Horses on the Roads
Friday April 14, 2006
If you've ridden along a roadside you may find you've had the same experience as this rider relates in a Qualicum, B.C. news article. I know I have as my daughter and I rode along our very quiet gravel road last spring. One person, well known for his high speed driving, yelled out the window with four letter explicatives--and I'll paraphrase here 'that we shouldn't be on the road'.
He might be surprised to know that in Ontario doing anything that may spook a horse being ridden, lead or driven on a roadside is a violation of the Highway Traffic Act. Have you had a similiar experience? What are the 'rules of the road' for horses in your area?
Comments
In Massachusetts it’s also against the law to do anything that might spook a horse. We also have the right to make the driver stop completely while we get our horses under control. On the other hand, most drivers don’t seem to know that this is our right and I have got the same reaction on occasion as you, especially when riding a greenie that isn’t used to traffic.
In Kansas it is against the law to do anything that may startle a horse that is being ridden along the roadway. As riders we do have an obligation to get off the road and let the driver pass but drivers are required to drive past us slowly so as not to scare the horses.
I’ve gotten the same reaction on many occasions.
In Poway, CA we have 60 miles of trails both along side traffic and mountains. It’s very dangerous mixing horses and traffic, so I’m extra cautious while crossing intersections and always wear a helmet, etc. I train my horses to tolerate the noise…they’ve done well so far.
I’m not sure what our rules on that are here in Oklahoma, but I too have had problems with people speeding by and yelling or beeping thier horn. A lot of times I am ponying a young, untrained horse, and these peoples behavior is ignorant to say the least. They could cause a horse to spook right into their own path and kill everyone involved. Very dangerous.
It never fails, that some ignorant driver almost always beeps or passes way to fast! I am not sure what the rules are here in NY. We try to stay safe as much as possible.
I know of one experience when I was younger. Myself and two other girlfriends were riding along side a 4 way roadway. Then all of a sudden a car lost its hubcap. You know, the flat type that can spin on a dime & roll like the dickens like a wheel in itself. Well this hubcap came straight for Cochise one of the big paint horses Robin was riding. We all stopped in amazment and worry for a second to see this thing coming straight for the horses legs, then all of a sudden straight for Cochise!!! Well to our amazment Cochise just lifted up his leg while we were still all standing there and the hubcap rolled right under his right leg & into the ditch along side of us…. All three of us laughted our hearts out, and praised Cochise, what a smart horse to see it coming and lift his leg up… You would never believe it, but let me tell you I was there & will never forget that story 25 years ago.
I had a bad experience when I was a teenager in Georgia. A girlfriend and I were riding back to the stables when we had to cross a low bridge. Some teenage boys roared by, hooting and laying on their horn. Her horse went up, lost his balance and toppled over the side of the bridge (fortunately only a few feet) but landed on his side, breaking her leg. I was so angry, I raced to the stables, got help and called the police. They were never caught. It could have been tragic…and her horse was NOT a spooky horse, well seasoned. That was over 40 years ago…some things never change…people just don’t think, or don’t care. I’m not sure which. After that we avoided road riding whenever possible.
In the UK, we have many horses on the roads and I have to agree with the ‘horses shouldn’t be on the road’ statement.
Drivers of motor vehicles in the UK are heavily taxed. Be it road tax, fuel tax and the obligatory 17.5% ‘value added tax’, added to all goods.
We also have strict regulations regarding licensing, insurance and vehicle condition.
Yet, horse riders are not required to have such road tax, insurance or a license. There doesn’t even seem to be a minimum age, as I’ve seen children as young as 5, riding unaccompanied on public roads.
Also, there are no compulsory checks to establish the condition of the animal, be it mental or physical health.
Not to mention, an animal has a mind of its own, goodness knows what that can lead to.
If “a spooked horse can cause death to all involved”, just because of traffic noise, it seems rather silly for them to be allowed anywhere near a road.
Now, with all that said, I (the overtaxed) have to take extra special care with theses freeloaders? (The untaxed, unregulated, uninsured and unlicensed)
That doesn’t seem fair to me.
I just figure that it’s Parr for the course and use it to teach my horse that honking horns are nothing to fear; although she and I still aren’t clear on the acorns dropping from the sky.