Police seek horserider after crash (From This Is Local London)

MAN KNOCKED OFF BIKE BY HORSE!This can only mean one thing.Super horse has returned to save us.Save us from all irritatingly noisy gnat bikes.He'll rid our streets of this scurge Up Up and away Super horse!!!

Crime has got out of control ... horses are mugging innocent cyclists - where will it all end?

Being a horse rider I'm just glad that it appears neither the horse or rider were injured.

We will never know melanie 1, as they did a runner,fled the scene,failed to stop and see if the other rider was okay.but then as most horse riders think they own the road (without paying a penny toward there upkeep) Im not suprised.So come down off your high horse and think about the cyclist too

ferrellcat, I think you probably meant motocyclist rather than cyclist however from Melanie1's comment I believe her intentions where in the best interests of BOTH the horse and the cyclist.

And I for one are glad nobody or animal was hurt in this incicdent.

Melanie1 wrote:
Being a horse rider I'm just glad that it appears neither the horse or rider were injured.

Any concerns for the motorcyclist?????

Some horse riders are like 4 x 4 drivers, they think the road belongs to them.

Now you have me doing it! Cyclist = Motorcycle.

miccles wrote:

Melanie1 wrote: Being a horse rider I'm just glad that it appears neither the horse or rider were injured.

Any concerns for the motorcyclist????? Some horse riders are like 4 x 4 drivers, they think the road belongs to them.

Most horse riders own a 4x4

Get your facts right horses have the right of way, not all horse owners drive a 4x4 AND some horses are easily spooked BUT the rider should have stopped. Some horse riders ride wider as the horse may be spooky and you will see them earlier. I own a horse and most car drivers never slow down and why flash your lights at us???

keep them off the road and in fields that what I say.If I spooked every time I saw a car they would take away my licence.If an animal doesnt like traffic (and who can blame it)then dont subject it to traffic I see that as cruel

Gymbunny wrote:
Get your facts right horses have the right of way, not all horse owners drive a 4x4 AND some horses are easily spooked BUT the rider should have stopped. Some horse riders ride wider as the horse may be spooky and you will see them earlier. I own a horse and most car drivers never slow down and why flash your lights at us???

Sorry I am getting confused here (I know it doesn't take much, lol) but when we say rider are we refering to the horse rider or in fact the rider of the motorcycle?

Gymbunny wrote:
Get your facts right horses have the right of way, not all horse owners drive a 4x4 AND some horses are easily spooked BUT the rider should have stopped. Some horse riders ride wider as the horse may be spooky and you will see them earlier. I own a horse and most car drivers never slow down and why flash your lights at us???

Horse riders also have to obey the highway code and look for other motorists.

It reads to me that the horse rider just came out of the bridleway into the road where the bike rider was driving where the bike rider has the right of way.

Gymbunny wrote:
Get your facts right horses have the right of way, not all horse owners drive a 4x4 AND some horses are easily spooked BUT the rider should have stopped. Some horse riders ride wider as the horse may be spooky and you will see them earlier. I own a horse and most car drivers never slow down and why flash your lights at us???

Since when do "horse riders" have the right of way????? and yes most of them do have 4 x 4's and sorry they think they are on another planet, they are not i'm afraid, so come back down to earth.

Slacker wrote:

Gymbunny wrote: Get your facts right horses have the right of way, not all horse owners drive a 4x4 AND some horses are easily spooked BUT the rider should have stopped. Some horse riders ride wider as the horse may be spooky and you will see them earlier. I own a horse and most car drivers never slow down and why flash your lights at us???

Horse riders also have to obey the highway code and look for other motorists. It reads to me that the horse rider just came out of the bridleway into the road where the bike rider was driving where the bike rider has the right of way.

here here, that is what it sounded like to me, and probably was.

Something about this story sounds very strange. If the horse came out of the bridle way and the bike went straight into the horse and the bike rider fell, how did he manage to note the age and sex of the rider if she just left straight away. Doesn't say the age of the bike owner - maybe he has made a slight fabrication for insurance purposes or to save himself from a rollocking from his folks (not saying this is true but the story sounds very very strange). Not many horses will just carry on after getting hit by a motorbike and not many riders would let their horse carry on without checking it was ok after such an impact! Also miccles - not all horse owners have 4x4s just the ones that have to pull horse boxes usually do - most people at my yard have fiestas and renaults.

