Discing Yesterday

I was doing a discing job yesterday. The field had a lot of large rocks making a rough ride, Had to stop every round to clean the radiator screen. It was a butt sticking to the tractor seat hot day. I see this guy on a horse come riding towards me about 50 yards away on a trail I am discing next to. I thought why doesn't he stop. I figure he knows his horse, and the tractor will not bother him. Wrong to think that, 50 ft. from me the horse goes nuts. So this guys starts waiving for me to stop. Now his crazy horse is all of a sudden my problem, and he is in charge of me and my tractor. I would have stpped if I had a better attitude about the day, I just kept going, and before I got much closer I was at the end and turned away.
So know the guy knows his horse is afraid of tractors. Stan

Some folks with horses are a little diffucult but quite a few machinery operators are also. A little consideration goes a long way. That COULD have been the person that would have came by the other day and helped out if your fence mowing adventure had turned out worse. Or the one that comes by on another of your fiascos. You just cemented the way he'll remember you.

Horses can be unpredictable. Several years ago, we had a 23 year old police dispatcher killed.

She was riding a horse down a road, approaching a railroad crossing while a train approached the crossing. Instead of stopping when she pulled the reins and letting the train pass, the horse panicked and bolted for the crossing. Instead of bailing out and letting the horse go, the gal apparently tried to stop the horse until the last second. The horse ran into the side of the train, and she and the horse were both killed.

I would suggest that when a ridden horse becomes panicky, it behooves you to lay your own "rights" and ego aside and do what it takes to calm the horse. Territorial issues can be discussed later.

I had a law professor in college who spent an entire semester hammering on the idea that there are at least two or more ways of looking at any situation. Would your thoughts and comments be any different if the spooked horse had run into something and killed the rider?

Think about it.

It's not the guy on the horses fault your're not in a very good mood. What if the horse would have bucked the guy off or even worse ran into your tractor. Any animal can be unpredictable. Best to error on the side of caution.

I am with you Stan. He should have known his horse better. Whats wrong with the rider "erring on the side of caution"??? Obviously you were there first and because the noise a tractor makes it was no surprise, not to mention the line of sight, he saw you, just like you saw him. You are not at fault in my book.

The wife and I own horses and love to trail ride. We do appreciate any break you give us, as even a well trained horse has a mind of his own.

I also own a tractor, and can tell you, most of the time it's easier to stop a tractor than a horse.

Funny, while the wife loves her horses, she'll tell you the best thing I ever brought home was the tractor! She's on it most every day.

If these horses are so unpredictable and spooky, then the horse rider is making a choice.

Personal responsibility. Not 37chief's responsibility.

GOOSE & DAVE 2....Good comments...and I've been on BOTH sides of that kind of situation. A couple minutes "courtesy" can make a lot of difference. Again...I've been on BOTH sides!!

Rick

I guess if I had to do it over I would have stopped. When my brother raised cattle he had a lot of problems with Horse people, cutting his fence, or leaving the gates down. I don't know how many times I would help him round up the cattle. I guess I may have had some resentement to horse riders to start with. The guy had plenty of time to stop though.Later on I did go to another part of the field when I saw a girl leading a horse. Stan

I don't know how far in the sticks you are chief, but when I was in the wopwops, I found it easier to give the non farm neighbors and folks driving by some leeway, just to keep things quiet. Now I am in the burbs, 2 out of 10 neighbors are hobby farmers, so I find myself being nicer than a politician on election day- or someday things could get really miserable for me. when the state came around asking them about the farming, equipment etc, all but the house with a democratic national delegate in it- who called the inspector- said I was really pleasant helpful generous on and on. So I was left alone. And intend to keep - 90% of the abutters happy. Yeah a horse is ignorant, so are lots of their humans, best to press the clutch till the pair go by. I was taught to get off a jumpy horse and lead it past the problem. Guess that is old school.... this is where you ran over the pipe? So it isn't your land? Yeah, next time stop, you don't know them, they don't know you, the horse don't know you...

It's not the fault of the guy on the tractor that the horse is not in a very good mood. What if the tractor hit a rock or a hole and bucked the guy off or even worse ran into your horse. Any tractor can be unpredictable. Best for the horseman to error on the side of caution.

(quoted from post at 09:30:12 07/02/11)best to press the clutch till the pair go by.

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What is pressing the clutch going to do? Now the tractor is just in one place making noise instead of moving away from the horse?

Maybe you were about to disc up his pot patch and he was trying to get your atention to stop? Have had this happen to me before. Bandit

Let me state that I HATE HORSES!!!!!!! There will never be one on any of my ground as long as I live!!! I had to put up with a real bad horse that would kick or bite me every chance it got until Grand Dad died. Horse left real soon after.

37chief/Stan How would you have felt if that horse had thrown the rider and seriously hurt him??? Does it make you feel real big in that you got to show him you where the bigger jerk???? Remember old Super man got his back broke and could never walk again. How about later if that young girl had been hurt would that have registered????

So I guess the next time I see you changing a flat along the road then I should just drive right on by at the speed limit in "MY" lane. I bet that if I am driving my semi I can rock that vehicle off the jack. It would be your "fault" for not having your flat some where else.

I was being sarcastic in my second and third paragraphs. I have seen too many people hurt around animals to ever deliberately egg on one going out of control. I have had halter broke cattle go nuts around things that never bothered them before. A few seconds could have ruined that guys life forever. So what would it have cost you to have stopped and idled down your tractor for just a minute or two??? Remember this is from a confirmed horse hater but I do try to care for my fellow man. I don"t think Stan did today.

I hope that the man and horse where not hurt. Stan I want you to think about how many times you have done something that has required your fellow man to be forgiving??? How would you have felt if they had treated you as you did this man today??

Horses have more fear of motion than noise, but maybe never hearing a harrow clanking back there got it going, seeing the chevron threads of tires churning up dust, shiney discs spinning around, could freak them out. Horses had 100 years to get used to engine noise, most 'evolved' by now..

(quoted from post at 21:37:57 07/02/11)Horses had 100 years to get used to engine noise, most 'evolved' by now..

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Most but not all. In all honesty it could have been the smell of the tractor that spooked him. Or the fact of a chipmunk ran in the grass near him. Truth is idling the tractor down in a stationary position could have been just as bad or worse because the "threat" wasn't retreating (had a neighbors horse like that)...