‘Do support England but don’t frighten the horses’
Saturday 12th June 2010, 2:28PM BST.
Jackie Bufton is asking motorist flying the World Cup flags from their cars to slow down for horses. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 0983775)
A HORSE rider is warning that cars flying England flags could cause a serious accident.
Jacky Bufton said the flags could easily spook horses and is asking drivers to be more careful.
Her plea follows news that a rider in Cornwall was badly injured last week after the noise of flapping flags caused her horse to bolt.
‘I remember from the last World Cup that these things were a problem and I thought that they could cause an accident,’ said Mrs Bufton, who currently owns four horses.
‘Even the really good horses on the road can bolt at them. They are something really different that they don’t see often.
‘Horses are naturally animals of flight – if they are scared of something, they will bolt because it’s their natural instinct.’
Mrs Bufton has been riding for 45 years and is a former district commissioner for the Pony Club.
She said that from inside the car, people are not as aware of the noise made by the flags.
‘All I’m asking is for those people with flags to slow down when they see a horse,’ she said.
‘It’s the noise of these things that adds to the problem and slowing down will help.
‘I don’t want to say “take them down”, because I don’t want to be a killjoy.
‘I’m a football fan, too, and will be supporting
England.
‘I just hope people are aware that a horse could be extremely frightened by them.’
She wanted to make sure that no accidents happened here during this year’s World Cup.
‘There are quite a few of the flags around at the moment and after today other people will be getting them, so I just hope they are aware.’
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Is this for real, if your horse is going to get spooked by a little flag then should you really be taking it on the road.
It makes me mad you have to take a written and practical test before being allowed on the road in a car or on a motor cycle and MUST have insurance.
But horse riders can take half a ton of horse on the road with none of this then they expect road users to treat them like royalty.
And why shouldnt they be made to clear up the mess they make dog owners do
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Egghead – it is very clear by your comment that you know nothing about horses. Yes it is a little flag, but this is something that most horses will find extremely scary. Almost all the horses on the island do have insurance for the very reason that thjey take them out on the roads. The above news item is for the safety of everyone, the motorists, the horses and the riders. Anyone that doesn’t take this into consideration is just waiting for an accident to happen.
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Grow up egghead
If you cannot write anything more constructive than this go back to school or perhaps read your Highway code more thoroughly.
I am not a horse owner or rider but still treat people or animals with respect when driving my car or my motorbike on the road.
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This is for real. You can have a horse that is completely sound on the roads, calm in traffic, with cyclists passing, tooting horns, dogs, children running along the pavement etc. But these flags are compltely new to many horses and as Jackie says they make quite a noise if flapping at speed and can therefore spook them.
Most riders do not expect to be treated like royalty, just request the respect that they deserve as a road user, and nearly all of my riding friends have insurance too.
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I don’t mind horses on the road, it’s a small island and a bit of courtesy by both rider and car driver is all that’s needed. I agree with egghead though that they should be insured by law before being allowed on the road.
As for the poo question, the excuse I’ve heard before when people ask the valid question about horse manure is that, compared to dog faeces, horse manure is not as dangerous as it is vegetable matter, not decaying meat. I’m sure that’s true however I still wouldn’t want to fall face first into it, or have my toddler pick some up and eat it! All animal owners should be obliged to pick up their mess, period.
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Agree with you 100% egghead.
Why anyone would want to take one of these things out onto a road is beyond me. If you want to keep one, then keep it in a field where it belongs.
My cats are fond of them though. Once processed and canned.
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egghead you’re post should be treated with the contempt it deserves.
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Yes they can be spooked by the noise of the flags, horses do need to be insured, they also came before cars and bikes so have as much right on the road,and the mess they make does not cause medical problems which is the problem with dog mess and how often do you see it on footpaths.