It does sound a bit strange to be honest, I was once out riding and a car hit my leg with its wing mirror and then the horse kicked the car, and that car did not stop- probably cos they knew it was their fault , but luckily i was not on a spooky horse as it was on a main road. Maybe people think horses should not go on roads, but this incident happened while i was working at a riding school where horses had to go up busy roads to get to the fields. In the olden days horse riders could probably avoid roads but these days if you want to actually have a good ride out then you must use roads at some point. If my horse was hit by a motorbike I would definately get of and check the horse over , so I think its odd that he says she left straight away , of course she may have had no choice in the matter as the horse may have spooked and bolted or she may have felt a spook coming and felt it best to get away from the road.
Also can we stop with all this obsession with 4x4 s and general bitchyness regarding horse riders , all the yards i have been at people have small cars and also they are not stuck up or loaded , all the horsey people i know are down to earth and make sacrifices so that they can afford to keep their horse.People never realise that horsey people are often not rich , they just spend their money on different things.

Calm down, clam down.

Let's compromise in the spirity of community.

I propose the following:

1. No motorbikes over 49cc allowed on the road. (They are as bad as horseriders for thinking that they own the road.)

2. Only Shetland ponies to be allowed anywhere near a road.

3. 4x4s to be banned and replaced with Smart cars.

4. No pedestrians over 4'6" (137cm)

5. Dogs to be kept on leads at all times.

6. Introduce the right to shoot the owner of any cat who poops in somebody else's garden without permission.

7. All BFP "journalists" to go on writing course. (Have you noticed the missing full-stop between 'damaged' and 'Police'?)

Any more?

I'm presuming that the motorcyclist had on a helmet and presumably leathers and I know that he is OK because it says in the article that he had 'slight cuts and bruising'. The rider would presumably have had her riding helmet on but has a lot further to fall, if she had fallen off.

As to the comment that horse riders pay nothing towards the upkeep of roads, I pay car tax just like other road users and occasionally horse riders have to ride on a road (which is not always pleasant) due to the aggressive and dangerous driving technique of the numbskulls that persist on overtaking horses on blind bends while tooting their horns or who drive within an inch of the horses back legs while revving their engines.

There are two sides to every story and I'd love to hear from the horse rider to find out her version! As there is something very strange about this story but it is the BFP so it may just be bad reporting.

As a horse rider myself, I have had many incidents where cars have tried to overtake me on a blind bend, beeped their horns, revved their engines. Some have passed so close they have clipped my leg and one bike rider recently nearly went up the back of my horse thanks to flying at full speed around a blind bend.

I think that as part of general road use everyone should be aware that you need to pass wide and slow for horses, and should understand the slow down sign and indications. If a horse looks spooked, slow down, hang back and try not to stress it out! If a horse kicks a car it's because it's scared. They can do a lot of damage, and likewise a car or any other vehicle can do a lot of damage to the horse. Not everyone understands this or takes this into account when they come across horse and riders, some people just have no consideration. Some people on the other hand do, and I have to say the ones that don't are generally in the minority around the areas I ride.

Horses are easily spooked and they do have a mind of their own.

You can't get to most bridleways without having to navigate some roads, and sensible riders will take all the precautions they can to make themselves seen, they should also have basic road training too.

Comments like 'keep them off the road' are completely ridiculous. Horses were used as a method of transport long before cars came along, and people who ride them have a right to use the road as much as anyone else. These days even on bridleways we have to share these with cyclists (as a rule in my experience very polite) dog walkers (who sometimes seem surprised to see a horse on a bridleway!) and these days motorbikes in the woods and on the bridleways.

Riders in general should be aware of their surroundings and should be considerate to other road users and going back to my earlier point should have an understanding of road use and some basic training.

We don't know the facts here, whether the horse was spooked and bolted, or whether the biker came up fast, was there a blind bend?

The horse rider may not have struggled to stop and check the biker was OK, the shock of the bike and the noise of the crash could effectively be enough to send any horse into panic and cause the horse to bolt.

