Arthur Peabody

Not funny, but nice to be recognized.

pdlamb

Deal with that every week. Except the pony is a mustang and the pistol is a shotgun mounted in the rear window of the pickup.

Chuckles1

Reminds me of passing a group of teenage equestrians near a summer camp a couple years back. Five horses with riders taking up the entire gravel road, making no attempt to make way for a lone cyclist. I dismounted and slowly walked my bike between the widest spaced two after greeting the girls politely. They weren't rude, but reminded me of drivers of big SUVs; not concerned because they were feeling powerful.

On my return ride I passed them again, and since they were stopped I gingerly coasted slowly between them without dismounting. They were good sized horses, but well tempered. Still a bit scary. Maybe we need a thread on horse passing etiquette...

hsuBM

Funny to say Mustang people give hassle... when I hear a fun-sounding engine coming I get my hand prepped for either a thumbs up or devil horns and usually get the same in return.

Dodge Caravans and Nissan Muranos are the most frequent entitled-driver/only-poops-at-home types I get to deal with.

Thomas15

Believable, right up to the word "shotgun...."

billridesbikes

I thought trail etiquette was both hikers and cyclists alway yield to equestrians?
Since cyclists and hikers are considered more maneuverable then horses I believe it’s your job to make way for the horses.

SurferRosa

That's good etiquette. I had to make a quick left the other day in front of oncoming traffic or wait till it was all past. I saw the lead car was a bright red Porsche 928. Hadn't seen one in a long time. Only the 928 has headlights like that. Had to give a to the young guy behind the wheel as I whipped a left in front of him. He did the same.

balto charlie

You haven't been down south or out west I assume. Or even Michigan these days

Chuckles1

It was a public road skirting a lake, with sparse camps, and both times I encountered them, the group was essentially stopped, making no attempt to make way. What does trail etiquette say about that? My post was to essentially agree with the OP that equestrians won't share the road with cyclists; you're on your own to pass them safely as conditions allow. I agree about deferring to horses if they're on the move, but if they're blocking a public road, you've got to do something to get past them.

FiftySix

Long arms hanging on the rear window rack has been essentially been phased out down here since the takeover of 4-door pickups over the last 20+ years. Most hunters and shooters down here with trucks have firearm storage of some sort under the rear seat. Underseat storage keeps guns out of sight and out of mind, which lowers the likelihood of a theft. Hanging a long gun on a rear rack of anything but an offroad only utility vehicle just says "steal me".

Danhedonia

Actually, there are laws that say you must yield to equine traffic. You're simply quite wrong here - in my state (New Mexico), failing to stop your bike, get off and wait for the equestrians to pass could well land you in a pretty ugly spot (arrest or roadside confrontation).

As Californians and Texans have moved here the past 10 years, I have seen ignorance of this law (and also custom) in far, far too many places.

Skulking

Honestly asking because I want to understand. I've never needed to worry about horses where I ride. It sounds like at least once when he passed the horses they were standing still. Are you saying the correct thing to do in that case is to stop and get off your bike and then wait for the riders to decide to move their horses around you? If not what is the appropriate way to handle that?

Chuckles1

Good to know. Will keep it in mind next time I ride out west, which I've done in the past and hope to do again. Here in rural Maine, passing a horse is a rarity. I just happen to live near a summer camp that teaches girls to ride. We tend to use common sense and common courtesy to resolve novel situations, and referring to the law is bad etiquette and a sign that you're likely an "out of stater."

Danhedonia

I am happy to answer; it is not as simple as one may think. First general 'thing' to realize is that here (and I can also speak for WY and MT in the 70's, yes, I'm that ancient), a horse is considered a 'mode of transportation' that basically is included in laws that govern transportation routes. What does that mean? It means you can get arrested (and I know someone who was) for drunk-riding your horse on a "public way" (in this case, a secondary dirt road that sees little motor vehicle traffic). I know another horse owner who wound up in court and getting a citation because her horse bolted and ran across a road; a driver slammed on brakes (thank God, I love Tony, he's a great horse) and had an accident. She was found 'at fault' for failing to control her horse.

So, first very important thing: it really matters where we are, when we talk about horse ROW (right of way).

Here, we have a lot of what you might call "gravel roads that double as MUPs." We also have MUPs with gravel roads beside them. And etc.

Our laws state that when a horse and rider are using a road / path / etc., where permitted, they always have the right of way. And that the appropriate way of giving the ROW is to stop your vehicle (bike), get off and stand beside, allowing horse and rider to pass.

