BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Just watching back2the bike new video and something sprang to mind. On two occasions when approaching horse and riders I have slowed to a crawl but still the horses have reacted to my presence with one of them rearing up on hind legs. Never had that reaction on any previous bikes so before anyone says it its not me. I have suspicion it could be to do with daylight pro and switch over to lights if passing horses. Could  just be coincidence but was wondering if anybody else has similar experience?   

Always expect the unexpected from a horse, they're very unpredictable animals.

No BoB21, I haven’t experienced that reaction from horses with the daylight pro setting on my RT. As simbo says, they can indeed be very unpredictable animals!

My daughter rides horses and also ran a stable for a few years. I asked her about this and she suggested that it probably depends upon how the rider controls and steadies the horse when traffic is passing.

Approaching from behind or in front ?.

From the front the one that bucked was definitely starring at me as I got close and when the rider raised her arm to thank me it bucked. Maybe just unused to motorbikes I was just wondering if it was because of the look of the bike with daylight running lights that freaked it out.

My daughter owns horses and has made a deep study of their psychology. She says just like people every horse is different, but studying their body language does provide clues. Do they 'dance' along (suggesting highly strung, twitchy),or plod (suggesting steady, bombproof). They are flight animals, so generally react to a threat by bolting, sometimes kicking out. They react to the noise as much as the sight of a threat and are very perceptive. Her advice is rather than pass them too slowly (and extending the contact),try to maintain a steady but slowish speed at the maximum distance from them to get out of their way as soon as you can. My own observation, having chased (and been chased) them round the field for 10 years is that pick up very quickly if you are nervous or tentative, so (might sound a bit daft) ride like you're in charge of the situation. And take carrots.

Back2TheBike wrote: My own observation, having chased (and been chased) them round the field for 10 years is that pick up very quickly if you are nervous or tentative, so (might sound a bit daft) ride like you're in charge of the situation. And take carrots.

Or Polos!!

I'm always very wary when passing horses but, so far, my LED lights haven't led to any disasters. Fingers crossed !

Must have just been coincidence wont bother changing light over anymore. Thanks for reply's 

There was an item on this on the Daily Rant (Jeremy Vine show) on Radio 2 the other day.  As usual they only broadcast the extremes.  I grew up in Devon so have always seen horses as just other road users, albeit ones that need a little more care.  My usual approach, car or bike, is to make sure they know I'm there (if approaching from the rear by slowing down but not pulling in the clutch so they hear the vehicle approaching) and pass as far away as possible at a steady speed of about 10-15 mph.  Never had any real problem with this approach.

I also cycle a bit and this seems more problematic.  Although you are travelling more slowly, they do not always hear your approach and can be startled by this. 

In any case, if the horse does look a bit flighty, I just stop and let the rider sort it out.

One observation though:  These days it does sometimes look like there are more horses/riders out there that are maybe not as well trained as they were?  I've got no evidence for this other than what I've seen.

There are idiots who don't slow enough, but with a bit of care and consideration we can all be safe as long as the horses and riders are properly trained too.

Think the biggest problem is admitting to listening to Jeremy Vine show  8)

Casbar wrote: Think the biggest problem is admitting to listening to Jeremy Vine show 8)

Went downhill fast when they replaced Jimmy Young ! ;D

I typically downshift to alert the horse and rider of my presence, but keep enough speed to permit me to pull in the clutch to minimize the engine noise just before I pass, giving them a wide berth.  Seems to work.

Come across horses a fair bit and having a friend who has had them for over 40 years and competes general consensus is each one is different but relies a lot on the rider. If the rider gets nervous then the horse does the same, especially if they don't come across bikes often.
As most of the roads are narrow and in some cases single track either I pull over and stop or they do.
Always as much distance between me and the horse, whether in the car or bike.

If I can keep moving then stay in first and be ready to get clear if it goes pear shape. Rather not be kicked off the bike.