The fact that this rider was wearing a flourescent high viz jacket means they wanted to be seen. I very much doubt that any horse rider in their right mind would come out of a bridleway blindly into the road without taking any precautions risking their lives, the lives of the other road users and the life of their horse.

The rider should have tried to gain control and at the very least reported the accident once the horse had calmed, if the horse had indeed bolted.

I would urge this rider to come forward and provide their input into the situation. If there are any precautions that could be taken to avoid this type of incident happening again then they need to be noted. If the biker or the rider were at fault then that needs to be taken into account too. All riders should have insurance when riding on the road.

I will state I have nothing against bikers or motorbikes, I enjoy going out on a motorbike, and my partner has a few.

All I will say is that there are two sides to every story, I find it unlikely but not impossible that the rider chose to wander out into a road without taking any precaution or consideration for on coming traffic. Horses aren't a cheap hobby, most people who do own horses care for their horses as if they were one of their children and their horse is a fundamental part of their life and they dedicate a lot of time to caring for them. Just because horses aren't a cheap hobby doesn't mean that everyone who owns a horse is rich by any means. Many people make a lot of personal sacrifices for their horses. These animals can live into their 30's and beyond they become an integral part of their owners lives.

This Aprilia also is (I believe) a 2 stroke and you have the rev the nuts off it, it's an all or nothing bike, so I would imagine it was making a racket.

Little Miss wrote:
This Aprilia also is (I believe) a 2 stroke and you have the rev the nuts off it, it's an all or nothing bike, so I would imagine it was making a racket.

As said in previous posts "there are 2 sides to every story" don't assume, just because a bike may make a noise.

miccles wrote:

Little Miss wrote: This Aprilia also is (I believe) a 2 stroke and you have the rev the nuts off it, it's an all or nothing bike, so I would imagine it was making a racket.

As said in previous posts "there are 2 sides to every story" don't assume, just because a bike may make a noise.

I think Little Miss is only mentioning the noise of the bike as it would have meant the rider would have heard it as she came out of the bridle way. This whole thing still smells fishy to me though. If there was a rider involved please come forward and explain your actions - we don't want you giving us a bad name!

Hmmmmm I have read the comments so aren't even worth replying to! It's not cruel to ride a spooky horse we all have our fears. If you don't undersand it don't comment on it.I think the motorcyclist needs a refresher in his memory. If a horse had hit him it would of had a moment of fright they are prey animals, he wouldn't of seen the rider unless he was looking right at her and that would mean he wasn't watchig where he was going, if he noticed her jacket why didn't he slow down when she was coming out of the bridleway? Let's face it high viz you can spot it quite a distant away, was he on the bridleway, riding his 50cc where he shouldn't have been?? I agree it's a fishy one. Horse rider needs to come forward. This will stop the negative comments from non horse riders.

Gymbunny wrote:
Hmmmmm I have read the comments so aren't even worth replying to! It's not cruel to ride a spooky horse we all have our fears. If you don't undersand it don't comment on it.I think the motorcyclist needs a refresher in his memory. If a horse had hit him it would of had a moment of fright they are prey animals, he wouldn't of seen the rider unless he was looking right at her and that would mean he wasn't watchig where he was going, if he noticed her jacket why didn't he slow down when she was coming out of the bridleway? Let's face it high viz you can spot it quite a distant away, was he on the bridleway, riding his 50cc where he shouldn't have been?? I agree it's a fishy one. Horse rider needs to come forward. This will stop the negative comments from non horse riders.

"Why does the motorcyclist need a refresher in his memory?????"

"This will stop the negative comments from non horse riders."
This is a very one sided comment

miccles wrote:

Gymbunny wrote: Hmmmmm I have read the comments so aren't even worth replying to! It's not cruel to ride a spooky horse we all have our fears. If you don't undersand it don't comment on it.I think the motorcyclist needs a refresher in his memory. If a horse had hit him it would of had a moment of fright they are prey animals, he wouldn't of seen the rider unless he was looking right at her and that would mean he wasn't watchig where he was going, if he noticed her jacket why didn't he slow down when she was coming out of the bridleway? Let's face it high viz you can spot it quite a distant away, was he on the bridleway, riding his 50cc where he shouldn't have been?? I agree it's a fishy one. Horse rider needs to come forward. This will stop the negative comments from non horse riders.

