Footage of an equestrian telling off a motorist for going ‘too fast’ as he drove past her horse has divided people online.
A clip, posted on Instagram by horse rider Laura Robson, showed a blue Skoda Fabia drive past her and a friend on another horse in front.
The first horse gets spooked by the vehicle which appeared to be less than a metre away as it went past with a child in the backseat.
Worried about her own horse reacting badly as well, Laura held out her crop to stop the driver in his tracks and shouted: ‘F****ing hell! Wait, wait, wait! It’s a green lane, please go slower.’
One of the people in the car yelled something back as the riders began to trot on, but Laura put her foot down and again told them to drive slower.
She uploaded the video, which has racked up over 3,500 comments in just one day, with a caption that read: ‘Dangerous drivers frustrate me! This road was clearly signposted as a quiet lane.
‘They should have stopped in the wider passing place ahead to let us pass safely. Instead, they mounted the curb and spooked the horses.’
But viewers have been split over the footage – with some defending the driver, suggesting the car could not have gone any slower without stalling.
Others suggested it would have been safer for the equestrian to go riding in a field rather than a narrow country lane.
Official Highway Code guidelines for passing horse riders states: ‘Be particularly careful of horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles especially when approaching, overtaking, passing or moving away. Always pass wide and slowly.
‘When you see a horse on a road, you should slow down to a maximum of 10 mph. Be patient, do not sound your horn or rev your engine. When safe to do so, pass wide and slow, allowing at least 2 metres of space.’
It adds: ‘Look out for horse riders’ and horse drivers’ signals and heed a request to slow down or stop. Take great care and treat all horses as a potential hazard; they can be unpredictable, despite the efforts of their rider/driver.
‘Remember there are three brains at work when you pass a horse; the rider’s, the driver’s and the horse’s. Do not forget horses are flight animals and can move incredibly quickly if startled.’
However, viewers had their own opinions regarding who was in the right and who was in the wrong and took to the comments to voice them.
One wrote: ‘With respect, that car was going about as slow as it could without stalling.
‘If you are not comfortable sharing the road with other traffic, or worried that you can’t control your horse, maybe grass lanes would be better for you?’
But Laura came straight in with a response, writing: ‘How about the car stop? There wasn’t enough space for him to safely pass so he should have stopped the car. Or better yet, wait in the wider part of the road he’d just passed.
‘At what point was I not in control other than when his car scarped on the curb and spooked my horse, which was roughly one second?’
Another commented: ‘They’re going perfectly slow, take your horse on a f****ing field, not many cars there.’
‘Car was slower than a sloth. What you screaming at?’, a third wrote.
Many came to Laura’s defence, with one reinforcing her point about it being a green lane.
‘It’s a green lane people! It’s purpose is recreational use! So especially made for walking, biking and horseback riding.
‘The ladies with the horses had every right to be there. So the car was wrong and had to wait and make room for the horses.’
Another wrote: ‘He wasn’t going slow enough at all as there was not enough distance between him and the horse.
‘In that situation the car should have stopped, let the horses pass, and then continue. Two mins inconvenience and safety for the horse… but a big ask is it!’