As the title says we had an awful bad spook out hacking yesterday. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny morning, I planned on going on a lovely, relaxing sunday hack.
We set off and Marley was a bit hesitant going down the road(think looking back now he must have sensed something was going on?) and I did have to use my whip on his bum to get him going, he hasn't been like that in a long time so he was a bit cross that I had made him go on. We got to the end of the road and turned left which goes up a hill with a bend at the top. A group of cyclists started to come down the hill at high speed, Marley is fine with bikes, but these were going very fast and then coming down among them was Marleys biggest fear, a lie back bike thingy (don't know the correct name) I held my left rein tight so as he couldn't spin out into the road but he managed to spin left against the fence and he took off down the road spun right back up the road towards home. I got him pulled into a driveway and calmed down, I thought I couldn't just take him back up towards home as I didn't want him to think he could spin towards home and get to go home. So me thinking it was just a group of cyclists that didn't know to slow down passing a horse headed back up the road to continue our hack. Some more cyclists passed and I had to talk Marley into going on which he did then no bother, we were just going up the hill again when the same thing happened. At this point I realised that something was going on and it wasn't just your normal cycling groups out for a sunday cycle. My mind was quickly thinking should i push on but if I do I might just get him past the lieback bike thing for me to get to the top of the hill and a lot more may be approaching which I think would just make Marley worse.
So I think I made the wrong decision, I turned him around to get off the road and back on to the side road before the bike thing got to us, as soon as I turned him he took off again downhill. I again got him into the driveway and when we were getting our breath back a couple of normal cyclists came along kind off looking at me probably wondering what was going on, I said what happened and they told me a race was on!!! We headed home but I did make him go up and down past the gate into the yard a few time before turning in, then I also rode him for 20 mins in the field as I didn't want him to think he would just go home and get out of work.
I am so cross firstly with myself as I don't think I handled it the best but then I don't know what I could have done differently??? Secondly I am cross with the organisers of the Duathlon race as we had no notification at all that it was on. If I had known it was on I would not have took Marley out in the first place. I am getting in touch with the organisers as It was very dangerous and could have ended so much more worse, as the roads weren't closed so when Marley took off not only was it dangerous to myself & Marley but also to the cyclists and car drivers...I do have a vid off it but I don't know if I am brave enough to let you all see as it really isn't nice at all....Sorry for such a long post.
p.s edited to say Admins please keep this in cafe area as I don't want it public..
We set off and Marley was a bit hesitant going down the road(think looking back now he must have sensed something was going on?) and I did have to use my whip on his bum to get him going, he hasn't been like that in a long time so he was a bit cross that I had made him go on. We got to the end of the road and turned left which goes up a hill with a bend at the top. A group of cyclists started to come down the hill at high speed, Marley is fine with bikes, but these were going very fast and then coming down among them was Marleys biggest fear, a lie back bike thingy (don't know the correct name) I held my left rein tight so as he couldn't spin out into the road but he managed to spin left against the fence and he took off down the road spun right back up the road towards home. I got him pulled into a driveway and calmed down, I thought I couldn't just take him back up towards home as I didn't want him to think he could spin towards home and get to go home. So me thinking it was just a group of cyclists that didn't know to slow down passing a horse headed back up the road to continue our hack. Some more cyclists passed and I had to talk Marley into going on which he did then no bother, we were just going up the hill again when the same thing happened. At this point I realised that something was going on and it wasn't just your normal cycling groups out for a sunday cycle. My mind was quickly thinking should i push on but if I do I might just get him past the lieback bike thing for me to get to the top of the hill and a lot more may be approaching which I think would just make Marley worse.
So I think I made the wrong decision, I turned him around to get off the road and back on to the side road before the bike thing got to us, as soon as I turned him he took off again downhill. I again got him into the driveway and when we were getting our breath back a couple of normal cyclists came along kind off looking at me probably wondering what was going on, I said what happened and they told me a race was on!!! We headed home but I did make him go up and down past the gate into the yard a few time before turning in, then I also rode him for 20 mins in the field as I didn't want him to think he would just go home and get out of work.
I am so cross firstly with myself as I don't think I handled it the best but then I don't know what I could have done differently??? Secondly I am cross with the organisers of the Duathlon race as we had no notification at all that it was on. If I had known it was on I would not have took Marley out in the first place. I am getting in touch with the organisers as It was very dangerous and could have ended so much more worse, as the roads weren't closed so when Marley took off not only was it dangerous to myself & Marley but also to the cyclists and car drivers...I do have a vid off it but I don't know if I am brave enough to let you all see as it really isn't nice at all....Sorry for such a long post.
p.s edited to say Admins please keep this in cafe area as I don't want it public..