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.