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Anyone that says horse manure on roads is harmless has obviously not skidded on it once it is flattened & the frost has had it overnight…
As for the flags – (I dont have one, but) if I want to support England in the World Cup by putting a flag on my car then I will – if you dont like it then drive your horse to a field or a beach in its horse box – thus making the roads safer for both the rider & the car driver…
You dont see me harping on to the Press about consideration of other road users… I want to get home during rush hour to St Martins – but I often get held up by people who think it a great idea to take their animal out on the road during this time – but hey – be careful not to spook him…
Dont come the whole horses used roads before cars so horses have the rights either, cos humans used them before horses & I am human – therefore I have more rights over horses & I choose to travel by car!!
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I think you will find that most Horse owners have their animals insured. Also how often do they see these flags on cars? For a couple of weeks every few years. They are completely new to most horses and make a lot of noise when the car is travelling at speed. All horse riders are asking is for cars to practice common courtesy, maybe more so if you do feel the need to have flags all over your car.
Also in answer to the poo question, where do you expect us to put it…? Sorry my doggy doo bag just isn’t big enough!
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Half the horse riders/owners I encounter on the roads always seem pleased that you’ve given them extra room etc.
The other half always seem to give a rather snooty look of disgust, even when you’ve passed them at 0.00005mph at as much distance as possible.
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Bogart your post is as bad as eggheads and deserves the same contempt
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What makes me laugh with these cars bearing flags etc, that most of the owners have probably never been to a football match in their lives and would not even know where a local ground is.Ooh what an old cynic I am, apparently in Weymouth there are so many flag bearing cars the locals want to know where all these supporters were when Weymouth FC really needed them.
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John
Horse manure does contain bacteria and pathogens – FACT. To claim it’s doesn’t cause medical problems is very bold of you, care to back this up with some evidence?
We live in a “health and safety” world and I think it’s only a matter of time before horse owners are clearing up after themselves.
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Taking a slightly different “tack” here.
Cant you just wave flags at your horses when they are in their stables, so that they get used to them??
Or am I just talking manure??
I would have thought that any car driving quick enough for a flag to freak the animal out would probably be driving fast enough to freak the horse out anyway.
I dont condone dangerous driving near horses, and always take as much care as possible near them, but the whole tone of this article to me comes accross as a rather sad way for the horsey set to use current events to have yet another moan about road etiquette.
I think the flags are great, a real show of community spirit getting behind the boys for 1 month every 4 YEARS, but now a minority has piped up they will probably be banned next week.
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Problem will be resolved very soon when England
fail to progress beyond group stage!
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Spot on egghead. It’s about time horse-riders took some responsibility. If you horse is going to be spooked, show some respect for other road users and exercise it in a paddock.
John, my understanding is that there is no legal requirement for horses to be insured?
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It seems perfectly reasonable to draw the flag noise/horse issue to the attention of drivers, but I must confess horse poo just left on the pavements or roads does irritate me!
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John “and how often do you see it on footpaths”
All of the time if you walk the coastal footpath at the Richmond end of Vazon. Not nice having to push a baby buggy through it or having your toddler run through it.
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I treat all horses with respect – it is the handlers that worry me most. A lot of the time you see them either riding two abreast chatting with their mates, or being riden by youngsters with no apparently no knowledge of the highway code or indeed how to manage their mounts. The fact is that even with most “trained” horse, is still an unpredictable animal, and to this end a lot of things can spook it. i am more concerned for the safety of my car frankly than the animal – especially if the horse is being lead by inexperienced riders. The flag issue is important, as it would appear that there are more “Sun” readers than anyone would have imagined!……….
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Just remembering an incident with a horse many years ago when i was a passenger in a van slowly overtaking a horse in a quiet country lane when it kicked back and shot a turd from it’s hoof which came flying through my passenger window and hit me on the side of the head and landed on my lap ! well you should have seen us , we sat at the side of the road for a good ten minutes wetting ourselves ! I’ts not all bad eh
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I once had an incident in France where a horse kicked out at the car I was driving. I got my own back though, I had a slice of his brother for dinner.
