I was out for a fun 4th of July MTB ride and I left from my house, which had about 5 miles of public road (3.5 mi being gravel) before getting to the trailhead.
Anyways, on my return from the trail I am back on the gravel road and have a mile or so left of gravel when I encounter a group of horseback riders. I’m on a decent, I know this trail/road and there is an outfitter that gives tourists a guide-led ride on this road. So I figure it’s one of them or maybe a family for a ride. I let the back of the group know I’m there, approach slowly and am on the opposite side of the road.
I’ve grown up in Montana and know horses, I spooked one a bit and said sorry , but the guide stops me a bit aggressively, he rides on and I’m like why isn’t he halting? I know a ride like this just needs the leader to stop and boom the rest would to.
Anyways, it’s all on the video, that’s how I felt when it happened. I was shook by this guy and I literally ran high school track exercises up this hill as a kid (I’m 36 now).
What do y’all think? Was I in the wrong? Should I talk to someone about this? There’s a local Facebook group I could always add it too.
Thanks y’all for your thoughts.
Happy fourth and happy riding!!!
Ran into a group of horses on public gravel road. Their leader was a gentleman…. Not.
byu/skiingandbumming inMTB
by skiingandbumming
27 Comments
That guy must watch Yellowstone religiously.
Well that takes not sharing the trail to a new level, screw that dude
Guy seems like an asshole. He doesn’t own the road.
Should have kept riding past, what a dweeb.
damn be careful or he’s gonna take you down to the train station
I’m a farmer and a mountain biker. I’ve dealt with horse people my whole life. They are some of the most entitled people on the planet.
So, fuck that guy. I would’ve made him call the police or a ranger to enforce his horses have the ROW in Montana. Ride by and give him the finger if it ever happens again.
You were way too cordial. What a piece of shit.
Fuck horse people.
People who ride horses in public places are the absolute worst.
That guy is an asshole. The horses weren’t spooked, the guys were.
I hope he realizes he could’ve just not done that and everything would’ve been fine
Cowboy has no idea what ‘right of way’ means.
If your horses spook that easily they shouldn’t be on a public road. What would they do if a car passed them?
The smart thing for him to do would have been to stop the whole group after the first runaway happened and told you to go ahead. Those horses are on a public roadway, had you been a motorcycle or even a car would those horses have still acted that way? You are the faster traveler so he should have let you go ahead regardless of the legal right of way. Had you been going the opposite way the proper thing would have been for you to stop and let them pass, it goes both ways.
Default American jerk, “Where are you from?”. Ridiculous
Guy thinks hes a real cowboy, but ill bet he isn’t even physically fond of other cowboys.
You slowed down and took the more wide line. You did what you could to not spook them. That is a shared road so the guy was a douche to act like that
So I’m not an expert, but this is what I think is happening. On these horse tours, the horses are trained to follow the lead horse. The lead horse will put the other horses in their place if they don’t follow like they are supposed to.
One of the follower horses saw you and got excited and wanted to follow you. Both times when the lead horse turns around, it’s because the follower horse gets in front of him.
This is a large group. Probably the largest group they have had this year, so it’s all horses to meet the numbers. There was one younger horse that was not fully trained that wanted to go with you, and that horse learned that it can’t do that.
“I told you to stop your bike”?
You don’t tell me shit motherfucker!!!
This sucks. Looks like a guided tourism horse tour. Understandable that the guide would be nervous about amateurs on horses, but 1,000% overreaction.
It’s a shame, because every experience I have at my local single track trails with horses and their riders has been excellent. I always dismount, even when they say it’s ok to ride by. I can’t imaging negotiating a massive animal like that on a shared single track trail. But a wide road and THAT kind of reaponse? I’d probably report it, especially since it’s on video, tbh.
In what world does having the right away protect you from being safely over taken?
That’s absolutely insane and aggressive behavior.
Horses used to go to war, now look at them.
So this is where the saying “Fuck you and the horse you rode in on” comes from!
Also post this on r/trashy
“We’ve got the right of way”…on a fucking dirt road. No, no you don’t.
If their horses are skittish because a bike is passing them, they shouldn’t be riding it in a public place.
The OP rode by at a good pace and kept distance. That’s the best case.
Carry on.
right-of-way does not mean the right to block the road. what a putz.
I actually like seeing people out with their horses on the trails near me. I’ve only had courteous interactions, thankfully.
but, yeah, fuck that guy. you were mindful of your speed and distance. this guy got aggressive for no reason.
Anyone who owns a horse that gets spooked on a fire road by a single. Slow moving mountain biker is a fucking loser of a horse owner. Those are horses that are essentially barn animals.
Back in upstate NY, there was a small town, full of horses that get used DAILY. Around everything from hunters, cars, tractors, bikes, Harley’s you name it
Why do cops have no issue when they ride in the city?!! We blow past them all the time. The horses seem To be sleeping standing still. But they sure as hell don’t get spooked.
Fucking losers.