I hate riding out during a bank holiday :(

I work at a trekking centre and was taking a trek out this afternoon, 2 novice girls, one had sat on a horse once before and one had never ridden at all. Both were on quiet sensible ponies, Angus & Hester.

We were halfway round our route (half of it on a quiet road and other half through the hotel 'parks') when over the brow of a hill appears a family, mum, dad & 2 young boys, one on a push bike and one on one of the little plastic push along bikes, you know the ones I mean!? Oh, and their poodle!

I know that they saw us coming, the Dad picked the dog up and tucked it under his arm, yet they let their kids charge down the hill towards us on their bikes. They weren't bothered by the pushbike, but were spooked by the plastic bike, having probably never encountered something with noisy plastic wheels before!

The pony I was on, Nellie, wanted to bolt but didn't, I managed to hold her. The two ponies behind me both spun around and tried to trot off. I know trotting off isn't a bad as galloping off, but it's scary enough for 2 people that have never ridden before.

Angus stopped pretty sharpish, he doesn't like excerting himself if he can help it, but Hester carried on walking away from me, back in the direction of home. I jumped off Nellie, clipped a lead rope onto Angus' bit and started off to retrieve Hester!

What got me, was the parents could see what had happened and rather than run to stop their child on his noisy bike, they just let him carry on, coming up behind us! Luckily I was on the ground, so mananged to stop Nellie & Angus bolting. I shouted to the parents, 'Can you PLEASE get him to stop and stay still a minute.' Only then did the Mum run to get her child.

I finally managed to catch up to Hester and got her facing the right direction and we carried on with the ride, with me walking until the ponies had settled down.

I was just so annoyed, these people had the sense to make sure their dog was out of harms way, but still let their children zoom towards us. The outcome could've been a lot different and this little boy or my riders could've been seriously hurt by one of the ponies. Luckily no one was and the girls enjoyed the rest of their ride!

Sorry for the rant, but it made me really angry! I can promise that the majority of my rides aren't like this, it just seems most incidents nearly always happen during a bank holiday, it seems to bring the silly people out!!

glad no one was hurt x

So am I, because I'm pretty sure the finger would've been pointed at me if one of my ponies had injured someone!

Close call that - I used to wonder what went through some people's heads at times . . . .
Then I gave up, couldn't even get close

When I lived in Berkshire, horses were often ridden on the roads - I gave them a very wide berth. A horse could kill a small child with a kick - or seriously injure the rider if it threw them. I've seen a horse rear up and stamp down on a car!

It's a shame you have to use roads and carparks (I assume you meant hotel carparks?) for your treks. Is there nowhere off road you can trek?

My daughter rode for years in the west country - but only ever trekked on the beaches or up on the carns. And the riding centres had plenty of land and paddocks for them to ride in too.

I know that both horses and cars have the right to be on the roads, but wouldn't have been happy for her to trek on the roads, especially not as a beginner.

I think we all have to be both realistic and reasonable in our outlook.

We cannot expect everyone we meet to be horse, dog or even child savvy.

We have to expect the unexpected.

When I used to ride regularly there were always things that occurred which could spook a horse, eg plastic bags (the scariest things known to equines), bad drivers, hot air balloons, remote controlled airplanes, kites the list is endless.

Everyone has a right to enjoy the great outdoors in the way they want to.

I am glad no-one was injured or too badly scared.

Horses can be so unpredictable, even the most laid back, so I guess you just always have to be on your guard and aware of what might happen.

Lots of people are not horse savvy AT ALL, and this family may not have realised that the small bike would worry the ponies so much.

Just put it down to experience

Tangutica, I think she means park land not car parks!

I used to be a ride leader too and I we once encountered one of those plastic bikes, horses hated it! One bank holiday we had a hen party, 2 riders, 10 novice riders, two mounted escorts and two on foot. We not only had a hellicopter land next to the bridle path (the hotel in question normally phones us beforehand if they have helicopters landing, that day they didn't!) but once in the village we had morris dancers!

Thankfully my pony was the only one that got spooked (more at the dancers with bells than the helicopter) but that was a stomach in mouth moment!

When out on my horse I will flag people down to slow or stop them, thankfully if you tense up on my horse he'll prance about like a derranged racehorse (which he sort of is ) and it tends to worry people into giving us a wide birth! (He's safe as houses really!)

Well obviously if you ride on the roads hopefully you will have passed the BHS Riding and Road Safety Certificate and if you take rides out you are suitably qualified which means you will have received the relevant training.

Silly people. I`m afraid we all need to walk and ride defensively these days, as most people are oblivious of what`s around them, and unaware that animals can be spooked.
Having said that - I used to lead rides from a stable in Wimbledon High Street. One mare was extremely bad-tempered and was notorious for booting any approaching dog into the undergrowth if they got too close.
One day I stopped the traffic so we could turn across into the yard, with this mare on a lead rein with a novice rider beside me and a woman tried to squeeze past us in an estate car, unwilling to wait till we`d gone.
The mare put both hind hooves straight through the side of her car.
I`m afraid I simply shrugged and quoted the Highway Code at her. Revenge is sweet.