Slow and Say Hello!

When Bicyclists Meet Horses on the Trails

While riding my horse, Abby, near the equestrian center in Truckee, CA, a bunch of bicyclists crossed in front of us as we waited to ascend a hill. My daughter was already near the top. Once they had passed, Abby heard the rattling sounds of their bikes and bucked, unseating me from the saddle. She galloped up the hill as I clung to the pommel, one boot still in the stirrup and the other hooked over the cantle.

When Abby finally stopped where my daughter waited, I did an ungraceful dismount. I was lucky, but it illustrates how little bicyclists understand how an interaction with horses can endanger someone's life.

That group of about six bikers didn't slow down and passed within a couple of feet from us. They continued on as if nothing happened. They acted as if we weren’t there.

Mountain trails in the Sierra Nevada present lots of dangers, but my greatest fear when riding OR hiking is not bears, cougars, or even rabid coyotes. No, my greatest fear and aggravation is mountain bikers, especially in the Tahoe-Truckee area.

Photo by The Indie Cyclist on Unsplash

Many times while walking the Tahoe-Donner trails, I've heard that tick-tick-tick of the gears coming up behind me, or the squeal of breaks and tires skidding through the dust. Turning around, I would find a bicyclist, with a smug or irritated expression upon his face, straddling his bike just a foot or two away from me. A FOOT OR TWO! That’s just a little too close for comfort.

Other hikers brush it off with a sigh. “Yeah, it’s a drag. We always have to make way for them because they don't slow down."

The only bicyclist who showed any courtesy was Elizabeth Carmel, a photographer in Truckee. As she climbed on her bike that day, some twenty feet away, she said, “Coming up on your right.” Thank you, Elizabeth, for your consideration of another person’s safety and right to use the trails. And twenty feet gives me a chance to move to the side of the trail.

When we moved to Minden, NV and my daughter rode Abby on desert jeep trails, she discovered the teenaged dirt bikers respected her space and diverted or stopped until she rode a safe distance from them. Trail etiquette is a definite thing on Nevada trails, unlike the Get Out of My Way attitude of other bicyclists I've encountered.

For years, we hiked the trail systems in Carson Valley without any bicyclist mishaps. In fact, bicycles were a rare site and usually on Foothill Road where the trails often hook up with the Tahoe Rim Trail.

Bill Rogers, of Carson Valley Trails, is ready to participate in the Tails and Tires Workshop with the Douglas County Sheriff Mounted Posse members lined up behind him.

I was surprised to learn that mountain bikers have used trails developed by the Carson Valley Trails Association for years. Bill Rogers, biker and Board member of the CVTA, told me his favorite trails are the Pinyon and Clear Creek Trails. He prefers their hard-packed surfaces as opposed to the sandy condition at the entrance of Faye-Luther. That's a better trail for equestrians because of that soft footing.

According to Laura Ammons, President of CVTA, more accidents have occurred during the past three years due to an increase in bicyclists from Tahoe who don't observe or understand trail etiquette, especially when encountering equestrians. The Clear Creek Trail, for instance, is used by hikers, bikers, and horses. This variety of users plus the proximity to Tahoe is key to this escalating problem.

To educate the bicycling public, Carson Valley Trails held a workshop, developed by the Marin County bike coalition, called Slow and Say Hello!

At the inaugural workshop presented in cooperation with the Douglas County Sheriff Mounted Posse, speakers talked about the different perspective of bicyclists and equestrians, especially how horses perceive the world through their unique vision and hearing capabilities.

Opening with an "impromptu" skit, Mo Parga, President of the Mounted Posse, asked bikers Juan Guzman and Bill Rogers what they get out of mountain biking.

Rogers said he liked to get away, to have a Zen moment with Nature. Guzman was much more emphatic and played the Devil's Advocate. "I liked to go fast."

Juan Guzman breaks a big rule by riding his bike between horses. Mo Parga is on the draft horse. Other riders are members of the Douglas County Sheriff Mounted Posse.

Perched high upon her huge draft horse, Parga immediately countered with, "And I like to go slow." Thus one of the many sources of conflict between horses and bikes.

Another speaker defined what made this conflict a safety issue. A horse has a brain. A bicycle doesn't. Horses react to external conditions while bikes do not. That's the reason why all trail users must stop for equestrians. All concerned need time to communicate the best way to handle the encounter without causing the horse to injure the rider or other people.

Horses are prey animals. Anything coming around the corner could be a predator, even someone's galumphing Labradoodle. Horses see mostly to the sides and can't see directly in front or rear. When they hear strange sounds coming toward them, they usually stop, ears erect with head raised high to learn what exactly is coming at them. Is it a friendly human or a bear or cougar that will eat them.

With this limited range of sight, even if they identify you as human and harmless, if you move behind them, they still become nervous. What are you doing back there? Have you decided to attack them from that direction? This is the thought process a horse goes through when dealing with other critters on the trail.

Also, if you are carrying a big backpack or child seat that extends above their head, or wearing clothing like a poncho that flaps in the wind, it can spook a horse. You don't have the familiar shape of a human. If your clothing color blends in with the scenery, such as green, black, or brown jerseys, your sudden emergence will disorient them as well.

The workshop participants suggested wearing yellow or orange vests to differentiate you from Nature's colors around you. Having bells on your bike or attaching bells to your belt or pack will alert horses that you're coming around that blind curve up ahead. In fact, bells will alert wildlife as well so they won't be surprised either. Some sporting goods and bicycle shops already sell these.

Guzman stops and gets acquainted with a horse during the Tails and Tires Workshop.

Slow and Say Hello! teaches how important it is for trail users to slow down rather than turn the trail into a race track. Lots of bikers love to go fast, but blind curves and narrow single-track trails in mountainous areas can pose dangers to all users. Thus the Marin bike coalition wants their slogan, Slow and Say Hello! to become as ubiquitous as Leave No Trace.

Upon meeting other users, especially equestrians, slow down or stop. In fact, the rule is that everyone stops for horses. Pull in your rowdy children and dogs and say hello. Don't hide behind trees or bushes like a predator would do. Instead, stand calmly and ask the rider what they need you to do. Maybe this would be to get off your bike and perhaps step downhill off the trail. It all depends on the trail conditions and what the horse is used to.

When the horse and rider pass you, give the horse a few meters of space before you continue. The sound of your bike and your movements, even though you are moving away from the animal, still has the potential to scare the horse because it can't see what's causing the strange sounds your bike makes. This is what happened with Abby that day she spooked.

The day she saw her first bicycle, though, I was leading Abby toward an intersection of a trail. A group of bikers approached and Abby whinnied loudly as they came nearer. Once passed, she continued to neigh and get edgy. Thankfully, I was not on her back this time. Their bikes rattled as they continued down the trail and out of sight, but the sound still made Abby nervous. And the odd site of them also must have freaked her out. As far as her appaloosa brain could figure, these were strange new animals, not unlike those llamas on the property next to her stable.

Bicycles are weird contraptions to a horse with their strange shapes and odd clicking sounds. Over time, most horses will become accustomed to bikes and other things … even llamas. But there will always be those days when the horse is in a pissy mood and will go ballistic over something as ridiculous as a plastic bag fluttering from a tree branch. Their own shadow scares the hell out of them. And shadow? Well, you get the idea.

So, be aware and careful whenever you come upon a horse on the trail. You don't want to become the unwilling participant or spectator in a rodeo.

Video from Slow and Say Hello!

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