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Sarnia Expat is correct, many times i haeve seen girls no older than 14 id say on a horse along the road chatting on their phones to their friends.
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“Also in answer to the poo question, where do you expect us to put it…? Sorry my doggy doo bag just isn’t big enough!”
It’s really quite simple – why don’t you use horse nappies? It keeps the roads clean and has the added bonus that you can collect the poo and sell it as manure? Everyone’s a winner!
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Wise words Captain, all the evidence I’ve read suggests that horse manure contains tetanus, e-coli and a whole bunch of other unpleasant stuff. There are documented cases of people dying following exposure to horse manure, and the NHS encourages tetanus shots in toddlers specifically for this reason.
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errr….why ARE ‘we’ supporting England, anyway… (here goes)…
when we aren’t ENGLISH?
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Horse riders without insurance using our roads – how outrageous.
Next you’ll be telling me that there were pedestrians walking on the road, or crossing it, and they were not only uninsured, but hadn’t passed any kind of test, and weren’t wearing helmets or high-visibility clothing.
Isn’t it disgusting how these people think they have a right to use the roads when we all know that the way God intended us to travel round was in speeding, polluting, noisy metal boxes.
After all, 100% of the road deaths in Guernsey last year were caused by horses, and 0% by car and motorcycle drivers.
Or was that the other way round?
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No contempt meant in any of these comments, just the truth, horse riders do tend to be somewhat aloof when out riding, the mess left behind is a disgrace to which they should not be allowed to get away with. Just one thing confusing in all of this, why, when reading the paper, Islanders want to be cut off from the Mainland, do not want non locals living here, all of a sudden a great interest in supporting England, am I missing something?
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Egghead you are my hero. Horses are lame. Keep them in a field not as transport.
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Basically the problem here is that horses can’t handle riding on the roads.
If they don’t like cars passing by at speed or flags fluttering then they should not be taken out on the roads.
Also, riding a horse on the road damages its knees, so all the riders are causing huge damage to their animals.
What’s the deal with that?
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I think some of you are missing the point. If you want danger on your roads then by all means insist that horse owners collect the manure. That of course involves dismounting in the road, carrying a shovel and a bag with one hand at all times, controlling a horse in a steady stream of traffic, holding up traffic while you collect the manure and then with your shovel, bag, and manure you would need to remount with no hands and proceed on your way. That indeed would be less intrusive, and less “threat” to health and saftey and danger to toddlers than the manure that either rots naturally or gets washed away. Honestly, the ignorance and stupidity of some of these comments beggers believe. I am yet to meet a horse rider that is not insured, and this goes to all of you drivers out there who think it’s acceptable to zoom up and along a pavement, around a horse at great speed and then tut in amazement at its “flight” reaction as it struggles to find a safe place along a road that may have no hedges or driveways to retreat to, I suggest you to try walking along such a road as a pedestrian as many of us have in Guernsey and not feel the indignation and fear of having to squash into a hedge or gateway. Only difference being we can understand the danger and where it is coming from, a horse cannot. Why anyone can fail to see that we are all road users and all Jackie is asking for is a little common sense and understanding seems a sad loss of the once legendary friendly and all inclusive nature of our island.
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the horses must be wondering why the hell Guernsey wants to support England anyway since the island hates the place.
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I support anyone who thinks that these skittish animals shouldn’t be on our busy roads.
A while back I was carefully overtaking a horse and gave it plenty of room. It got spooked by a garden BBQ and quickly backed out into the middle of the road. It hit the back panel of the car and buckled it.
On the other hand, perhaps the residents shouldn’t be enjoying a BBQ in their garden on a sunny day, just in case a horse comes along…
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If you are driving slowly and carefully past a horse then your flag shouldn’t be flapping about that much anyway.
