Hi Millcreek...
Yep... am familiar with some of the "politics" (good, bad, or ugly) as practiced by cyclist groups - and also some of the attitudes of horsemen.
Personally, I
very much prefer to cede the "right-away" to the cyclists on the trails. It's easier for a horseman to move off the trail than it is for a biker. Also, it is generally safer for me to re-position a horse so they can watch the biker move passed rather than have the biker stop and then I have to ask the horse to move passed (at close distance) a stationary biker. That's because if the horse can see the biker moving by at a safe distance it is more at ease than if it sees the biker stop close by (the horse may wonder if the biker stopped to eat him
).
Since there are often several horses on a trail ride the "re-positoning" of
all the horses takes a bit of time and the biker will probably have to slow down to allow for that... and that isn't so much fun for a biker on a woods trail. The alternative is for the biker to stop
at a safe distance and wait for the horses to clear the way.
I've ridden with a lot of people and can honestly say 99% of them
really want to keep the bikers (and hikers) safe - not to mention themselves and their horses. And the last thing a trailriding horseman wants is a "chain reaction" where one horse spooks and the others decide to follow suit. Few things are as unFun as hitting the ground in the middle of a 7-horse Panic Party.
Sad fact is - many people will go trailriding on horses that haven't been trained to stay calm. Most experienced horsemen I know are really, really careful about who they ride with for that reason but too often it doesn't turn out that way.
Anyway - I am best able to keep myself and my horse and any bikers/hikers safe if I just have enough time to clear the way and I am more than glad to do so. Out on the road I can usually hear cars approaching but not so the bikers. Will be happy to move over for them there too but I gotta know they are coming before they are on top of me.