View Full Version : Risks of riding horses and motorbikes
This story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8339097.stm) follows up on Prof David Nutt's recent political stink-bomb that riding a horse is more risky than taking ecstasy. Apparently it's also more risky than riding a motorbike:
In his paper Hazards of Horse-riding as a Popular Sport, Dr Silver cited a study from 1985 that suggested motorcyclists suffered a serious accident once every 7,000 hours but a horse rider could expect a serious incident once in every 350 hours.
All horses should be fitted with airbags, ABS, crumple zones and have their performance limited to below a canter.
Horse riders should have to pass a CBT on a shetland pony, then take their main test on a pony then being restricted on the output of the horse for three years before they can ride any horse they like. Unless the rider is over 21 when they can direct access.
All riders without a full lisence must display a L plate...
There should be a horse riding test
The new horse test will be completed in two modules. The specified manoeuvres conducted at specific speeds will be tested in module 1 on safe off-road sites.
These specified manoeuvres are:
at least two manoeuvres carried out at slow speed (below a trot), including a slalom
at least two manoeuvres carried out at higher speed, of which one exercise should be at a rising trot, at a speed of at least 5 km/h (approx. 3 mph) and one exercise avoiding an obstacle at a minimum speed of 20 km/h (approx. 16 mph)
at least two braking manoeuvres, including an emergency brake at a minimum speed of 20 km/h (approx. 16 mph)
On the day of your module 1 test, you will be asked by the examiner to demonstrate your riding ability on either the left-hand or right-hand circuit. The standard off-road layout may change because of local conditions on the casual sites and where cattle are situated.
If you demonstrate riding skills of a dangerously incompetent level during module 1, you will not be allowed to take module 2.
If you pass module 1 you will receive a test pass certificate which you must bring with you when you take module 2.
Module 2 of the test is made up of the eyesight test, road safety questions and at least 30 minutes of road riding. Road riding will cover a variety of road and traffic conditions and will also include normal stops, hill and angle starts as well as taking water and a s**t.
Whadda ya think???? :D
Geordie Stu
03-11-09, 05:49 PM
All horses should be fitted with airbags, ABS, crumple zones and have their performance limited to below a canter.
Horse riders should have to pass a CBT on a shetland pony, then take their main test on a pony then being restricted on the output of the horse for three years before they can ride any horse they like. Unless the rider is over 21 when they can direct access.
All riders without a full lisence must display a L plate...
There should be a horse riding test
The new horse test will be completed in two modules. The specified manoeuvres conducted at specific speeds will be tested in module 1 on safe off-road sites.
These specified manoeuvres are:
at least two manoeuvres carried out at slow speed (below a trot), including a slalom
at least two manoeuvres carried out at higher speed, of which one exercise should be at a rising trot, at a speed of at least 5 km/h (approx. 3 mph) and one exercise avoiding an obstacle at a minimum speed of 20 km/h (approx. 16 mph)
at least two braking manoeuvres, including an emergency brake at a minimum speed of 20 km/h (approx. 16 mph)
On the day of your module 1 test, you will be asked by the examiner to demonstrate your riding ability on either the left-hand or right-hand circuit. The standard off-road layout may change because of local conditions on the casual sites and where cattle are situated.
If you demonstrate riding skills of a dangerously incompetent level during module 1, you will not be allowed to take module 2.
If you pass module 1 you will receive a test pass certificate which you must bring with you when you take module 2.
Module 2 of the test is made up of the eyesight test, road safety questions and at least 30 minutes of road riding. Road riding will cover a variety of road and traffic conditions and will also include normal stops, hill and angle starts as well as taking water and a s**t.
Whadda ya think???? :D
On a serious note I think you have a valid point. Even when riding a Bicycle they teach kids a preficiency test.
If you Ride, Drive Cycle on the roadsthen you should have some basic training.
I think they need lights and an emissions test. It may be alright for your roses, but it makes one hell of a mess of your bike.
I love John W's piece and I agree there should be some sort of test for ALL road users :)
BB
Roll_on
04-11-09, 12:50 AM
Does that include pedestrians
Pedestrians are the worst. Especially this time of year when it's dark.
Roll_on
04-11-09, 09:51 AM
They should be made to have hats with flashing lights and warning horns.
Sorry to say but I dont agree, I think all horses should be kept to fields and off of the roads.
The hoofs are metal and ruin the road yet they dont pay taxes, the Poo gets dropped and does not get picked up and stains and ruins the road, it also kills people (my mate was killed by Horse poo sliding into a road sign on a corner as he didnt see the Poo until it was too late round the bend)....
Or if you get me on a bad day I think all horses should be shot......But that is my views....
Thorkill_The_Tall
04-11-09, 04:11 PM
Remember, it's not the fault of the horses, blame the thoughtless, selfish owners.
As for defecating animals, just imagine the hoo-hah if I dropped me keks and shat in the road. Yes, I know there's a difference between omnivore faeces and that of a herbivore, but I would imagine a vegitarian human being would face prosecution for taking a dump on the Queen's highway.
Another thing - why do not horses need to have basic third party insurance? Your nag kicks a car and you can just claim it had been stung by an insect or spooked by a noise and escape liability. Is this fair?
Also, would we be allowed to let a child out on the public roads on a snorting, bucking works moto-crosser?
