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[DanielCoffey]

I would appreciate some advice from those of you who routinely encounter horses and riders when you are on your electric motorcycle as I am about to change from a petrol 125cc to a Zero DS.

I am in a rural area with several stables and riding schools and quite often find myself approaching riders. When the horse is coming towards me, that is no problem, whatever I am riding. I just slow down and hold a steady line until I am past (with the one exception when it was a young horse that seemed to me to be pretty skittish, in which case I just pulled over and idled until it was well past me).

I know the rule about coming up behind a pair of horses side by side, in that the inner one will be a learner and the outer will be the instructor. I know I am not to pass at all until the instructor signals me to do so.

When I cycled, coming up behind horses silently was not a problem. I just slowed, matched speed and held back. A polite call to the riders till they had seen me was all that was needed (and horses, like dogs, are used to "human noises").

On the petrol scooter the horse always heard me first and tensed. The rider sensed this and turned. I could then decide whether to cruise past slowly or wait till waved on.

It is how to handle this situation on the electric motorcycle that I am thinking about. I will be pretty silent at low speeds, but have a full-face helmet on so cannot easily call out until I have slowed enough to raise the visor safely.

My thoughts so far are as follows...

1. Typical approach speed in twisty country minor roads will be in the range of 30-45mph.
2. Spot horses ahead and slow to match speed.
3. Hold back a good distance and see if rider has spotted me or not.
4. If rider has not spotted me, raise visor and give a friendly call out.
5. Wait till it is safe to pass.

I have an intuition that using the horn to signal my presence will be likely to startle the horse so would avoid that.

What do you think?

[Richard230]

I rarely encounter horses on my rides but when I do I tend to just pull over and stop until they pass by.  But if I am coming up behind them, I would beep my horn about 100 feet away to let the rider know that I am behind them so that they can motion me by while keeping their horses under control.  You might also observe what bicycle riders do in a similar situation. You could also stop by a local stable and talk to the horse owners there and ask their advice.  I am sure they would be happy to talk to you and provide guidance. No doubt they will appreciate your interest and concern for their and their horse's safety.

[NEW2elec]

I ride our back roads and go past pastured horses all the time.  Most don't even look up.
But horses are like humans some are real calm and some are scared of their own shadows.
I would move in the next lane if I felt it were safe to do so but horses can see their back ends when they are facing forward so they will see you coming (if they don't have blinders on).

They will be able to hear your voice if you just call out "left side" and go steady around.  You can even wave bye to them with your left hand since it's not doing anything.

Nice of you to be concerned but unless you have very green riders and or horses they should be good.

[remmie]

I mounted a simple and cheap bicycle bell on the handlebar. It's much less intrusive than the horn.
It also works well for pedestrians and cyclists.

I'm also looking into making something that sounds like R2D2 to distinguish the electric bike from a bicycle and enhance it's futuristic 'look'

Something like this guy has done :

[DanielCoffey]

Cheers folks - I appreciate the discussion. I will go and have a word with the stable owner nearest me and ask about using the horn. If she is against it, I will just have to slow, lift visor and call instead.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

This is super-interesting to me and I will try to summarize what is learned for the wiki. Thanks.

[MrDude_1]

I usually say something like "hey buddy, coming up on your left" before I get to the horse... but almost all the horses I come up on are in the road pulling carriages so the driver can just look over to see me, and the horse doesn't really care.
I really worry about it more on my other motorcycles... the Duc and the RC51 have really loud, deep tones that makes them uneasy.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Yeah, I usually speak in such situations. Not that I’ve dealt with a horse yet! Mostly bicyclists and pedestrians.

[DanielCoffey]

I have just had a discussion with my local stables owner and she had the following advice (which may be UK specific). It applies to all motorcycles, not just electrics although we may have to make extra effort to inform riders who we approach from behind. It is the riders responsibility to keep control of their horse but it is our responsibility to not put them in a situation where the horse is alarmed.

Passing horses on rural roads...

Horse - oncoming : simply moderate your speed, adjust your line towards the verge away from the rider and hold a steady line as you pass.

Horse (skittish) - oncoming : If you feel that the oncoming rider is on a skittish or nervous horse, slow, indicate and pull over. Turn off engine (if ICE). Wait until the rider passes you safely or alternatively brings their horse to a controlled stop and signals to you to pass before moving off.

Horse - approaching from rear : Slow to match speed to the rider and hold back. Do not use horn under any circumstances. Raise visor and greet the rider with voice. Wait to be acknowledged. Rider will usually pull towards verge and signal you to pass but may decide to bring their horse to a stop before signalling. In the case of skittish horses, the rider may want to turn the horse fully to face you so the horse can see exactly what you are before signalling you to pass slowly.

Pair of riders two abreast - Unless you are on a very minor rural road (in which case the two riders may simply be chatting side by side and will move to single file once they are aware of you), you should assume that this is a special situation where the inner rider is the learner and the outer rider is the instructor. You should not pass in any circumstances until the instructor moves ahead and in (they will probably bring both horses to a stop) then signals you to pass.

Passing horses on normal carriageways...

Oncoming - On main roads, it is safe to assume that the riders and horses are more experienced. Simply maintain a predictable line and pass in your lane at your normal speed.

Approaching from rear - Slow down and treat just like any normal low speed overtaking situation. Do not use horn. Give plenty of room at rear and side and moderate your acceleration until safely past.

It is all common sense stuff and there will always be exceptions but she said that horses are trained to relax when human sounds are made by something. Slow down, take your time and give them a wave.

[Richard230]

That seems like good advice. Thanks for taking the time to research the issue and to post your comments. 

[togo]

> I would appreciate some advice from those of you who routinely encounter horses...

I've approached deer.  They look up, and go back to eating.

> ... and riders...

I've gone slowly a couple hundred feet for a whole pelaton of bicyclists to notice me.

I concur with others, a ding-ding bicycle bell is nice to have, and calling out is effective too.  There's no engine to shout over : - )