts at that stage). The horse was running really fast along the berm in the same direction as us. It kept zig-zagging between the fence and the road. We just had to pick our time to idle past. That was the first time I realised how agile and fast they could move.

I would not like to hit a horse on my bike (not least of all because I don't like killing things)

[Motu]

I'm always careful around horses - roll off the throttle and be as quiet as possible,go wide and generaly let the rider know I have seen them and am taking care and attention.I try not to totaly back off - this is just as noisy on some bikes,and the XLV750 has a fearful snap crackle and pop.On roads in the middle of nowhere and off road things can get difficult,someone may have to give way,usually the bike,in which case I switch off and wait.

Some horse riders are great,they understand that you are looking out for them and apreciate that,but some are just anti bike and think they have all the rights.If off road acsess comes an issue - the horse riders win,they are usually stroppy women and may even be on the council.When planning an off road event I would talk to the local riding school/horse trek opperator to make sure we didn't clash,she was no trouble (my kids went there) but some riders are snarly.

I've come across a lot of animals on the road in my riding,and nearly all try to get away from the bike,but you have to be careful as they can cut back across the road,sheep are particually mindless - but bulls are scary,I've had some near misses with bulls,they come at you as you go past,felt like only inches at times.We used to go onto farms to practice trials - the sheep and horses would run to the opposite end of the paddock and stay out of the way - but cows are very nosey and would come over to watch.We would make a practice section,maybe a nice steep climb out of a stream - get to the top and a whole bloody heard of cattle are at the top watching.

[wildfire1]

I try to pass them as quietly as possible, and as far away from them on the road as possible, i.e.- if the horse is on the L/H side of the road, and i can safely cross the center line to keep my distance I will do so long as I'm not endangering myself to do so.

I think most horse owners/riders are aware of vehicles on the road, and while the may appreciate that motorcycle riders do what they can to minimize their bikes noise - if they are near a road they are likely to be confronted with all manner of loud vehicles - cars with big bore exhausts, trucks, tractors, etc

you would have to be a real Wan*er to try to create more noise as you pass!!

[mangell6]

For me it is nice and quiet as I pass them and I always watch the rider to see if they are aware of you and have the horse undercontrol. Assuming that there is a rider.

Seen what horses, cows, pigs can do to cars, we would probably bounce.

[SPman]

Run past on a trailing throttle with a wide berth as possible.

They had an article on (Auckland) TV about this back in the 70's, complete with footage of how to go about it. A mate provided a CB350 and his services....managed to come off while avoiding the horse - grabbed the front brake when he got on the gravel verge and splat!
They left it in the footage.

[georgedubyabush]

All the kids around here have an old nag to ride around on, and they wear no helmets or riding gear, and invariably bareback. I try to get right over and clutch it and coast past at idle. I ride horses on occasion and anything or nothing will spook them and they will happily jump sideways 6 or 10 feet so watch out.

[duckman]

I've always slowed a little and pulld the clutch in as the Duke makes a bit of a racket.

Can anyone confirm if this is best ??

Perhaps just keeping the noise constant as you pass would freak the horse less. - You know, first it hears something coming, then silence, then a bike goes scooting past with just chain lash noise.... ??

I dunno, I'm not a horse rider so I just try to be courteous.

[Dave]

I always shut off the throttle and slow down/keep wide.

Some horses are going to go nuts nomatter what you do,but i get told that its appreciated.

One to think about is horses in floats-half of them are shitting themselves anyway so don't tailgate and take it easy when passing floats as well.

[curious george]

During a cycle race, a horse jumped into the peleton, and galloped along. Two riders out with injuries, six crashed, bunch split, and third place to the horse!
(Not really third). It did cause a lot of damage though. Cycles don't make that much noise, so I guess the horse just wanted a bike
On a motorbike, I just idle past, as far to the right as possible.

[ching_ching]

Ditto,

Slow right down and kind've quiet up on tippy-toe... in a motorcycle kind of way aye

Have a few of the bros taking horse treks around Lake Rotoaira. Just go slow as going past, keeping an eye out and give them the 'cher bro salute'... (raise the eyebrows and a quick raising of the head backward and upwards).

Seems to do OK.

ching_ching

[jimbo600]

I'm of the be cool with them and they'll be cool with us notion.

I usually button right off and pull the clutch in and coast past. Typically the horse rider always waves, and usually they are pretty spunky too, so there's always the hope of bumping into them later.

The more people we can get onside the better in the long term.

[DEATH_INC.]

I just cruise past as far away as poss......
I think pulling the clutch and coasting is the wrong thing to do,they have enough trouble hearing you coming as it is.....
I've never had trouble with any of the nags I've had,they always had pretty good road sense....