Surrey* hates mountain bikers too: horse riders object to new trail at Leith Hill

The world would be a better place if people just chill out, realise that life shouldn't be taken so seriously and learn to share with each other. If people stay courteous and friendly then there should never be a problem.

Cyclists probably need a bit of information about the proper way to ride around horses. My wife is a bit of a equine psychologist so I have been made aware of their dislike of cyclists. I regularly see group rides pass horses without giving warning and space and the horse starts as a result.

My daughter competes and I ride out to her events. I even walk the bike in to the farm so as not to spook the competitors...the horses with my bike and the riders with my lycra

This is all rather bizarre. MTBers are just as legally entitled to use public bridleways as horse riders. So what's the problem with an MTB trail running near a bridleway?

One things that's baffled me for ages: Horses can be trained to charge into battle with bullets whizzing past them. Why aren't horses properly trained to deal with the "scary" things they will encounter on roads and bridleways? That said, I know they usually aren't, so I give them a lot of room and slow right down. Riders seem to be in two camps - those that appreciate your consideration, and those that still look down their nose at you like they are appalled that you even exist!

I've said it before and I'll say it again;

Cyclists get more respect on the continent. They also eat horses over there. So I'd recommend all cyclists carry one of these at all times:
http://www.russums-shop.co.uk/images/products/zoom/1361802984-44480800.jpg

The other upside to doing this, other than taking away the shite hobby of wannabe gentry, inbred toffs and weak parents is that snacking on horses mid-ride will reduce the number of gel wrappers being dropped.

If you can afford a horse you can afford a field to put it in, and leave it there.

We get horses on the chase and there is never a problem. This is because horses are mental skittish things that are dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle and we know better than to spook them. Give them space, make your self heard politely when approaching them, if it all looks dodgy and is if the horse is unhappy then simply don't go near it. Anyone doing otherwise is angling to get them self removed from the gene pool, which would be doing the species a favour IMHO.

Horse riding involves a dumb prey animal......and a horse

If horse riders are so concerned about sharing space with cyclists, how come so many of them deliberately use a certain section of the Bristol to Bath cycle path by Emersons Green that actually has a sign at the entrance saying "No horseriding"? The evidence is in small brown piles all over the tarmac surface....

It's been a few years since I rode around Leith Hill so perhaps things have changed, but I can't imagine why anyone would complain about mountain bikes when there were motorcross bikers inventing routes.

Road CC trying to sensationalise a story of 'hate' between road user groups again? Well done.

If you speak to the more sensible horse riders, you'll get familiar tales of close passes, being honked at, yells to do with "road tax" etc. They do have issues with cyclists- after all, we do approach from behind almost silently- but generally the main issues they have on the road are the same that we have.

Obviously the horsey types kicking up a stink here are arses, but they're not all bad!

Maybe one solution might be a voluntary agreement, through which opposing interests restrict their activities to alternate weekends.

Nothing enforcible, of course, but any "understanding" could dramatically reduce the current conflict in popular areas.

Quote:

Mountain bikes whizzing in and out of trees, jumping ramps above horses’ heads, around an established sunken horse track, is an accident waiting to happen.

I think I must be doing it wrong then...

Its happened more than once on a club run, a car pulling a horse box with a driver spouting abuse about being held up, "%*?! bloody cyclists!" Beggars belief!

I quite like horses... they are delicious.

Crumbs. When I used to inhabit and pedal in that part of the world there were no issues with road cycling, trundling up Box Hill, MTBing or horses that I encountered - although I did steer clear of Leith Hill on a weekend unless I needed cake from the tower cafe. Better riding to be had on Pitch Hill and Holmbury anyway.

But Surrey now sounds like the embodiment of overpopulated, over-entitled NIMBYist HELL. Good luck to you all.

EDIT: just looked at map of the area again and came over all nostalgic...

Some Surrey Hills mtb-ers are the living embodiment of "nobbers". Some Surrey Hills equestrians are the living embodiment of "nobbers".

Most people from each group, and I know a couple of folk with a foot in both camps, are perfectly lovely, perfectly reasonable people.

One can only conclude that some people are "nobbers" regardless of their hobbies and will always seek to disadvantage others in order to protect their own interests.

Did you know that the horse is the most unfortunately animal in the world?
It's the only one that occasionally has two aresholes!

There's a long history of naughty trail construction in the Surrey Hills, buffoons having mass-start mate's races on the bridleway up to Leith Hill Tower and other such outrages to common decency. But there's also a long record of mountain bikers being responsible, working with landowners and putting in lots of graft to keep everyone happy.

Seems like the horsey brigade are just picking on an easy target here. Hope the NT have the good sense to tell them to do one.

I am very deferential around all animals - horses, dogs, cats, bunnies, whatever... I have to assume that I am more intelligent than them and it is up to me to ensure there is no collision.

So to me, the 'tip-toeing' around horses is because I know that I am responsible for not spooking the animal. I can't put that responsibility on the horse.