What this means is that if you are MTBing on the trails near the Rio Grande, you goddamn stop your bike when you first are aware of a horse and rider. Period. Not only is it law, but for anyone who has lived here longer than a few years, it is culturally ingrained. In fact, it is such an embarrassing and offensive thing to not stop for a horse and rider that it is basically assumed you have recently arrived with all of your bad 'coastal elite' habits brought with you. FWIW, local custom also doesn't say you have to stand beside your bike (letter of the law), just stop and straddle. Last bit: the law also requires you, the cyclist, to follow the instructions of the rider.

The rationale is that horses are large, and dangerous, and able to spook. Since riders are responsible for operating their horse safely (see: above), it is incumbent on other travelers to avoid compromising their ability to do so. Also, horses are included and welcome many places. That last part is why horses are not permitted everywhere (we have MUPs where they're not allowed).

I can't see a real argument for riding past equestrians. If there are so many that you would be off your bike all the time, then that's a poor place to ride, period. If not, FFS, do the decent thing and do not spook someone's horse.

BlazingPedals

We've had them in the past, I think. Horses are treated as vehicles and should stay to the right. If they're on the road, just give them a wide berth and if they get spooked by another road user, it's on the owners. MUP etiquette is a bit different. If you talk to the horses before you surprise them, they'll usually recognize you as a human on some inscrutable machine thingie, instead of a new type of predator.

Danhedonia

No - don't "give them a wide berth." Stop your bike, and await instructions from the rider. That is the law in almost every place you may encounter a horse and rider combo.

Stop telling people to pick and choose which laws to obey. Stop thinking you know better when you do not.

Skulking

It does vary state by state. From the California Vehicle Code "The driver of any vehicle approaching any horse drawn vehicle, any ridden animal, or any livestock shall exercise proper control of his vehicle and shall reduce speed or stop as may appear necessary or as may be signalled or otherwise requested by any person driving, riding or in charge of the animal or livestock in order to avoid frightening and to safeguard the animal or livestock and to insure the safety of any person driving or riding the animal or in charge of the livestock." Source. So in California it is not a requirement that you stop, and slowing and giving wide berth would be perfectly legal unless the rider indicates they want you to do something else.

Kabuki12

I have only come across this situation a couple of time in Southern California while riding in the rural areas. Both times I was waved on by the rider who had full control of their horse. I was raised around horses and have done my share of riding , certain horses can spook easily and they are not the ones you want to ride on the side of the road or where there are lots of people. Horses can be gentled in but there are some that just stay a little on the jumpy side.

Danhedonia

The law has the same principle everywhere: the horse-rider combo are in charge. You should not simply travel through/past.

It's not up to you to decide what is appropriate. The idea of the law is specifically to deny the presumption of a cyclist that they know what's best to do. That is why the rider's instructions are tantamount.

Deciding where and when a person should ride a horse - on a forum with endless discussion of riding bicycles where- and whenever possible, seems to me to lack perspective.

And of course, as I pointed out, it's never too difficult to simply be considerate and not go die on that hill of 'knowing best.'

Skulking

That may be the "idea of the law" in your state, but that doesn't mean the law is the same everywhere. From my reading of the law in California, it seems that the intent is for the driver/ cyclist to be deliberate and courteous in their actions near horses, and only follow the riders instructions including stopping if instructions are in fact given. That makes sense to me as stopping and forcing the rider to give instructions may not actually be what the rider wants from you, and that sort of unpredictable behavior can be dangerous.

livedarklions

I've solved the problem by giving all the horses in my jurisdiction their own bicycles. Now we're all on equal footing (or hoofing).

FiftySix

Now that you mention that, horses are ridden along the roadside here on occasion and I have yet to see any of the horse riders give instructions to others. Usually, they simply return a wave.

autonomy

Here it's
Every person operating a motor vehicle shall bring the vehicle and the motor propelling it immediately to a stop when approaching a cow, horse or other draft animal being led, ridden or driven, if such animal appears to be frightened and if the person in charge thereof shall signal so to do; and, if traveling in the opposite direction to that in which such animal is proceeding, said vehicle shall remain stationary so long as may be reasonable to allow such animal to pass; or, if traveling in the same direction, the person operating shall use reasonable caution in thereafter passing such animal.

(emphasis mine)

GamblerGORD53

No fooling, there actually IS one of those farthings in my neighborhood this year. He doesn't just dawdle around either.
4 blocks from home on a 125 mile ride, I saw him after dark. He had lights on. LOL. It was hard to see him way up there. I wonder what he does going under some low bridge.
In Vietnam I rode thru cows crossing the road no problem.

Last Sunday, I happened to see the BBC had two 15 minute bike stories. From Nederland and Denmark. The latter had a bunch of stupid defaileur bikes.

FiftySix

You should add "city folk" to qualify that.

Data Paddock | The Number of Horses in the U.S. and Other Equine Demographics