We don't dent, we die.

Catchy phrase of a young horse-rider on the BBC South news this morning in
a piece about how increasing driver aggression over the past two years is
making it very difficult for her to go horse riding on the country lanes
round her home. The classic council response though was to try to get
farmers to open more permissive paths so they didn't need to use the roads.
Nothing like rewarding bullies with roads to themselves.

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

Tony Raven wrote:
Catchy phrase of a young horse-rider on the BBC South news this
morning in a piece about how increasing driver aggression over the
past two years is making it very difficult for her to go horse riding
on the country lanes round her home. The classic council response
though was to try to get farmers to open more permissive paths so
they didn't need to use the roads. Nothing like rewarding bullies
with roads to themselves.

I tend to agree, but surely it'd be more enjoyable riding 'off road' than
on?

On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 07:58:47 +0100, " cupra"
wrote:

Tony Raven wrote:
Catchy phrase of a young horse-rider on the BBC South news this
morning in a piece about how increasing driver aggression over the
past two years is making it very difficult for her to go horse riding
on the country lanes round her home. The classic council response
though was to try to get farmers to open more permissive paths so
they didn't need to use the roads. Nothing like rewarding bullies
with roads to themselves.

I tend to agree, but surely it'd be more enjoyable riding 'off road' than
on?

I tend to agree, but surely it'd be more enjoyable driving 'off road'
than on?

Marc Brett wrote:
On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 07:58:47 +0100, " cupra"
wrote:

Tony Raven wrote:
Catchy phrase of a young horse-rider on the BBC South news this
morning in a piece about how increasing driver aggression over the
past two years is making it very difficult for her to go horse
riding on the country lanes round her home. The classic council
response though was to try to get farmers to open more permissive
paths so they didn't need to use the roads. Nothing like rewarding
bullies with roads to themselves.

I tend to agree, but surely it'd be more enjoyable riding 'off road'
than on?

I tend to agree, but surely it'd be more enjoyable driving 'off road'
than on?

Don't start the 4x4 debate!

I only say so out of curiosity - not being a horse rider.

someone who prefers to cycle off road

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:05:31 -0500, Tony Raven wrote:

Catchy phrase of a young horse-rider on the BBC South news this morning
in a piece about how increasing driver aggression over the past two
years is making it very difficult for her to go horse riding on the
country lanes round her home. The classic council response though was
to try to get farmers to open more permissive paths so they didn't need
to use the roads. Nothing like rewarding bullies with roads to
themselves.

I wonder if this was the same rider who was in one of the local papers
around Redhill/Reigate? She was describing how some drivers actually hoot
and rev their engines to get the horses out of the way and drive past
shouting and signalling abuse. Worse, one driver actually used his car to
push the horse out of the way!

Cheers
Noel

Noel wrote in
.uk:

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:05:31 -0500, Tony Raven wrote:

Catchy phrase of a young horse-rider on the BBC South news this
morning in a piece about how increasing driver aggression over the
past two years is making it very difficult for her to go horse riding
on the country lanes round her home. The classic council response
though was to try to get farmers to open more permissive paths so
they didn't need to use the roads. Nothing like rewarding bullies
with roads to themselves.

I wonder if this was the same rider who was in one of the local papers
around Redhill/Reigate? She was describing how some drivers actually
hoot and rev their engines to get the horses out of the way and drive
past shouting and signalling abuse. Worse, one driver actually used
his car to push the horse out of the way!


Sounds like the one and it is clear that she and friends have now been
intimidated off the roads and say they don't ride out on the roads
anymore after school.


--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 07:49:38 GMT, Noel
wrote:

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:05:31 -0500, Tony Raven wrote:

Catchy phrase of a young horse-rider on the BBC South news this morning
in a piece about how increasing driver aggression over the past two
years is making it very difficult for her to go horse riding on the
country lanes round her home. The classic council response though was
to try to get farmers to open more permissive paths so they didn't need
to use the roads. Nothing like rewarding bullies with roads to
themselves.

I wonder if this was the same rider who was in one of the local papers
around Redhill/Reigate? She was describing how some drivers actually hoot
and rev their engines to get the horses out of the way and drive past
shouting and signalling abuse. Worse, one driver actually used his car to
push the horse out of the way!

Maybe the horses need a camera mounted on their rear ends?

In article , Noel wrote:
On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:05:31 -0500, Tony Raven wrote:

Catchy phrase of a young horse-rider on the BBC South news this morning
in a piece about how increasing driver aggression over the past two
years is making it very difficult for her to go horse riding on the
country lanes round her home. The classic council response though was
to try to get farmers to open more permissive paths so they didn't need
to use the roads. Nothing like rewarding bullies with roads to
themselves.

I wonder if this was the same rider who was in one of the local papers
around Redhill/Reigate? She was describing how some drivers actually hoot
and rev their engines to get the horses out of the way and drive past
shouting and signalling abuse. Worse, one driver actually used his car to
push the horse out of the way!

I'd like to see them try that around here (Newmarket)....

Marc Brett wrote:

I tend to agree, but surely it'd be more enjoyable driving 'off road'
than on?

I'm sure it is, but I assume it's like MTB'ing where you always
need to like offroad sections with road sections.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
The struggle of people against power is the struggle
of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera

cupra wrote:

I tend to agree, but surely it'd be more enjoyable riding 'off road'
than on?


I only say so out of curiosity - not being a horse rider.


I'm not a horse rider either, but on/off road surely depends on what's
achievable. I like to walk, will travel long distances to get to good
walking country, and don't really want to walk on roads.

But I tend to cycle locally rather than travel first; either in towns
for utility or countryside for pleasure.

If you live in a built-up area and keep a horse, it's likely to be
kept on farmland rather than open countryside (moors, the highlands
etc.) and needs regular exercise. Unlike a bike, which is your own
choice - most bikes won't complain if you leave them in the garage for
a week. So avoiding roads would be very limiting, and might restrict
you to a particular set of farm tracks or byroads. Transporting a
horse to an area where you can ride more freely is a much bigger
problem than for a bike or a rucsac.

I'm quite shocked to hear that drivers are now harassing horse
riders. I've always found that people will act around horses the way
I'd like them to act around bikes, passing wide & slow. This is partly
through consideration but also strengthened by fear : an out-of-
control horse will do damage even to a car driver. I'm sorry to
hear that even that respect is going, and disgusted that the local
council are reacting by trying to get horses off the road.

I enjoy driving and appreciate the convenience of using a car. But
increasingly, this sort of thing (as well as the loss of driving
pleasure caused by overcrowded roads and all the other disadvantages
of the growth of car transport) is making me reconsider. I think I
might be turning into a car-hater.

-adrian