Ride past horses with care

[Norval Lyon]

Some weeks ago, I received a lengthy complaint regarding cyclists scaring horses and riders in the unincorporated areas of RSF. It quickly emerged that we were not the club - large peletons of very fast riders in an area we rarely if ever ride. When I pointed out the average age of our members and the size of our ride groups, the complainant immediately agreed that it was certainly not our club.

HOWEVER, I was asked to remind members that it is very easy to scare horses and throw riders. If you do meet horses and riders, please ensure that you give at least the 3' clearance that CA law requires motorists to give cyclists when passing and preferably announce your presence before passing.

For myself, I find horses to be rather large and occasionally unpredictable creatures I would prefer to avoid. Go carefully

[Paul Nevins]

Likely Swamis new gravel ride. We have bells on our bars which unlock so that when riding the bell rings pretty much constantly on the trails, this alerts horses of our presence so they are less likely to spook. It's not enough to give a horse clearance when on a trail horses will spook if someone appears suddenly, this can cause serious injury to the rider and horse and even the bike rider. Works for dog walkers too as it alerts the dog hopefully alerting the person with both earbuds in.