Having had a near miss with a horse out of control I always slow to a crawl, keep the engine revs low and turn the stereo down when going past …… something which it seems most drivers in Guernsey ( mustn’t say Guernsey drivers or I’ll land myself in trouble …… ) never do …
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I would not personally fly one of these flags from my car. However I do not think of it as a problem. Its only for 1 month every 2 years when there is a major football competition on.
I think that it is great that most riders have insurance but I do also think that this should be cumpulsory.
As for the poo argument, I think that horse riders/owners should have to clear up their animals mess. This should apply for all animal owners.
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Personally, Egghead, Bogart and Bonney…. how old are you guys? Horses use the road. period. Cars use the road. period. how about people accept that and just slow down when they go past horses. If you drive a car… you had to learn at some point, as do horse riders, If we’re gonna be petty about health and safety then why dont we debate the whole CO2 aspect of life while we’re at it?
As for the flags, they’re kinda pointless to say that they can’t be seen from south africa anyway… even if you have them on your car and you are showing that you support them, they havnt got a clue who you are, so why should it cause a massive issue other than one party being ignorant… What message are you trying to put across when they put flags on their cars anyway? England wont come back and personally thank You imparticular.
In fairness, horse riders have as much right as you do to use the road.
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I think I will start horse poo watch!
I had to go on the road to avoid some horse poo on the pavement by Morley Corner on tuesday evening.
I still can’t believe how many english people there are going by the amount of flags about, though I know some Guernsey folk that mistakenly think we are part of England/UK!
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I do not have a problem sharing roads with horses. What I do object to, as a non flag flying motorist is the attittude of some who are flying flags, it seems to bring out the worst in some, taking on what they seem to think is “real cool dude” road behaviour, several times since the World cup got under way I have been cut up at junctions, filters and roundabouts. And, whilst the majority are flying the English emblem it would not surprise me if a majority of those are also advocating the “chuck out the English” theory, which arises from time to time, such is their ignorance.
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but why are guernsey people supporting england anyway – i thought you hated it? shouldn’t you be part of the ABE brigade? or when the national team is good does it suit you to support them???
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GsyGal – your’re right it’s only 4 weeks every 4 years so quite frankly, and to turn this around, you and your horses can lump it.
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anglo
How strange a posting!
Have you suffered at the hands of a Guern?
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Reward offered for the first person to spot a horse and rider flying an England flag!
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Please read this, you might actually laugh yourself!
I thought I was going to have a really boring day today but after reading this topic about “HORSES AND FLAGS ON CARS” I started reading more of the comments made and it brightened my day immensely.
Whilst reading I notices that the issue was being drawn more to the horse poo side of things and I starting thinking about all the locals and visitors who, when out for a good old walk, needed to use the necessary facilities along the way but of course couldn’t find one.
I started to imagine a view of the country roads, or even in the town area for that matter, where us humans were sitting at the side of the road and doing what the horses do naturally, and then of course picking it all up with a shovel etc.
My daydream continued with visions of all adults and children carrying bags attached to their rear ends , you know, just in case.
People who might have notices me today in my dreamy mode would have thought I was doing slightly barmy or perhaps even worse.
Why don’t you try it yourself, just read through some of the comments and let yourselves drift away in to this daydream mode?
You might just brighten up the boring old day some of you must be having!
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I consider myself to be a courteous road user when I’m in the car or on my horse. If someone lets me out of a junction (whether driving or mounted) I always say thank you. If someone slows down for me when I’m on my horse, I always lift my had to thank them or if they have their window open I will say thank you. I will pull in to a nearby gateway to let cars pass. If my horse happens to “dung” when I’m in the said gateway I will ALWAYS go back and clear it up. I never let my horse walk on the pavement or on the coastal paths (indeed, I don’t think horses are allowed on them, so I always walk on the common) so my horse never dungs where the public would be walking (unlike the horse rider who let their horse dung on the pavement at the bottom of Rue Sauvage, nice when the children – including mine – are walking to school!) I wish all horse riders had the same common sense to do this.
