Yep.
Certainly in GB, events are on open roads 99% of the time.
Only times they're not that I'm aware of are
- 1 race (sprint + Oly) did stay within a park and use its roads (Sutton Park)
- a few on motor racing circuits (usually sprints and duathlons, eg Oulton Park, Cadwell, Mallory).

- elite events eg ITU series at Leeds or Nottingham (where they also let muppets like me out before to sweep the roads with my tyres)

Maybe try reading my comments first. I wasn't defending him at all. This race has been running for years so find it difficult to believe the rider was not aware.

My point was the different court actions with dangerous road behaviour.

My answer was intentional. I did not read the entire thread. You can't run a race on completely open roads. It's not a race if you do. Certainly not one that is safe for the participants or other people on the road. It's not reasonable to expect people to stop at stop signs and give way to traffic in a race. Nor is it reasonable for organizers to truly expect people racing to follow those rules while in competitive mode.

I lay the blame on the organizers. Clearly the horse rider didn't know the event was taking place, but from an race organizational perspective shouldn't have been on a road in the middle of a race. We aren't talking just a few people going by, there was a pretty big pack.

Noted. If you can't be bothered to READ...

However, it seems more accurate to say, "You did not read ANY of the thread." For example two posts up from yours:

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ost=6850863#p6850863

Specifically,

Like I said I read the article and a few posts here and there, but that is a moot point.

If you run a race (even if it's 99% of races) on open roads, you can't act all surprised when things like this happen.

you can't be surprised when a cyclist assaults an animal/rider? I beg to differ.

I cannot comment on other places but here in the UK there is a large anti-cycling section of the community. You see it constantly in baiting News Paper articles by cheapshot journos, and the many rants on social media and via various internet mimes about cyclists be w@#$ers, people bragging how they like to push cyclists off or give them a fast punishment pass for daring to use "their" road.

There have even been articles blaming traffic pollution on bikes and bike paths as they allegedly cause traffic jams. There is also increasing resistance for events by locals. There is a suggestion that this was a significant reason for the quickest 10mile TT course in the UK being selved.

Incidents like this just help feed this anti cycling sentiment and it has already been posted up on a number of facebook teaffic & travel groups as evidence that something needs to be done about cyclists. Unfortunately it seems that where a cyclist shoulders some of the blame there seems to be maximum publicity and then a higher punishment. If you compare this case where the rider was irresponsible and while the outcome could have been much worse the actual damage was minimal against the driver that took the bend too fast ending up on the wrong side if the road slamming in to two horses and riders that wasn't even prosecuted, cyclist seem to have to take much more responsibility. The same in the Allison case where he was irresponsible and sounded like an accident waiting to happen, but faced a pedestrian that wasn't looking before crossing the road he got a prison sentence, while the motorist responsible for killing a group if cyclists in a car with illegally worn tyres escaped a prison sentence as did the texting driving that killed one of my club mates and a recent speeding driver that kill another cyclists.

This means we have to try and be squeaky clean to limit the ammo thrown back at us and because we are probably less likely to recieve the same understanding as motorists that make mistakes or act irresponsibly.

Actually in race conditions riders assault other rides frequently (head butts, throwing knees, etc). But that wasn't what I was referring to. The issue here is you don't let lose a bunch of reved up competitive athletes on open roads and expect folks to ride like they are doing are leisurely ride. If you can't make it safe, don't run the event. By safe I mean for folks not in the race as well as for the race participants.