Anyone ride (hack) in the dark / dawn / dusk?

Wow! Didn't realise this was still going and had got so heated... Please can we calm down!!

I think this subject is very much 'each to their own' not everyone is able to, let alone willing to school their horses in an arena 7 days a week. Myself included. We don't have one and as my boy is rehabbing after ligament surgery, we have been advised on straight lines only.

Also the comparison between riders who chose to ride at any time of day or night with no hi-vis and those who hi-vis and light up to the eyeballs is really unfair.

Also, anyone who was driving round a blind bend and had to 'slam on their brakes' to avoid something in the road is driving too fast for that section of road. That could have been anything in the road -a dog, a person, a cyclist, a car, a fallen tree... if you can't see round the corner - slow down!!

And finally - I did hack out in the first light for a couple of days and met NO ONE... Since the clocks have changed, it has been light enough to hack and be completely visible (still hi-vised up) but when the time comes where it is dark again, I will play it by ear as to what I do. I won't hack incomplete darkness though so he may end up getting a little holiday.

Happy winter riding everyone! Whatever you choose to do!
 
BeingKate said:
I personally think anyone who rides on the roads in the dark or dusk, with or without flourescents, is an idiot. You have a choice, your horse does not. I think anyone riding on the roads AT ALL without high viz on is also an idiot. Not everyone has facilities or off road hacking, but is it really worth the risk THis morning I came around a blind corner at 7.30 when it wasn't quite light. I was driving around that corner at 35mph (it's a national speed limit road so I was going slowly) and there was a horse and rider with no high viz on at all. I had to slam on my breaks and swerve to avoid them - how on earth would I as a driver have felt had I have hit them? I'm not sure I could have lived with that
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With drivers like you around driving at 35mph around a blind corner no wonder it's unsafe to ride on the road.
On a country lane you could have met all manner of things around that corner! A tractor, loose stock, cyclists, another car or the milk tanker. 20mph around that corner would be a far safer and considerate speed.

DRIVE TO SURVIVE, TO WEATHER CONDITIONS, NOT TO THE SPEED LIMIT, that's a MAXIMUM speed not the recommended speed.
 
CBFan said:
Wow! Didn't realise this was still going and had got so heated... Please can we calm down!!

I think this subject is very much 'each to their own' not everyone is able to, let alone willing to school their horses in an arena 7 days a week. Myself included. We don't have one and as my boy is rehabbing after ligament surgery, we have been advised on straight lines only.

Also the comparison between riders who chose to ride at any time of day or night with no hi-vis and those who hi-vis and light up to the eyeballs is really unfair.

Also, anyone who was driving round a blind bend and had to 'slam on their brakes' to avoid something in the road is driving too fast for that section of road. That could have been anything in the road -a dog, a person, a cyclist, a car, a fallen tree... if you can't see round the corner - slow down!!

And finally - I did hack out in the first light for a couple of days and met NO ONE... Since the clocks have changed, it has been light enough to hack and be completely visible (still hi-vised up) but when the time comes where it is dark again, I will play it by ear as to what I do. I won't hack incomplete darkness though so he may end up getting a little holiday.

Happy winter riding everyone! Whatever you choose to do!
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^^ what she said! My mare is rehabbing a check ligament on straight lines - fortunately for me I only have to cross a main road in the dark and the rest is forestry but I still go out dressed like Bertie Bassett ;) Horse has most of the hi viz on in case we should be parted.

I have always ridden in the dark, when I was a kid it was before/after school and now I work full time so have no option as no arena on site. Millie is good as gold in the dark :) Kira the project is a spooky wotsit!
 
Tnavas said:
Many years ago I used to drive my harness horse to work - I didn't have a car at the time and was working at a harness racing stable - so horse transport was fine. Lots of hi viz clothing - was actually great fun - bit cold in the middle of winter but really fun way to get around.
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That sounds awesome!! Wish the hospital that I work at would provide stabling so I could drive mine to work :D
 
I don't think there is any reason why not, there has been noises about them not paying out if rider not wearing hi viz but I don't think there have been any cases. Frank isn't insured anyway so not a concern (have 3rd party liability though)
 
Nope. Been hit by car even when covered in lights and high vis. By a neighbour, when they saw me go out every day at that time on a fairly straight road.

off road yes as long as I know the track well
 
If you drove at 20mph around every corner, you are going to get driven into the back of around here.....


Tnavas said:
With drivers like you around driving at 35mph around a blind corner no wonder it's unsafe to ride on the road.
On a country lane you could have met all manner of things around that corner! A tractor, loose stock, cyclists, another car or the milk tanker. 20mph around that corner would be a far safer and considerate speed.

DRIVE TO SURVIVE, TO WEATHER CONDITIONS, NOT TO THE SPEED LIMIT, that's a MAXIMUM speed not the recommended speed.
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amandaco2 said:
If you drove at 20mph around every corner, you are going to get driven into the back of around here.....
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Yet, if you can't STOP when you meet something round a corner, you are driving too fast.

I met a herd of cows being shifted across the road today around a blind bend that cut into the hill. If I had been flying round, I'd have totalled my car! On country roads, you have to expect livestock, mud on roads from tractors, PUDDLES, stationary vehicles like tractors and farmer's 4x4's, horses, cyclists... if you can't stop, or have to swerve to avoid them, you are going too fast. Regardless of what anyone else does!
 
amandaco2 said:
If you drove at 20mph around every corner, you are going to get driven into the back of around here.....
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When you know you are coming to a blind corner if you have any regard for your own life, you slow right down. You don't need to be driving at 20mph all the time, you view the road, the conditions and drive accordingly.

