{"id":35682,"date":"2024-04-05T14:46:04","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T12:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/c5ec1f40-7cad-4e27-9990-357b6e5ebe60"},"modified":"2024-04-05T15:40:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T13:40:29","slug":"how-to-pass-horses-while-out-in-the-countryside","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/how-to-pass-horses-while-out-in-the-countryside\/","title":{"rendered":"How to pass horses while out\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0countryside"},"content":{"rendered":"

The British Horse Society\u00a0explains what to do when you encounter a horse while out and about. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 05 April 2024 at 12:46 PM<\/p>

\n\n

If you love getting out and about in the great outdoors, you will more than likely encounter a horse rider\u00a0or carriage driver\u00a0at some point.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Even though horses are large and powerful, they are also gentle giants who can be very nervous. Horses are flight animals<\/a>, which means that if they perceive a threat or something out of their comfort zone, they will react extremely to escape. Because of their size and strength, this can have a devastating impact on members of the public, the rider\u00a0or carriage driver,\u00a0other\u00a0animals\u00a0and the horse itself.<\/p>

It is, therefore, very important that you approach horses safely and pass them with care.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0 The British Horse Society<\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0shared\u00a0some\u00a0top\u00a0tips on\u00a0what to do when you encounter a horse while out and about.<\/p>

How to pass horses safely<\/h2>
How to pass horses when driving<\/h3>
Equestrians prefer to stay off\u00a0our\u00a0roads as much as they can, however, it is not always possible\u00a0due to the shrinking bridleway network. If you are in your car and encounter a horse and its rider, or a carriage driver, the most important thing to remember is patience. If a horse is frightened, it can do immense damage to your vehicle as well as to itself.\u00a0<\/p>
Horses\u00a0are\u00a0categorised in the Highway Code<\/a> as vulnerable road\u00a0users,\u00a0sitting alongside cyclists and pedestrians\u00a0in the Hierarchy of Road Users.\u00a0As set out in the Highway Code\u00a0for passing equestrians, you are advised to do the following when you see a horse:<\/p>
1. Slow down to a maximum of\u00a010mph<\/strong>.<\/p>
2.\u00a0Be patient<\/strong>, don’t sound your horn or rev your engine.<\/p>
3.\u00a0If safe to do so, pass the horse\u00a0slowly and widely<\/strong> at a distance of at least two metres if possible.<\/p>
4.\u00a0Drive slowly\u00a0<\/strong>away.<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to pass a horse on your bike<\/h3>Cyclists and\u00a0equestrians\u00a0have shared the countryside for generations.\u00a0As vulnerable road users, they share similar risks when using the road and off-road tracks, so it\u2019s important that they work collectively together.\u00a0<\/p>If you are out on your bike and see a horse and rider coming down the track, there\u00a0are\u00a0some easy\u00a0steps\u00a0you can\u00a0take.\u00a0Keep\u00a0communication\u00a0in mind, calling out to the rider and listening to their instructions.\u00a0<\/p>Only pass a horse on the outside and pass slowly and widely,\u00a0leaving\u00a0at least two metres. If there is a clinch point in the path, allow the rider to move past before carrying on. If you remain patient, you can work with the rider to get past each other as smoothly as possible.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to pass a horse when out hiking<\/h3>When you\u2019re out hiking in the great outdoors, it can be daunting to see a large horse coming towards you. Although they are big and powerful creatures, most horses are also kind with a\u00a0friendly nature.<\/p>A great way to open communication with an equestrian is\u00a0to simply call out, something along the line of “Hi, is it okay to pass?\u201d. Give the horse and\u00a0equestrian\u00a0time to react and realise you are there. The\u00a0equestrian\u00a0will often instruct you on the course of action to take.\u00a0<\/p>Their instructions will help keep you, the\u00a0equestrian\u00a0and their horse safe.\u00a0<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to pass a horse with your dog<\/h3>You don\u2019t think of your loveable companion as a predator but, by nature, dogs are predators and horses are prey. Unfortunately, sometimes these genetic instincts can take over our dogs, resulting in chasing,\u00a0scaring\u00a0and potentially harming a horse.<\/p>If you don\u2019t know how your dog\u00a0will\u00a0behave around horses, the best thing to do is keep them on a lead. Even if your dog is completely trusted and friendly, their excited movements can scare a horse easily. This can result in potentially fatal consequences for the horse,\u00a0equestrian\u00a0and dog itself.<\/p>Keeping to the side of the path with your dog close to you and under control is the safest course of action to take.<\/p>Ever wondered if\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/horses\/is-horse-riding-a-sport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">horse riding is a sport?<\/a>\u00a0Or are you curious about the ins and outs of equine ownership? If so, check out our feature about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/horses\/how-much-does-it-cost-to-own-a-horse\">how much it costs to own a horse<\/a>.<\/p>And, if you’re looking for present ideas, don’t miss our handpicked selection of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/horses\/gifts-for-horse-lovers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">best gifts for horse lovers<\/a>.<\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>About the British Horse Society<\/strong><\/p>The British Horse Society is an equine charity that\u00a0promotes\u00a0and advances\u00a0the education,\u00a0training\u00a0and safety of the public in all matters relating to the horse.\u00a0With the support of their volunteers and members, the BHS\u00a0works\u00a0hard\u00a0to make a positive impact on the lives of\u00a0all\u00a0horses and\u00a0those who love them.\u00a0<\/p>To learn more about the BHS and how they can help you to get started on your equine journey, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhs.org.uk\/\">bhs.org.uk<\/a><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The British Horse Society\u00a0explains what to do when you encounter a horse while out and about. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":35683,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/how-to-pass-horses-while-out-in-the-countryside.jpg",2560,1787,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/how-to-pass-horses-while-out-in-the-countryside-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/how-to-pass-horses-while-out-in-the-countryside-300x209.jpg",300,209,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/how-to-pass-horses-while-out-in-the-countryside-768x536.jpg",768,536,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/how-to-pass-horses-while-out-in-the-countryside-1024x715.jpg",800,559,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/how-to-pass-horses-while-out-in-the-countryside-1536x1072.jpg",1536,1072,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/how-to-pass-horses-while-out-in-the-countryside-2048x1430.jpg",2048,1430,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The British Horse Society\u00a0explains what to do when you encounter a horse while out and about.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/35682"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}