This is a Blog written by myself, Ian Fenwick, the founder of Write Time Freelance Writers. I want to make this site a valuable resource, not only for my customers old and new, but for all budding writers out there in their lonely realms. I will try to offer any advice or free fiction tips that i find interesting, and I welcome comments and feedback. Please do feel free to contact me about the blog or anything else pertaining to the website. I like to network with people, in particular other writers.
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Horses on the road.
Posted on Sunday Feb 1 0:00:00 UTC 2009
Can We Coexist With Horses On Our Public Highways?
The fact remains that there are, without a doubt, more cars on the road than horses.Now, personally I believe that people in general drive like idiots, at least fifty percent of the time; indeed, it’s scary to be a pedestrian these days.If I had my way then we would all go back to pony and trap, but sadly that cannot be, but surely we must realise that it must be one or the other.
These two aree not meant to be on the road together in the 21st century, no matter how many riding hats and shiny jackets we wear.We cannot possibly tolerate horses on our public highways when there are cars on the road that accelerate from 0-60 in goodness only knows what time; I encourage any motor vehicle enthusiasts to research this figure as they see fit.
I make no excuses for them, but the fact remains that many drivers do not know how to drive near horses. They resent staying behind them, fail to read any literature about safety around them, and do not pay attention to T.V advertisements addressing the problem.There are plenty of non-horse related accidents on the road every day that have not been vanquishedby commercials
People are people, and in general people are ignorant, impatient and erratic.If you disagree with me and have complete blind faith in the knowledge and innate goodness of the human being, then let me tell you that even if we were all saints, and trained police drivers to boot, it would make little difference when we consider the species we share the road with; for they are not!
Allow me to turn the reader’s attention to a few very simple, yet very important facts about our four legged friend.One of the biggest problems is that no matter how well trained a horse owner thinks their horse is, they cannot escape the fact that the horse is an animal prone to skittish behaviour.
The horse is nervous and if they become frightened they will try to escape from whatever worries them. They can take exception to the strangest things.One of these might be your car, or any movement or object at the side of the road for that matter: litter blowing in the wind, road signs, trees, pedestrians etc.
This behaviour is often attributed to the horses’ monocular (single) vision, which makes it difficult for them to measure absolute speed and the position of things around them; thus making it commonplace for them to overreact to things behind them and beside them.
Now, we do not inform people that they should take care because there is a drunk behind the wheel of a car that constitutes a potential hazard, and that this drunk may behave erratically.Yet we have mass advertising campaigns telling us that horses are erratic creatures and we should drive in a particular way around them.We do not tolerate the drunk, so why should we tolerate the horse?Tradition? Leisure?The horse, as beautiful and majestic as it may be, cannot be trusted on the public highway just as the drunk cannot.
We must remember that the horse is an enormous creature and it can cause multiple vehicle accidents, it will surely write off your car, you, and your loved ones. With this in mind, I cannot help being concerned about children riding horses on the road.
Contrary to popular belief, a car does not have a mind of it’s own, but horses clearly do.I do not see many parents allowing their children to cycle within the national speed limit of 60mph, yet I have seen young children within these limits, riding on horses three times their size; horses that they could not possibly bring under control in the event of a crisis.
There is no age limit on children riding horses on the public highway, the law only insists that helmets must be worn by those under the age of 14! Can a child really cope with what this beast is capable of under stress?I invite argument on the subject.
Keeping these young riders in mind for a moment brings another concern to mind.Are all of these children proficient with the highway code?I think not.They have not had to pass a driving test, and I know that anyone who is handling something on the public highway that is erratic and weighs close to a car, should certainly prove their proficiency in the same way as any other road user.These minors are not old enough to drive a car, or even have a licence, so should they be allowed on the road?Are they even accountable for their ignorance on the modern day road? I think we are responsible.
A horse rider does not pay road tax.Why not?Car drivers do, and we don’t defecate all over the road and public footpaths. The only real progress seems to have been made in the event of an accident. These days owners/keepers are liable for any damages or injuries caused by their horse, regardless of how they look after it. Owners used to be able to get away with negligence accusations by claiming that they take good care of their animal, with good stable practice and management. Now it is no longer an acceptable defence in the event of an accident.
It is no longer a good argument to tell us about how noble the horse is, and how the horse has helped us since the beginning of time.Not only are these arguments old, they are also completely irrelevant when we talk about road safety today.There needs to be a blanket ban on riding horses/carriages on the highway.
In the golden age of horse riding, when there was nought but a few motors on our roads, the horse did not have to negotiate huge buses/coaches, articulated vehicles, or phenomenally fast sports cars; it is just ridiculously dangerous these days, we live at a faster pace and there is no place for the horse on the road.
In our country it would not be such a huge upheaval to ban horses from the road. It would not be like the case in Romania for instance when they banned horses and carts from the cities.Those who own horses in our country can usually afford to feed and exercise them whether the animals ride on the road or not; it must be remembered that the majority of horses on the road are there for leisure purposes, and they are not working animals.
So there is no good reason to continue accepting the number of daily accidents on our highways caused by horses and their riders.Riding horses can continue on owner’s private land, or with the permission of a land owner; the horse would be much happier here anyway, I think all will agree.
Whilst I agree with the point made about children riding on roads ( I, for one, would never allow my children to ride along any road, they are confined to the menage) I as an adult do not compete my horse, I enjoy hacking out.Almost every rider I know would much rather ride out on bridle paths and avoid roads altogether, but the bridle paths are almost always only accesible by road. Most drivers we come across are very considerate and patient, but there are always some who are an exception and think it funny to hurl insults at you or rev the engine next to the horse and terrify it.
There are some woods behind the farm where I keep my horse, which, if we were allowed to ride through here, would eliminate any need for any of us from our farm to ride any where near a road, but the landowner will not allow us to pass.
We always try to avoid busy roads where possible, but, as I said earlier, most paths are impossible to get to without this.
Not all of us can afford the luxury of a horsebox and so have no choice, unless we want to be restricted to an oblong sand school, which is not only boring for us after a while, but also for the horses.
There are some woods behind the farm where I keep my horse, which, if we were allowed to ride through here, would eliminate any need for any of us from our farm to ride any where near a road, but the landowner will not allow us to pass.
We always try to avoid busy roads where possible, but, as I said earlier, most paths are impossible to get to without this.
Not all of us can afford the luxury of a horsebox and so have no choice, unless we want to be restricted to an oblong sand school, which is not only boring for us after a while, but also for the horses.