Food for though, eh?
I nearly had my first off sliding on horse crap !
Came round a bend, giant horse turd in the middle of the lane and i couldnt avoid it, my front wheel hit it and i slid towards the centre of the road, but luckily i did a huge stamp as i wasnt going partucularly fast and managed to recover it, if i hadnt, i would have ended up crossing the oncomming lane, and i dont like to think what would have happened if there had been a car comming
Horses dont have any reason to be on the road, their owners dont pay road tax, dont clear up after their animals, and cause huge tailbacks, but the worst bit is that they are only ridden for fun, no one uses to a horse for transport, so they have no reason to be on modern roads anymore.
Its about time someone started a petition to get horses off the roads, and back onto the fields where they belong !
Bonnielass
04-11-09, 07:27 PM
I'm gathering none of you have ever ridden a horse and therefore not experienced the exhilaration of galloping across the country side or the relaxation of ambling down a country road. I absolutely agree that there should be some sort of test before you are allowed on a busy highway but you have to agree that it is a 'public highway' and therefore anyone should be at liberty to use it.
The poo can be a problem but there are riders who will go back with a shovel and get rid of it!
It is a problem for riders to get anywhere without going on the road because they keep closing bridleways!
I think we should respect different peoples hobbies, we are all here to enjoy life, there are a lot of bike riders who ride like the wind and put the fear of god into me.
I guess as a previous rider of horses and now of bikes I feel there's an argument for both.
It is a problem for riders to get anywhere without going on the road because they keep closing bridleways!
Blame the Ramblers! >:( It's the red-socked rambling nazis who want ALL the off-road tracks in the entire country for themselves and nobody else, it makes legal green-laning more and more difficult :-/ At least (for the time being anyway) there are plenty of By-Ways around here - enjoy them whilst you can kids, the Ramblers (boo!hiss!) will take them away from you as soon as they can :'(
I used to ride horses, never on the road though as i always thought they were too unpredictable, but i had fun riding around the paddock and doing a few jumps (got thrown off a few times too!), but at the end of the day, i still dont see why a horse needs to be on the road, they arent essential transport, no one uses them to get somewhere, the horses damage the roads and dont pay any road tax or anything towards the upkeep of the roads, and i always had the feeling that horses didnt like being on the road anyway, they are happier in a field
another angle, is that if horses or riders dont have to pay road tax as road users, why should motorbikes have to pay road tax ?
StreetHippo
05-11-09, 02:48 AM
Why is motorcycle tax so high when "green" cars can have lower tax, even though their mpg is higher than a bike, use more resources to produce than a bike and therefore have higher lifetime costs than a bike?
Bit off topic, but I fealt like a gurn!! >:(
Stu ;)
I'm gathering none of you have ever ridden a horse and therefore not experienced the exhilaration of galloping across the country side or the relaxation of ambling down a country road. I absolutely agree that there should be some sort of test before you are allowed on a busy highway but you have to agree that it is a 'public highway' and therefore anyone should be at liberty to use it.
The poo can be a problem but there are riders who will go back with a shovel and get rid of it!
It is a problem for riders to get anywhere without going on the road because they keep closing bridleways!
I think we should respect different peoples hobbies, we are all here to enjoy life, there are a lot of bike riders who ride like the wind and put the fear of god into me.
I guess as a previous rider of horses and now of bikes I feel there's an argument for both.
May I hasten to add...
My piece was a poke at the goverment and OTT testing plus the rediculous statistics people find to justify things, not horse riders.
I have riden a horse and agree it is great fun. In my expierence as a motorcyclist and a cyclist, most horse riders on the road are considerate and sensable. There are as ever a few who f**k it up for the rest. (a bit like motorcycling) I have come off in horse poo but equally I have come off on diesel and I hear no call for motorists to clean up after themselves.
I agree about the closing of bridleways... some of that though is due to thoughtless cars and motorcycles... as ever the few f**k it up for the many.
Bonnielass
05-11-09, 09:31 AM
Absolutely!!
Does that include pedestrians
It should include everybody!
People forget that when they are behind a wheel or handlebars they are a driver or motorcyclist but when they park up and get out/off they become a pedestrian!
People should think more about what they would do or how they would react if they were in the other persons place. Be it on wheels/hoof or foot!
Basically people should just simply think more about what they are doing and possible repercussions!
BB
I have riden many a horse when I was younger and hated it, to the point a horse bolted and I was hanging around it neck, until I let go and was stomped on, so I HATE horses, I Love donkeys but HATE horses.
It also didnt help that when I was working at Wallingford they have a few stud farms around abouts and they used to ride all over the road and not care who was coming or going, also they used to take horses out on the roads that shouldnt of been allowed, as it states in the Highway code that you can take a horse out that is not used to the road if it can be controlled, many of the horses shouldnt of even seen the road let alone been on it.....
But still like I said this is my view and I am not saying it should be all of yours just mine... :)
benobiker
18-11-09, 07:23 PM
aaahh.. well I ride bikes and horses though not at the same time. I find the horse is better over hedges and across fields than the gixer to be honest! And getting one knee down on a horse tends to lead to the other going down too.
If i take up something safe like tiddlywinks or beetle drives can i reduce / offset my more dangerous passions? :o
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