I don’t mind the cars with flags, I always stick to the lanes and don’t ride in the rush hour traffic so they are no problem to me (I don’t think I’ve come across any so far anyway) but I would never ride or own a horse that wasn’t extremely well behaved on the roads. Granted, you can never tell what will spook a horse but you’ve got a much better chance of not causing an accident and staying on board if you’re riding a “bombproof” horse.
Like someone else said, it’s only a few weeks a every other year, as long as both sides make allowances there is no problem. If my horse decided to have a complete breakdown every time a car came passed with flags, I wouldn’t take it out on the roads until world cup had finished, my life and the well being of my horse is far more important to me then a short ride around the roads!
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anglo – you’ve misunderstood the local psyche, or maybe been reading too much Daily Mail.
We are aligned to the English Crown. Our sportsmen and women are eligible to play for England. We are NOT part of the UK. We are comfortable with the distinction, even if the English themselves struggle with the concept.
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living along Baubigny road its an absolute nightmare i cant use machinery needed to do work on the house, drills excetera just incase a horse comes round the corner.For some reason at least once a week there is a mountain of manure on the path right where i reverse into the drive leaving a huge skid mark up the drive and a van smelling like a horse. Also walking the dog on the paths round here you would think your at dunkirk its an absolute mine field especially at night as there isnt many street lights i also see the children walking to the new school having to step on to the road to avoid it.
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I think I witnessed the ultimate in chav-ness today, that is, an England flag……
on a push-chair.
Tells me all I need to know about football supporters really….
class, through and though.
Ps. no one has yet explained why ‘we’ are apparently supporting England.
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HorseOwner, I dont think anyone has an issue with horse owners like yourself who are thankful and dont intentionally hold up traffic. However there are some horse owners who are rude and do not thank you and in some cases shout at you to slow down when your speedo isnt even registering a speed so you must be travelling at below 5mph (yes this has happenned to me). Basically i dont think horses should be allowed on main roads, indeed in the UK even certain vehicles are not allowed on motorways, let alone animals, the principles arent really that different.
Horses should be confined to the green lanes where there is less traffic and they are less likely to be spooked, and like has been said before, the flags should not pose a threat if the car is slow enough. Id like to add that if I do pass a horse i even go to the trouble of turning my radio right down or off.
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Scarlett,
Perhaps it is ex-pats from the UK who are displaying the flags?
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@Scarlett: So you now know all you need to know about football supporters….they all have babies?
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Scarlett … it’s only temporary Anglophilia …
Next week we’ll all suddenly become Scottish tennis supporters ….
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I saw someone who had a St George’s cross painted on their car. Wonder if they will have to take it in to get re-painted after Wednesday.
That’s an expensive couple of weeks…
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Much prefer animals to people. Loathe everything about professional football so pretty obvious whose corner I would fight. But it IS only for two weeks every four years,and on a small, crowded island the answer is compromise and consideration. Those who know far more about the World Cup/football in general advise me that they think it will be all over (it is now) by the end of the this week. Look on the bright side, silver lining is that the England squad may get a discount on the return flights if they make a group booking with the French team
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My horse has got used to all the flags around the village & roads………..I rode out on the roads yesterday & a pheasant flew up from the grass verge & spooked him……it would have startled anyone human or otherwise……. , horses are like humans & react! !
Not much we can do about pheasants but we can all be considerate & polite when on the roads ,wether walking or whatever transport we use. Why all the agression ?
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If I were you I’d worry more now about all those discarded England flags lying on the roads and getting wrapped around your horses’ hooves following the team’s shameful display at Bloemfontein. I bet pound world on the Bridge has dropped the price for a flag to a penny after that performance and result.
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Never mind, it won’t be a problem any longer….although I have seen a couple of Portuguese and a German flag flying!
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They got utterly thrashed, as always.
Game/flags/debate over…!!
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