I can understand the sentiment towards bikes, and while Ravens story and others are terrible, I just want to spin something positive for everyone. I have been riding for over 20 years, and my dad has been mountain biking for slightly less than that. When he first started riding, there was a huge "fight" over trails at our local park that resulted in horses and bikes being generally unfriendly towards each other. To try to soothe the situation we started a "campaign" of our own where we rode together-my on my "hot arabian show horse" and my dad on his outrageous down hill racing bike. It did seem to change a few attitudes, especially the bikers. They got to know my pony and could understand the troubles they were causing with their bikes. My dad runs many local races and is widely known in the mountain bike scene. He ALWAYS stresses how unpredictable and dangerous horses can be and anyone he meets, especially new riders, he impresses upon them that they should always get off their bike and talk softly to the horses and their riders to make sure no one gets hurt. He will even stop bikers when he has seen horses ahead and make sure they know what to do! :)
As reasonable as that is, many times the horseback riders refuse to even say "hello" when my dad has tried so hard to be friendly. Clearly a spooked horse/rider are not expected to exchange greetings, but I think, as horse riders, we should be especially appreciative of the bikers that do the RIGHT thing and at least say "thanks!" So, next time you see a biker do the wrong thing, let them know what the appropriate behavior is (if they are reasonable), and if you see them trying or doing the right thing, say THANK YOU!! We need to be responsible for creating a park environment that is friendly for all to use. A happy attitude is contagious, and aren't we all out there to have a good time?!?!?
