Horses are not meant to be sat upon.
Too high and fast. Large herbivores –
small brain, strong flight instinct.
The problem here (apart from an approaching rattly lorry,
narrow high-hedged lane, attempted evasive action
and two highly unexpected wheelie bins)
was more the equally small brain,
and total lack of skill or co-ordination,
on the part of the rider.
The lanes are normally very quiet.
We’d mostly been riding in the forest
(though that is full of scary squeaky branches,
suddenly erupting birds, unpredicted falling twigs).
Ah, but those are nature noises.
Machinery represents a threat of a different order:
a parked helicopter,
sabre-toothed bicycles.
And tractors. And buses.
Plastic carrier bags in hedges.
They are the most scary and dangerous of all.
They can eat a horse whole, apparently.
(From the Facebook discussion of some riding enthusiasts. Submitted by Angi Holden)
Verbatim Poetry 