Reckless drivers keep horses off the road

No indeed, but these incidents (with the possible exception of toe stepping ... I swear they think it's funny!) - are pretty rare. Most horses are not human killing machines, I promise you !

But what they are is very large, very heavy and not very intelligent herbivores. Their brains are mainly in their feet ... they are flight animals ... so when threatened, or frightened, they will run and tough luck to anyone who gets in their path. A herd of stampeding horses, whether wild or pet horses in a field, is terrifying. They will stop for nothing and will just mow you down if you are in the way. So you keep alert when around horses, and that way you stay safe. It is when you get sloppy and do stupid things ... such as make assumptions about that quiet old welsh cob who you always ride in and out to the fields every day bareback, with no hat on your head "because he is so quiet, he is bombproof" ... and then something scarey happens to terrify him, and you end up with a broken skull because you were not wearing a hat ... that you end up dead or seriously injured. You can't take liberties with horses, or make assumptions. Weighing in at around half a ton, it is not wise.

I've noticed that behaviour in horses also Nikki.

My aunt has had several crushed and broken toes from toe stepping horses.

I've seen the damage from back legs hitting another horse both in the face and knee on the rear leg and it isn't pretty.

OK, well if it's true, then it's true, but it sounds the most extraordinary story to me. I know that stallions, even little Shetlands, can be very a***y. And of course I completely accept how dangerous horses can be ... on their backs AND on the ground! I had an old dutch warmblood who would take great delight in stepping on your toes, and refusing to budge! You had to literally kick him on the leg to make him lift it, which was very cruel but very necessary! He broke all the toes in my friend's foot. Then of course you have the fire power of the back legs - my friend's father was ki11ed indirectly by receiving both barrels in the chest by her mare.

However, I have never heard of horses or ponies attacking people in this way. But I concede that there is a first time for everything!

Well Nikki, I don't particularly want to go down a path leading to personal insults.

Just because people that like horses and have years of experience with them, does not mean their knowledge can dictate the actions or responses of a horse 100's of miles away.

I'm 6ft 5. 136kg, bodybuilder but without the definition. Imagine worlds strongest man tv programme with the large bodybuilders types. That is me.

With todays internet society, liers are everywhere and I understand that. Being charged by a horse is the most frightening experience I've ever had and I'm sure other people in the same prediciment would agree.

Horses scared the hell out of me because as a child, I watched my dad who was then almost the same build as I am now, walking across a field get charged at by a horse. The horse probably thought my dad was bringing food, but it didn't stop and knocked my dad ars over tit.

He defended himself in the same manor, he put all of his force into a punch that broke his hand BUT knocked the horse out/over. So I know it can be done both from my own experience and from screaming for my dad to be safe, back when I was 6.

The shetland in question was a moody one that didn't sprint...as I didn't say sprint, it moved toward me fast over maybe 30 meters.... still a lot faster than I can run, so percieved it as a charge. It ran through where I stood before moving on.

So, It may be hard to believe. However, that doesn't make it impossible.

No there isn't actually. As an intelligent human being, I take an interest in a wide spectrum of subjects.

Your problem is?

F me Nikki, your on every thread aren't you.

Is there any subject you dont have an opinion on?

Chris:

Are you sure you haven't kissed the Blarney Stone over christmas? Or indulged in a little too much sherbert?

Punching a horse on its cheek would not have had the effect on it that you describe, and I'm sorry, but I just don't buy your "being run at by a shetland!!"

1 in 13 was a number I pulled out of my backside.

However, I wouldn't even have to use 1 hand to count the total thanks in the 6 yeaars I've been driving. That is unless they thank me when I'm not able to visualy accept the thanks and put a hand up in return.

I know of the power of horses. My aunt owns 2 ex race horses and 2 ponies. Walking near them I've been charged by one of the ex racers.. 15 hands?... in the middle of a 3 acre field with no where to go other than dive, 3 times before I was struck by its shoulder, winded, landing around 7 or 8 foot with bruised ribs. I owe my life to the horse hesitating for a moment after rearing up and allowing me a chance to punch it square in the cheek as hard as I could.....it exhaled and lay down for a few seconds and I was able to lock myself in a stable for a few minutes.

Scary stuff. Also had another episode with one of the shetlands running at me but I had time to throw myself over a 6ft wooden gate. I have no love for horses, but I respect them.

12/1 at epsom ,thats where horses belong ,not out on the road,unless your middle class!

Chris : thank you for the courtesy you showed to these two seemingly really rather unpleasant women !! It sounds to me as if you did everything you could not to scare the horses.

It is perfectly legal and even good riding practice to ride two abreast. Don't forget the riders on top have a much better and clearer line of vision than you do of what is up ahead ... Another reason why riders will ride 2 abreast is to put a young and/or nervous horse and/or rider on the inside, thus protecting horse and/or rider from the traffic. This is a brilliant way of training a horse to be sensible in and get used to traffic. A well-behaved, calm and sensible horse (known as a "schoolmaster") is ridden on the outside next to the traffic, and the young or nervous horse is put on the inside.

I have to query your `1 rider in 13' saying thank you. I find this extremely hard to believe. I live in rural Northamptonshire, and I can honestly count on the fingers of one hand the number of riders who have not thanked me for my courtesy in passing them wide and slow in the 21 years I have lived here. Almost all riders will say thank you for the very simple reason that if they don't, the next time you meet them you may scare their horse by blasting past, and believe me one of the most scariest things ever is a frightened horse on the road.

Horses love to take exercise just as much as we do. The price they have to pay for going on jolly supa rides across the countryside, is to allow us to sit on their backs. If they did not like being ridden, they would not allow us to do so. The average woman probably weighs in at around 9 stone say. The average horse weighs in at around half a ton if he is over 16 hands. No competition. A horse could kill even the strongest of men as easily as crushing a fly if he wanted to. They let us ride them because they enjoy being ridden, and they enjoy being exercised.

I once spent 12 minutes sat behind 2 horses riding side by side on a B road while huge traffic qeues built up behind me because the 2 very overweight women on the horses didn't want to look behind them and notice the 400 metre tail back. Having a V6 engined hatchback means I couldn't hammer it past in a gap because I would have a 50/50 chance of the horses throwing off their riders. Sounding the horn also presented the same risk. So I sat and waited patiently for 7 long minutes (the horses were trotting at about 10mph so I would have made some noise overtaking), until there was a gap. I accelerated slowly past on the otherside of the road with my exhaust burbleing away to have the women shout verbal abuse as I still refrained from accelerating. Nearly being taken out by a lorry in the process.

Now I nearly thought of being a complete moron after the abuse by bouncing my engine off the rev limiter and scaring the ** out of the horses..... luckily im sensible and decided not to.

I was unaware and still don't know if horse riders are allowed to ride side by side, but a good amount of curtisy and common sense would suggest that it isn't the best thing to do AND that anywhere possible, pull over and allow traffic past. Horses and riders are something I deal with almost everyday and I always keep calm, distance and lots of room when slowly overtaking......to which I recieve thanks from about 1 out of 13.

They are dangerous on the roads to traffic and their riders even with training. I've also never understood why horses "like" heavy men/women arching their backs. I see them as being animals that deserve space to roam/run/feed in. While they are no doubt fed well and looked after properly, riding is something I just don't think the horse appreciates.

Just my opinion.

Horses are flight animals ... their brains are in their hooves in other words. It is most unsettling for them, as road rider has pointed out, if they can hear something but cannot see it. Blinkers on a riding horse would be downright dangerous - it is imperative they can see as much as possible I would say..