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Re: [RC] Sued for speed - Lynn KinskyWas the person who spooked the horses a runner, riding a horse, a bike or motorcycle? How do you define "popped over a rise"? Why would you not think "speed kills" ? I have a different take on this. In multiuse trails, all others give way to horses. In Colorado, I used to be asked regularly by the ranger if there had been cyclists on the trail, if they had yielded trail to me, and how fast they were going, because out there, if a horse is spooked on a mountain, the horse and rider can fall off trail and be seriously injured or killed. And what is wrong with speed limits on a trail ? And just because a horse is spooked and bolts, does not necessarily mean that it is untrained or or has not been exposed to the unusual things we see on the trail. And I don't see how anything can only be going 2 miles per hour on the trail unless it is a turtle. Accidents happen, and some accidents are preventable with prudent behavior. Thats why we have personal liability insurance. I would certainly not dismiss a suit out of hand, when I only have one side of the story. If all we had to worry about was a horse trucking down the trail, things would be wonderful. On the very popular trails behind Santa Barbara the main hazard are down hill mountain bike racers (a number of the trails allow a 2000 ft downhill run) who bomb down the narrow single tracks, head tucked. Several hikers have been hurt and one horse killed so far. A horse/rider and a bicyclist in control can negotiate passing on the single tracks, but the racers are simply into speed, not control. Whether the horse spooks and goes off the edge, or stands its ground and gets a 30 mph bike in its chest, the end result is the same. -- Lynn Kinsky, Santa Ynez, CA http://www.silcom.com/~lkinsky/ http://www.dslextreme.com/~napha/JoyOfRiding/ http://www.dslextreme.com/~napha/HighPoint/ http://www.dslextreme.com/~napha/JoyOfRiding/Triathlon/index.htm =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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