"Why does the motorcyclist need a refresher in his memory?????" "This will stop the negative comments from non horse riders." This is a very one sided comment

He needs a refresher because it doesn't make sense. Don't get me wrong because I own a horse, if your horse hit a motorcycle you'd know about it. There is no way a rider would just "come out" of a bridleway and not stop unless it had bolted and that's another story. Maybe my comment is one sided but everyone has an opinion, this is what this forum is for????

No one has mentioned the amount of Horse S**t that ends up on the road which has caused cars / motorcycles to skid under braking and causes accidents, this would not surprise me if the motorcyclist has done something similar when trying to break under horse C**p.

TheT0nemeister wrote:
No one has mentioned the amount of Horse S**t that ends up on the road which has caused cars / motorcycles to skid under braking and causes accidents, this would not surprise me if the motorcyclist has done something similar when trying to break under horse C**p.

Just what i was going to mention earlier, but thought no, do they STOP and pick it up, i don't think so.

miccles wrote:

TheT0nemeister wrote: No one has mentioned the amount of Horse S**t that ends up on the road which has caused cars / motorcycles to skid under braking and causes accidents, this would not surprise me if the motorcyclist has done something similar when trying to break under horse C**p.

Just what i was going to mention earlier, but thought no, do they STOP and pick it up, i don't think so.

Scoop the Poop!

TheT0nemeister wrote:
No one has mentioned the amount of Horse S**t that ends up on the road which has caused cars / motorcycles to skid under braking and causes accidents, this would not surprise me if the motorcyclist has done something similar when trying to break under horse C**p.

very interesting. Could you put a link on here or something which leads to some info on this as it is not something I am really aware of.

I have to say that it would probably cause more danger by getting the rider to dismout by the road and pick up poo whilst trying to hold on to the horse.

Where I ride we only have to use a small section of road to get to our bridle way - so glad I don't have to spend too much time on the road.

listerps2 wrote:

TheT0nemeister wrote: No one has mentioned the amount of Horse S**t that ends up on the road which has caused cars / motorcycles to skid under braking and causes accidents, this would not surprise me if the motorcyclist has done something similar when trying to break under horse C**p.

very interesting. Could you put a link on here or something which leads to some info on this as it is not something I am really aware of. I have to say that it would probably cause more danger by getting the rider to dismout by the road and pick up poo whilst trying to hold on to the horse. Where I ride we only have to use a small section of road to get to our bridle way - so glad I don't have to spend too much time on the road.

Maybe you should train your horse to C**p on the field before you get it onto your short stretch of road and cake it.

I know I have skidded in it before in my car, let alone how a motorcyclist can control there bike in it.

That would give them more to moan about, a horse not under control. Where would we put the shovel and bag on our backs? Your not allowed to ride with lose objects. Horse poo very good for the garden if your that worried pick it up and chuck on your flowers.

TheT0nemeister wrote:

listerps2 wrote:

TheT0nemeister wrote: No one has mentioned the amount of Horse S**t that ends up on the road which has caused cars / motorcycles to skid under braking and causes accidents, this would not surprise me if the motorcyclist has done something similar when trying to break under horse C**p.

very interesting. Could you put a link on here or something which leads to some info on this as it is not something I am really aware of. I have to say that it would probably cause more danger by getting the rider to dismout by the road and pick up poo whilst trying to hold on to the horse. Where I ride we only have to use a small section of road to get to our bridle way - so glad I don't have to spend too much time on the road.

Maybe you should train your horse to C**p on the field before you get it onto your short stretch of road and cake it. I know I have skidded in it before in my car, let alone how a motorcyclist can control there bike in it.

I only asked you to point me in the direction of more info on this, or do you not have any?

Can you please back up your post. I am actually interested in making a difference and if you can provide more information fellow riders will be able to understand your beef a little bit more and might be able to do something about it.

