i agree, maybe it needs to be longer and more in depth then? i will confess when i passed my CBT i didn't really have a clue
The problem is you can teach a Horse to get used to traffic but they spook at stupid things like a plastic bag in a bush or the reflection from a plastic bottle in the verge no matter how many times they've seen them before. I used to take my Daughter on her Pony, on a lead reign, around the local lanes and this pony would sometimes spook when it passed a manhole cover but only if it could hear water running beneath it!!! I slow down to walking pace whenever I pass a Horse whether on 2 or 4 wheels, but I've had plenty of drivers pass me and my Daughter that just don't bother to slow at all!!
I live in the Chilterns and I'm pretty much surrounded by stud farms / stables. I have absolutely no issue with a rider taking a horse on the road and I fully accept a horse is an unpredictable animal. I also go out of my way to be curteous to them and will slow and give as much room to them as I can. What I do have an issue with is that a horse rider can knowingly take such an animal on a public highway without the need for insurance for when / if said unpredictable animal throws a wobbler! :roll: As a driver of a car or rider of a bike it's the law that I have to have insurance to cover any unforeseen circumstances so why is a horse any different? I accept road tax would be silly and unnecessary but insurance surely makes sense for everyone if something does go wrong?
It could, but It could also be argued that a tonne's worth of horse poses a significantly greater risk to other road users than a cyclist does on the whole. In addition, if a cyclist gets it wrong chances are they knew the risk they were taking I.e. Jumping red lights. A horse doesn't make those sorts of judgements, it just reacts and to a greater or lesser extent at that point the rider is pretty much a passenger waiting for it to decide to calm down (assuming they're still on it of course!). Personally I don't think there should be any distinction. If you use the roads on a vehicle, whether that be a living breathing one or a mechanical one, you should have insurance.
Totally disagree....unless of course, someone can come up with some statistics to show me that horses/cyclists represent any kind significant contribution to the road traffic accidents/injuries/fatalities etc. on the UK's roads?? .....You won't BTW....I already checked!!
why do would you need statistics? are you running for government? its just an opinion... read and understand.
I don't..the whole equestrian/cyclist thing has been done over & over...it fails on every level...always will. I understand it fully...it's quite probably one of the most trite arguments I've ever read. "Motor-driven" vehicles do NOT "own the road"...nor do they have the "right-of-way" ...You need to brush up on your Highway Code, son.
MR Sarcasm... so why did you ask? I fully understand that the highway code thank you, and in no way or ever have i ever thought that i own the road, what i was agreeing with was the statement that maybe people should pay some sort of insurance for horses in case an accident does happen that is not the riders/drivers fault.
I agree we do not own the roads but we do pay for them and are required to pay insurance. Road tax, fuel duty (+VAT), Insurance premium tax. We also pay tax on the purchase of a motor vehicle. Those that free load on the road seem to behave as if they own them. I am not anti horse and find those who ride them on the road are usually careful and responsible but if a horse rears bucks or swerves, and they do, the rider may not be able to afford the cost to others. Cyclists-certainly in cities- seem to regard themselves as exempt from any laws or driving standards and simply do not accept any responsibility for others.
Oooh look there's a cyclist, i'll just veer 10 yards round him into this oncoming motorcyclist just to be on the safe side. That's my only issue with the lycra lads (and its not really an issue with them, more the knob heads who treat them with a lot more courtesy than they do their engine-powered counterparts).
Nowt wrong with Lycra....it provides additional support for my taut yet svelte quads, whilst at the same time wicks moisture away from my chiseled torso!! :roll:
