Ignorant people. :mad:
'All passenger boats can only operate under Maritime and Coastguard Agency rules and we have come to the conclusion the River Wey is no longer a safe environment to run a horse drawn boat.
'There are now an unprecedented number of unlicensed paddle boards and inflatables with inexperienced people on them.
'This is just an accident waiting to happen, when trying to dodge them with 17 tons of narrowboat that does not stop on a sixpence.
One thing I would like narrowboat owners (and renters of course) to observe is the inland waterways speed limit of 4mph. Too many times I’ve been fishing on both rivers and canals and lost tackle (and got my feet wet) because of the bow waves these irresponsible boaters have generated.
Plus the waves cause erosion Percy !!
Donkeyman!
****** me off. For pity’s sake what are they on, the purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, horses, or humans to tow a barge or boat.
Should not be allowed out the house, for their own safety and protect others from their stupidity.
'The towpath is very narrow with high undergrowth on both sides and it is getting increasingly difficult to get the National Trust to do anything about it.
'With large numbers of speeding bikes, runners, dogs off leads and people with pushchairs, we are also suffering a fair bit of verbal abuse, the towpath has become totally unusable for a horse.
‘It is the end of an era and a sad loss to Godalming. I can’t run safely and if I can’t run safely then I can’t run,’ she said.
Thank heavens this lady puts the welfare of her horses first.
No doubt the canal will be littered with the foul detritus of these “brain dead morons” .
I’m sure she carries a shovel with her at all times Cinderella.
Sorry, :-p I couldn’t resist it, it was just the way I read it.
I know what you meant.
I expect she does, good for your soil, especially if it’s heavy clay.
I agree with you though … they’re ignorant people.
You get the feeling they’d destroy all tradition, all history , if they had their way.
Great for your rose bushes too.
I bet the horses are really upset by her decision to quit.
Two examples why I prefer animals.
Ignorant people.
‘The towpath has become totally unusable for a horse. I get people shouting things like ‘That’s really cruel, what are you doing to those horses?’ But they don’t understand — it’s an easy pull for a horse. I could pull that boat, it’s on water so it’s not heavy.’
Ms Roberts claims that pulling a boat is much easier for a horse than someone riding them. She said while people getting impatient waiting for the animals to pass is nothing new, confrontations had become worse in recent years with one man even attempting to push her horse out the way.
‘He got both hands on the horse and tried to push him. He ended up with his earphones in the hedge and threatening to report us.
‘If you get stressed the horses get stressed.
‘I love my horses to bits and if anybody accuses me of being cruel to them it really hurts.
‘There comes a time when you think you just can’t do it anymore.’
Animals are not dumb.
I see no other point in using a horse to pull a 15 tonne plus boat other than to make money from giving others the opportunity to enjoy the water.
People moaned about the donkeys at Blackpool carrying people for short distances but towing a boat that could exceed 18 tonnes loaded is ok for horses???
As a licensed business health and safety would be paramount, regular checks on the boats and veterinary examinations a necessity to keep it.
On a holiday to Llandudno we saw how well looked after the horses were on the canal.
An idyllic life for a horse bred to work.
Hi
Simple physics.
It may well be 15 tons on dry land, it is not in water.
A horse pulling a barge is an extremely efficient form of transport.
At a steady walking speed a horse can move approximately fifty times as much weight in a boat as it could with a cart on old fashioned roads, possibly a hundred times its own body weight. The load moves with minimal friction whilst the strength of the animal is linked directly to the load with little wasted energy and it was this efficiency equation that inspired the development of the canal system in the eighteenth century. It was also this same old-fashioned horsepower that kept it going profitably for a century and a half thereafter.
#8 Morticia can see what this is really about.
Ahhh simple physics…thats ok then…but does the horse know this?
Animals aren’t dumb people are.