Well I drive through a lot of country roads and find horse riders to be courteous and alwatys acknowledge me when I slow down and turn my music down.
I was nearly killed last year by a t**t of a motor cyclist coming round a blind bend on the wrong side of the road.
So I know who I would rather share a road with.

TheT0nemeister wrote:
No one has mentioned the amount of Horse S**t that ends up on the road which has caused cars / motorcycles to skid under braking and causes accidents, this would not surprise me if the motorcyclist has done something similar when trying to break under horse C**p.

Also no one has mentioned that the motorcyclist may have skidded on loose gravel/stones or possibly oil which has leaked from someone's car.

There are lots of things that could have caused the motorbike to skid, if indeed he did. Let's just be grateful that it appears that nobody was hurt.

horse lovers just like dog lovers always defensive.up goes the cry "dogs are not dangerous" as another ripped face appears in a+e.

Now we cant have anything said about horses.I have seen inexperienced riders usually young girls that would be unable to control a horse if it spooked so dont keep harping on at drivers bad habits get your own horse in order

I personnal don't mind horses on the road, they are not a inconvience like most of the people on this forum make them out to be. I found all the riders are grateful when I drive very slowly around their horses and they give me a nice wave and when I walk my dogs they are always consciecous not to scare my animals. If this young rider was very a vest then she was visible. I personally can say on country roads I take extra care when I am driving because on weekends the horesriders are popular in my area. If the motorcyclists was a local he would have know that certain roads lead to trails for horse riders. I don't own a horse but I don't mind them on the roads. I have lived in several countries over the years and this is the first country that allows hourses on the roads. I feel the riders are acting responsibily and it drivers should take more consideration when they go around horses.

I find it quite hilarious that people on here are now complaining about horse droppings in the road, and how they could cause accidents! Have you ever driven through horse droppings? I have, and not once have I ever skidded, and not just that but it's not like they are messing all over the road everywhere, if that were the case then maybe you could argue that it was dangerous!


At least horses don't leak oil or petrol or diesel which incidentally DOES cause accidents, and vehicles are damaging to the environment to boot. Perhaps everyone should give up their cars and ride horses instead!

My comment about the Aprila being a 2 stroke bike is relating to the noise, they aren't quiet and you would have heard it coming, even if the rider hadn't seen it. I would be interested to see where the bridleway is on bottom lane, as there is a sharp bend along this road.

Horses are flight animals, when confronted with danger their instinct is to run away, if a horse is scared whitless adrenaline is pumping through it's systems and it's inbuilt reaction is to flee as fast as it can. Even extremely experienced riders can struggle to try and contain a horse in these circumstances.

Motorbikes and cars when being driven past the limitations of their drivers can be deadly. Not just that but factor in other drivers, drivers not paying attention and the weather (ice, heavy rain etc), nice recipe for an accident. Even the best of bikers fall off, it maybe over exagerating the point slightly, but Valentino Rossi fell off whilst racing last weekend and he's the best. He was pushing it to the extreme, how many bikers have you seen doing the same on the roads where they aren't in a controlled environment, where a deer could run out, or a child? Putting other peoples lives in danger, not to mention their own. And don't even get me started on not wearing adequate protective gear when riding bikes. The same is true for horse riders not wearing riding hats or appropriate footwear.

Horses can be trained, as you can see by Police horses. That doesn't mean every horse will be bomb proof. Each horse is different, and the ones that make the grade with the police etc would probably be a selection out of a wider pool that they tried to train. A bit like seeing dogs for the blind, some dogs are cut out for it some aren't, doesn't mean that the ones that aren't of the right temperament won't make good pets.

As for Ferrellcats comment about horse owners getting up in arms, we are merely fighting our corner. Horses can be dangerous agreed. I know of people who have died from falls, or having the horse rear and topple backwards.I hear of less of these deaths than I do of people dying in cars or bike accidents, but they do happen. Dogs can be dangerous too, I don't think anyone is disputing this. However in this case, we are discussing the story that has been put on here about the police looking to question a horse rider because it insinuates that the rider may have caused an accident by walking out of a bridleway into on coming traffic without paying due care and attention, but yet also comments on how the biker got a clear view of the rider, and could even estimate her age! It seems strange.

sec word feel-hate lol