cmdcorrola

Bound to get some interesting opinions on this.

I think that horses should be banned from roads. They are a complete danger. Not so long ago on this forum, someone who regularly goes for horse rides on the road openly admitted that you cannot guaruntee that the horse you are riding will not go into a panick and jump about at a certain time.

Horses must be the direct cause of many accidents each year. It would be interesting to see some statistics.

The simple fact that you have to slow to a crawling pace, and have to pass a horse on the wrong side of the road must demonstrtae that having horses on a public road is extremely dangerous. Perhaps years ago when there was lees traffic about, things were not such a problem, but nowadays, with the volume of traffic as it is, you have to ask is it safe to allow horses on the road?

ajm

To be honest, bicycles cause me more grief than horses. I don't think they should be banned from roads, but some insurance would be nice (ditto for bicycles!).

unclebuck

Yes, as should horse boxes.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Horses came before cars, so why should you legislate them off the Public Highway?

Then, how about pheasants, toads, dogs, sheep

All are a danger but tbh the biggest danger on the public highway is the car and car-driver.

Very selfish pov about banning horses imho


(& I do NOT like horses one bit btw)

OllyK

The world is ever changing, just because something was right once, does not mean it is right today. On that premise we should all be limited to 2 mph and have a guy walking in front of us waving a red flag.

CraigH

No, but they should be taxed/licenced.

Only ones that should be banned are those that carry riders with fatter 4sses than the horse

Dracoro

Far more important things to be worried about.

There are so few horses on the road anyway and most of them keep to country lanes where they can't trek across fields.

Not much hassle to slow down and pass them. As long as you don't hoot or rev yer injun, you should be ok. Owners of the more erratic horses tend to not ride them on the roads anyway.

I don't like horses much either but lets get some sense of proportion guys.

As for accidents, hardly any given that there's so few of them.

Educate or get rid of bad drivers if you wanna get the accident rates down.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

PMSL

Classic

BMWhere?

If the horse is being used as method of transport e.g. horse and cart, then no they shouldn't be banned.

If its just some git wanting to ride their horse for no real reason then yes ban them! I'm quite sure horses don't really enjoy being ridden and I'm definately sure that given a choice they would prefer to walk around a quiet field with nice soft ground than on a hard tarmac with cars whizzing past!

Also, if people didn't ride horses on the road then they also wouldn't need bits of metal nailing to their feet which has got to be better for the horse too!

Anyone who takes a horse on the road should also be responsible for cleaning up after them too (and cleaning any cars that drive through it before they can clean it up!).

The only thing I like about horses is eating them.... Mmmmm Cheval on Toast

Jye

This makes interesting reading regarding cars and our 'right' to drive on the glorious UK highways, not that I agree with any of it of course

http://www.thebikezone.org.uk/thebik...gning/tax.html

Muffleman

TOTALLY agree.

Horseriders can use the roads when they pay for the privilege like I do.

Until then, keep on the bridlepaths please !!!

Matt

SiPie

They should be banned without any doubt at all...

I'm well aware of the horses came first argument, but roads have changed, as has the amount of traffic and they are a danger to themselves and others.

I stay in an area where there are a number of riding stables locally and although 90% of the horse-riding is done on bridle paths there is quite a large number of horses on the roads trying to get to and from these stables.

I have come round blind bends to be met by a horse and young (sometimes chidren) riders out on their own in twighlight and even dark with no reflective gear on

I would also say that I am extra cautious when it comes to passing horses (in either direction) and have often sat behind them for long stretches until a suitable passing opportunity appears. I'll even turn my stereo down and pass as slowly as possible but they should definetely be banned.

While I'm at it, there has been huge debate centering on one of our local forests following an incident where a montain biker crossed a forest trail in front of a horse causing it to throw and severly injure the horse-rider. Now this is unfortunate... but where was the horse being ridden....? On the piece of forest road that disects the Innerleithen National down-hill mountain bike course.. it can't be marked any clearer

Controversial bit coming up

It seems that alot of horse-riders are so caught up in their self-righteous attitude that the law states we can ride wherever we want as the horse was here first and we are going to do this even if it endangers ourselves, the horse and all other traffic/pedestrians

Ok so not all of them are like this ... but that's my opinion anyway

Spoon

What an absolutely stupid remark, I ask you, what chance has anybody got with that kind of hideous analogy when the world has clearly evolved.

