Riding on the roads can present many dangers. Riding on the roads is often unavoidable with a lack of bridleways and access to bridleways often being via roads. It is important to be aware of things you can do to help keep yourself and your horses safe
Reporting Accidents
In 2010, The British Horse Society (BHS) created the horse accidents website which enables you to report accidents and near misses. This ensures that data can be gathered which can help improve campaigns for road safety and influence legalisation.
You can also use the website to look up past incidents in your local area. You can visit the website by visiting www.horseaccidents.org.uk
Think! Horse, Dead, Or Dead Slow? and Don't be a Dark Horse Campaigns
The BHS have run two important campaigns around road safety.
The don't be a dark horse campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of wearing hi viz when hacking at any time of year to ensure you and your horse are kept safe.
The Dead or Dead Slow campaign aimed to raise awareness for drivers about the unpredictability of horses and the need for drivers to pass slowly. The BHS produced a you tube video which can be found Here https://youtu.be/6TguLKMJjso
They also had advertisement on petrol pumps to try to reach as many drivers as possible.
The Department For Transports safety campaign Think!Horse also has a webpage for drivers to help explain how to safely approach horses. You can read about this via this link http://think.direct.gov.uk/horses.html
Increased Awareness for other road users
We know that is not just car drivers we can sometimes encounter problems with when riding our horses. Sometimes cyclists can present difficulties especially when meeting them on country lanes or off road paths. There are some good examples of awareness raising such as this example from Yorkshire Dales National Park explaining to cyclists how to safely approach horses.
Often cycle groups and cycle events will try to publicise when large cycle events may be running so it is worth finding out about your local events and groups so you can keep aware of any potential situations.
Benefits of Hi Viz
Research by the Ministry of Defence has shown a helicopter can see a rider with hi viz on over half a mile sooner than they can than for a rider without. This makes it much easier for the Air Ambulance and other emergency services to save your life in an unfortunate incident.
The British Horse Society have found that wearing hi viz means drivers see horse riders 3 seconds sooner which gives them much more stopping or slowing down time. Three seconds is the time that it would take a car to travel the length of a standard-size dressage arena at 30mph. This is quite a long way and could make all the difference.
If your horse is wearing hi viz and you fall off and become separated your horse will be seen by drivers much quicker and this may prevent a serious accident occuring.
When thinking about what colour hi viz to wear you should consider what colours will best stand out for that time of year. Yellow is the best colour in Autumn as it stands out the most against an autumnal background. Yellow may not be best when riding in areas with fields of yellow rape. It is important to consider which colours will best stand out to get maximin effectiveness. However you can also combine a mix of colours to help you stand out.
It is important to replace your hi viz as it will naturally loose its shine over time and as a result of washing.
When selecting hi viz for you as a rider the best type of hi viz you can select is one that shows it meets the appropriate safety standards and will display the coding - BSEN1150 or EN1150. There are no current safety standards in place for hi viz horseware.
We sell a huge range of Hi Viz and Reflective products for horse and riders of all ages including exercise sheets, hat / leg / arm bands, tabards, boots, tail / rein / martingale accessories, jackets, gilets and hat silks. We sell products from Equisafety including their Polite range, Rhinegold and Harlequin. You can find all of our range by clicking here
Hat Cams
Many riders now use Hat cams to record their hacks so that in the event of an accident or poor driving they can use the footage to report drivers to the police. This can make all the difference when it comes to the police being able to take action on dangerous driving as there is evidence that can be used to make a case.
There are also some fantastic examples from Hat cam footage of where drivers including some lorry drivers have driven extremely responsibly past horses. In these cases where the driver works for a company it is really great to share this with the drivers employer and on their social media to promote best practice.
Riding and Road Safety Courses
The BHS run Riding and Road Safety Tests for any riders aged 12 years and over. The tests are taken by over 4000 people every year and you do not need to be a member of the BHS to take part. The courses enable you to learn more about the rules around riding on the roads and can help reduce accidents. You can find out more about this by visiting this link http://www.bhs.org.uk/education/exams-and-qualifications/find-exams/exams/riding-and-road-safety-test
#Seriousaboutsafety
Harry Hall have had a focus on raising awareness of safety of horse riders. They have used the hash tag #seriousaboutsafety on twitter feeds about hi viz, riding hats and body protectors as well as anything else safety related. They also completed a tour raising awareness about safety across the country. You can find out more about this here http://www.harryhall.co.uk/seriousaboutsafety/
Horse and Road Safety Awareness (HRSA)
This website and active social media page promotes horse riding road safety awareness. They have a range of useful information on legal advice, safety advice as well as campaigning and providing leaflets and selling hi viz products. There website is http://www.hrsa.org.uk/index.htm
Slow Down For My Horse Campaign
The Will You Slow Down For My Horse Campaign was started on Facebook in August 2015 and the hashtag #slowdownformyhorse is now widely used. Their Facebook page has over 45,000 likes and you can visit this for information here https://www.facebook.com/Slow-Down-For-My-Horse-Campaign