A Chance Encounter...

Tom & Henry

A horse lives in a world of constant safety assessment, he is acutely aware of his surroundings and makes second by second behaviour adjustments depending on which dangers he perceives.

Horses have prey animal instincts, if they decide there is a threat to their safety, they will run to achieve an approximate quarter mile distance between them and the foe. They will turn to face the threat and reassess.

A horse needs time to think, an average of seven seconds to size up a situation, where he will often ‘plant’ himself rigid to the spot in order to give a problem his complete attention.

Horses can react in surprising ways to perceived foe, that’s why it’s important that horses are given lots of room by any vehicle passing them.

A horse is an intelligent and powerful creature, millions of years of instinct development mean he judges danger in different ways to humans, and though not a natural fighter, he can and will defend himself if he feels that is the only way to avoid certain death – if the horse wasn’t like this, it would have died out millions of years ago...eaten.

Horses take exception to unexpected things to maintain their own personal feeling of safety – and being safe is the most important thing to a horse...even more important than food.  It is difficult for humans to understand these reactions, because we are the opposite of horses, we are predators and have developed a very different existence. All we can hope for as keepers of horses is an understanding of our horses needs and give them the space they need to express them and to help them manage these reactions.

Cyclists and vehicles: ‘please pass slow and wide’

When cyclists come upon a horse; top tips:

• Slow down, and stop if necessary
• Remember the horse has blind spots directly behind and in front, he might not see you coming
• Remember bicycles are essentially silent; make some noise to let him know you’re there: ring a bell or say ‘good morning’ before you get within 10 metres.
• Don’t approach an agitated horse, if he is scared, please wait for direction from the rider; she will make very clear the safest thing to do, because she is on board. Horses need an average of seven seconds to adapt and make a decision that could affect their safety, be prepared to wait; it’s the safe thing to do for everyone.
• be courteous to the rider, especially if she’s riding a scared horse – she will not need the extra stress of abuse from impatient cyclists, think of others and remember any tactics she is employing are there for your safety too
• Give the horse a chance to accept your presence, please remember being surrounded by predators is the very thing horses fear the most, be patient.
• Pass very wide and slowly and keep a constant eye on the horse’s reaction, and stop if necessary – try to imagine what it would feel like if a lorry squeezed past your bike, narrowly missing you handlebars, and you have nowhere to go? Scary eh? And bikes don’t get scared.
• Please don’t insist you stay in a group, when passing a horse do so in single file, and break up large groups into small pockets, giving the horse some respite from the stress of prolonged perceived danger.
• Passing the horse please stay quiet and ride slow, and the horse should be fine

Make certain you can be seen, you and your horse can never wear too much hi-viz.

Effective early warning can be achieved by horseriders by employing the help of hi-viz clothing.  Kitting yourself and your horse out with fluorescent accessories will allow any traffic to see you quicker; even a few seconds could be all the difference in a situation on the roads.


A better mutual understanding of our needs will make these chance encounters a pleasure for all, lets' share our countryside and enjoy the outdoors in safety.

thank you.

The Cunning Plan...

I live in a small village in the beautiful Essex countryside. I can ride my 2 horses around all the farmland that surrounds me as I have exclusive access thanks to the very kind permission of the landowners, and not in a small part to my delicious apple crumble! bribery? maybe...

Henry: Holm Grove Gwygion

However in order to access this riding I do have to ride down our lane. it's a single track and in parts so narrow as to be passable only by one vehicle as passing points are few. The banks are high in places too, so there's nowhere to go if trouble comes our way. I have been riding around our village for years without a problem, tractors, steam engines, cars, lorries...you name it...we've coped. But a new phenomenon has happened to us: club cycling. these are large groups of lycra-clad intensley focused teams who think it's ok to speed past a horse, with nowhere to escape to, taking up the whole road, not giving us any room and hurling abuse if it's suggested they could slow down please....well they give way and slow down for no one - and this is very dangerous.

In order to achieve some sort of calm out on the roads, and make horseriding safe again, I am appealing to those involved to adhere to the codes of conduct written by Sustrans: the National Cycle Network, and the Highway Code, and common sense and courtesy to fellow man. It’s against the law to race on our roads, so let’s all slow down and be safe.

Tom: Holme Grove Constable

I have written to everyone I can think of: the story appears in the July issue of HORSE magazine, I have asked Sustrans to contact all the local clubs to remind them of their responsibility on the roads where meeting horses is concerned, my local council will be reviewing the need to put up some warning horseriding signs around our village, and I hope to get a joint article in a cycle magazine too to highlight the problems both sides have when we meet on the roads.

In order from the left: Moose, Tom and Amber (the horses).

A better understanding from both sides, with maybe some behaviour adjustment could help make our encounters a safer and friendlier experience.


Horseriders are nice people, and horses are incredible adaptable animals. They cope brilliantly with life considering they're built for flight in both mind and body. but, as anyone who keeps animals will tell you, they can react in surprising ways when scared for their lives: and this is what cyclists need to understand - for us riders, it isn’t a matter of 'control' but a matter of managing any adverse reaction our horse has to a scary situation in the best possible way. When horses are scared they need room to react, both physically and mentally, they position their bodies to great effect against the thing that scares them, in other words, they need room to move, that's why we ask that we are given lots of room, it's for everyone’s safety.

Please, please let’s all get along; let’s work at getting out a message of safety and responsibility. Hooves and wheels needn't be enemies; we can share our countryside, and enjoy our chosen activities without fear of meeting each other. please cyclists, slow down, give us room, and give us some warning your behind us too, call out a 'good morning' or use a bell, and we'll be courteous in response and thankful to be safe.


Thank you, Shelley