Horses are a danger on the road in a modern society. To be honest with you I wouldn't ride a horse on the road myself for all the tea in Tescos.

Not 30 yards from my home an 18 year old chap driving his fianceé to her mums to discuss their wedding plans due in a few months came across an unsettled horse in the village.

Instead of driving any further he actually did what few people would do, he stopped as he could clearly see the horse ahead wasn't happy.

The riderless horse then headed for his car and lunged onto the roof.

Result- The bloke had his neck broken and is a quadraplegic with total body paralysis and now faces the rest of his life in a wheelchair and permanent nursing care. His fianceé was unhurt except the fact she'd witnessed it.

Keep the horses to the fields/ bridle paths, the roads are for motors.

Dave T-S

This old bolx making it's regular reappearance.....

Isn't it a bit of a HIAL now?

Dave T-S

You have a real inferiority complex mate. What is it then, all horse owners/riders are toffee nosed twits or similar?

I used to ride racehorses/point to pointers/hunters on the road. Yes of course they are scatty, they are herd/prey animals - but no more scatty than your average suburban wifey driving the kids to school in her gas guzzling behemoth, being distracted by little Wayne screaming in the back.

More important things to worry about. Once the last drunk driver leaves the roads maybe we can pick on horses......

Butkus

I've got another more interesting question to ask:

Should people be banned from moaning on Scoobynet?


Actually, maybe that's not such a good idea as there wouldn't be a Scoobynet left in that case.

Moan moan moan......

tmo

Ban them.

I'm sorry but a tonne of beast with the brain the size of a hazel nut ridden down pavements and roads is very very wrong.
Nobody can control these things once they decide to get a bit frisky and shoot off in any direction they choose, never mind the band of 12 year olds you see "riding" them. If it is startled the only way you can control them is with a gun, don’t care about the experience and quality of the rider no one is capable of stopping them.

No insurance, no tax, no lights and what’s all this riding side by side ?

Spoon

That's it, move it along. You before me na na na na na.

Jye

What about police horses, they seem pretty traffic aware?

tmo

"What about police horses, they seem pretty traffic aware?"

That's why they use them to trample people to death.
Millers v Swansea a couple of years ago, not nice. And they got away with it (as usual)

Spoon

They are different though, they have 2 prícks.

^Qwerty^

If your going to ban anything off the road that causes accidents, how about pedestrians? I'm pretty sure they are involved in rather a lot more RTA's than horses.

I've never been called a toffee nosed twit before either, but then some people have some rather strong misconceptions about the type of people who ride horses.

How about we ban Impreza's off the road, after all, they are all driven by wan%ers, going far to jolly fast

Top fishing thread anyway !!!

Graz

Can they be banned from the bridleways as well Really pisses me off that the horses turn them into inpassable mudbaths. I want to ride my mountain bike down them

Tiggs

"I'm sorry but a tonne of beast with the brain the size of a hazelnut "

as opposed to a scoob driver which is a beast with the brain the size of a hazelnut in a tonne of car

Jen

Insteresting stat for you, just as an indication I thought I'd query the accident database in our Borough -

1184 accidents in the last three years, Borough Population 85,770, 1 accident involved a horse - police description cited driver inattention to be the cause...sadley the driver was driving a bus. opps.

I agree horses should be insured - as should all Highway users. However - one thing to bear in mind is that riders don't *want* to use the road, if there's another option they would use it...it's *public* highway, not yours.

(yes, I pay my road tax too, bear in mind most riders will also own cars and therefore already pay to use the highway. Maybe I'm just more tolerant eh? )

Mark Miwurdz

Quite right.

I've never heard such load of bollocks in all my life.

Cheers
Kav

Jye

Nicci

My car is currently parked outside work in horse poo, glad the evenings are light, or I would be stepping in it later.

It would be good and safer if there were more grass paths for horses to use.

We just have to keep our eyes open.

Spoon

Try negotiating horses once you've been brought to a halt with a paddle clutch,500+bhp and a big bore exhaust system. Try as you do you just get the fat filthy looks.