On 29/04/2019 16:13, True Blue wrote:
Travelling the last half a mile to my house yesterday, after a couple of hours on an old railway line, I approached a woman on a horse, on a country lane. As I always do, I rang my bell to alert the rider of my approach. This is almost exactly the tool in question;

https://www.dhgate.com/product/ea14-...400134415.html

On hearing my bell, the woman responded with a haughty "Errr...perhaps ringing the bell isn't a good idea? Just say 'hello' when you approach!" The animal had briefly responded by skewing sideways upon hearing the bell. I rang at about 20 yards behind her and slowed to about 5mph.

I replied by saying that other horse riders appreciated my ringing the bell as a courtesy to them. She didn't seem to believe me.

Of course, in the minute or two it took to get home, I reflected on how I *should* have responded. My considered response would have been "If your animal is so highly strung, that the rather innocuous sound of a small bell causes you to lose control of it, then perhaps you shouldn't be taking it where it can potentially harm others?".

The many other horse riders I have met along this route have been the model of civility.

What's the consensus? To ring, or call out?

I call out "cyclist behind", the horses recognise it as a human so

aren't quite so skittish the riders appreciate it as it lets them now

something is approaching from their rear. I would not think of ringing

a bell behind a horse, even the most mentally stable horse can become

three-quarters of a ton of uncontrollable beast.