# This is a driving question



## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

There are no real rules on how fast to pass a horse, mounted or driving. To me, 20 mph on a gravel road is fast and loud. It may have affected the person more than the horse. On a military post, the speed limit for passing troops in formation is 10 mph. These are adults who, presumably, know that stepping into traffic can be fatal. When you're in a car, 10 mph seems unbearably slow, but have you ever been hit by a large object moving 10 mph?

There was another discussion of this in another section. Maybe in "riding horses"?


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

Here it is. http://www.horseforum.com/horse-talk/when-your-driving-how-do-you-477602/


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Anymore riding on gravel roads is a concern for me as drivers often do not slow down and I'm worried that a stone will fly up and hit the horse, making it nervous when cars come by. I also don't like it when just walking (sans horse) on the roads, because I have been hit by flying stones and they hurt.
If I come upon a rider on a gravel road I move over and drive by slowly (25 or so KPH) and watch for any reaction from the horse and if I see the horse getting excited I will stop and wait until the rider motions me on.
If a driver shows me this courtesy I always smile and say thank you so they know I appreciate their courtesy and hopefully they will continue to do so.
It amazes me how in England you see horses walking along busy, narrow paved roads and not concerned at all. They behave so well with traffic.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

did they give you any hand signals to slow or pass? When you passed were you on the far side lane giving them lots of room?


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## nitapitalou (Jan 20, 2014)

I am either really tired or am thinking too much about carts lately, but my first thought was, I hope you have good suspension on your cart and pads on your horses hooves if you are driving 20 miles an hour down a gravel road. It took me a moment to realize that the OP was passing in a car/truck type vehicle. 

I really think it depends on the conditions of said gravel road. I had a guy pulling a flat bed trailer past me the other day, it had ramps and was empty. The road is really washboarded, causing the trailer to bounce, bang and make all sorts of racket. Thankfully I have a very calm horse who didn't bat an eye. The driver was being super careful and was going incredibly slow, but he couldn't help the road conditions. 20 mph and he probably would have caused a wreck, whether that be his trailer or my horse, I am not sure.

There have been other gravel/dirt roads that I have been on that are better than some of our paved ones around here, lots of room, smooth and well maintained, 20 mph would probably be fine. 

I look to the driver of the horse and the horse to give you clues, if they are glaring, slow down, a LOT, if they are waving you past, speed up a bit, move over and pass.


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## Ebby (Sep 29, 2014)

I have to ride my mare next to a fairly busy paved road to get to the trails we go riding on all the time. Thankfully she doesn't mind traffic but the speed limit on the road is 80km/h (I am Canadian) and I have had stupid people pass by me going way faster than that! I find it incredibly rude and would be dangerous if I was riding a spooky horse.

But a lot of other people (especially the farmers and people that live around me) they'll slow down a lot! Probably around 20-10 km/h when they pass me. I know it's not a law to slow down when your passing someone with or on a horse but I always slow down a lot and make sure they see me. And of course it is a huge courtesy, polite and most important SAFE! To slow down around anyone with or on a horse!


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