That show you can drive for over 40years without having an accident.
 
Tnavas said:
When you know you are coming to a blind corner if you have any regard for your own life, you slow right down. You don't need to be driving at 20mph all the time, you view the road, the conditions and drive accordingly.

That show you can drive for over 40years without having an accident.
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Im not saying people shouldnt go at 20mph.
Im saying around me on most of the 60mph country roads if someone goes around corners at 20mph they are likely to get a 60mph car rammed up their backside.
 
amandaco2 said:
Im not saying people shouldnt go at 20mph.
Im saying around me on most of the 60mph country roads if someone goes around corners at 20mph they are likely to get a 60mph car rammed up their backside.
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I assume then you aren't talking about real twisty blind bends then... around us, you couldn't physically do 60mph or you would end up in a field... and whilst you could do 45/50, you'd be very dangerous at that.
 
I ride a saint on the roads and generally the drivers around here are very considerate. But there are a few idiots. I would do a ride in the dark only if absolutely desperate.
 
All the advice on how to drive safely given on this thread is not going to make the slightest bit of difference to the drivers who are trying to get from A to B as quickly as they can. They are very unlikely to be horse aware.
As horse aware rider/drivers you really cannot expect other drivers will have the same mindset as you do.
I'm afraid I think you are blindly over confident if you think it is safe to ride on roads in the dark.
 
ozpoz said:
All the advice on how to drive safely given on this thread is not going to make the slightest bit of difference to the drivers who are trying to get from A to B as quickly as they can. They are very unlikely to be horse aware.
As horse aware rider/drivers you really cannot expect other drivers will have the same mindset as you do.
I'm afraid I think you are blindly over confident if you think it is safe to ride on roads in the dark.
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The best comment, by far, on this and all the other threads currently running about taking horses onto roads in the dark.

I work in a biggish office, non horsey, one of them bikes a lot. I asked them if they expect to see horses being ridden in the dark with lights etc on. The answer was firstly no, followed by why should we expect to see a horse after dark.
 
As long as I was fully lit, I could be safer to ride my lanes in the dark than in the light. The roads are full of twists and turns and you can see a strong bike light around a bend earlier than you can see the bike/horse itself.

To the person driving around blind bends at thirty five, try that round here and you could to find a large red stag sitting on your lap :)
 
I would never do it, simply because we have no access to off road hacking anywhere in my area. If I did, I probably would, within reason - plenty of lights, reflectives etc - and only on the road over very short distances. As it stands, this is all academic as we don't have bridleways here, nor do we have the same right of public access to fields that seems to prevalent in England.
 
Sheep said:
I would never do it, simply because we have no access to off road hacking anywhere in my area. If I did, I probably would, within reason - plenty of lights, reflectives etc - and only on the road over very short distances. As it stands, this is all academic as we don't have bridleways here, nor do we have the same right of public access to fields that seems to prevalent in England.
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There's no public access to fields in England and Wales, Sheep.
 
cptrayes said:
There's no public access to fields in England and Wales, Sheep.
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Ooh, well in that case, local farmers are just not up for letting us ride on the edges of their fields :-P which is fair enough! Unless I am confused between that, and bridleways which go across land? no idea, never been on one..! Luckily our on road hacking is fairly quiet so we do make use of it where possible. With hi vis!
 
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Sheep said:
Ooh, well in that case, local farmers are just not up for letting us ride on the edges of their fields :-P which is fair enough! Unless I am confused between that, and bridleways which go across land? no idea, never been on one..! Luckily our on road hacking is fairly quiet so we do make use of it where possible. With hi vis!
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a bridle way it a right of way, the land owner has to maintain it and cannot block it, it is not just where a land owner allows riders access to their land
 
twiggy2 said:
a bridle way it a right of way, the land owner has to maintain it and cannot block it, it is not just where a land owner allows riders access to their land
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Ah yes I knew that it wasn't just being allowed in, I just wasn't sure if you had bridleways and also access to fields. Very jealous!
 
Sheep said:
Ah yes I knew that it wasn't just being allowed in, I just wasn't sure if you had bridleways and also access to fields. Very jealous!
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Sorry Sheep, I misunderstood you, I thought you meant we had open access like they do in Sweden. I think Scotland may be similar and I'm so jealous!
 
AdorableAlice said:
The best comment, by far, on this and all the other threads currently running about taking horses onto roads in the dark.

I work in a biggish office, non horsey, one of them bikes a lot. I asked them if they expect to see horses being ridden in the dark with lights etc on. The answer was firstly no, followed by why should we expect to see a horse after dark.
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The point is not whether they expect to see you or not, but you make sure you are seen. - If you see an object covered in lights and reflectives you are going to go around it, the same as people do to me when I am commuting on the bicycle on similar roads, not just drive straight into it. I'm not too fussed as to whether people pass slowly or not (though they usually do) .
 
Hmm when I say 35mph around a blind corner I don't mean a ridiculously tight one. The worst kind of corners are the long ones that aren't sharp but go on for ages. If you were to slow down to 20mph as someone suggests around here, you actually cause yet another hazard on an already dangerous road. Obviously if they were very tight that's slightly different. But err thanks for the driving lesson :P
 
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