Could have killed a horse and rider!!

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Poo Picker

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Why oh why do people insist on riding on the roads without any Hi Viz? Driving home last night at 6pm and during a hailstorm I came within inches of colliding with a dark bay horse and a rider dressed in dark clothing and NO HI VIZ, an accident just waiting to happen :eek:
 
poor you, some people just dont think. I have had a couple of close calls - either in bright sunlight or bad weather where rider has no hi-viz and horse is dark in colour. I expect they think they look really smart ! good for them ! smart is no good if you or your horse is dead !!
 
The rider wasn't impressed when I wound down the window and gave her an ear bashing! I never go on the roads without it riding or walking a horse out and have taught my daughter that it is a mortal sin not to wear it:D
 
I have a dark bay horse and I worry so much that people wont see us!! She is terrified of florescent sheets (something we WILL be over coming for our own safety) so I make sure I am high viz'd up and she also wears hi viz boots!

Its just so dangerous... :mad:
 
Do horse riders have compulsory training to be on the public highway or is it like cyclists - get on and go?

If its the latter then is it about time the UK had compulsory training laws for both of these groups?
 
No, its get on & go. The riding & road safety test isn't compulsory, & though many ride safely without it, a % of people are clueless. I'm not sure how you'd police it though, other than saying insurance is void without it. Good idea tho for both cyclists & riders.
 
Yard rules for us are you must wear at least one item of hi-viz, either on yourself or your horse before you go out hacking, or you don't go!

I have a hi-viz hat band which stays on my hat, plus I have one of the Polite vests (which was £10 off eBay - bargain!) and I also use hi-viz leg wraps on my horse (£10 for 4!)

There really isn't an excuse, even the smallest bit of hi-viz makes all the difference and you can get it cheaply now. I've seen those quick strap snap things in Halfords which are £2.50 each that you could easily wear on your arms or wrists. I'm also going to get some hi-viz gloves too.

If anything did happen (and hope to god it doesn't for anyone), you will stand much better ground with your insurance co. and the Police if you did wear hi-viz.

It's just common sense!
 
ROG said:
Do horse riders have compulsory training to be on the public highway or is it like cyclists - get on and go?

If its the latter then is it about time the UK had compulsory training laws for both of these groups?
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Not compulsory no.
There's the BHS riding and road safety, which if you're doing any higher than stage 1 I think, you need to pass to be able to do your stage 2.
 
and even on the brightest days,a dark horse and rider in `country coloured clothes` are hard to spot if the sun is in your eyes.
 
MrsB said:
There really isn't an excuse, even the smallest bit of hi-viz makes all the difference and you can get it cheaply now. I've seen those quick strap snap things in Halfords which are £2.50 each that you could easily wear on your arms or wrists. I'm also going to get some hi-viz gloves too
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This is so true. Even the hi-viz vests cost very little now, it doesn't have to be a horsey specific one.

I wear hi-viz whenever I'm on the road, whether it be with the horse or the dog, sun or rain, night or day, it increases your chances of being seen.

Just to give an indication of cost, and I have a decent amount of stuff, even the smallest amount helps.
When riding, I have a hi-viz vest and hat band on me, headcollar, neck band and leg wraps on the pony, and all that probably cost me around the equivalent of £30-40.
When walking the horse to the field, we wear hi-viz (always at least 2 of us, one to lead the horse, the other to slow traffic if they're being silly), and the pony wears a hi-viz rug (have one homemade, made from an old rug, a hi-viz exercise sheet and some hi-viz vests to fill in the gaps, and one walker rug, picked up in a bargain bin for about £20, so not cheap, but worth it IMO).

So for somewhere between the equivalent of £60-70 I have a full hi-viz wardrobe for the pony and myself, not much of a price to pay for safety. :)
 
Considering its very hard to find reflectives to fit either an 11.1 pony or a skinny 7 yr old I seem to have managed it, with a bit of improvisation, without spending much at all. It's hardly the most costly aspect of horse owning, so no excuse really.
 
I have been in that situation many times but with cyclists. they to seem to think we should somehow be able to see them, and this on fairly main roads at7.30am. I am glad you said something too many people just keep quiet.
 
Hi-viz is not a legal requirement though and I'm not even aware of any case law where it has justified a reduction in compensation due to contributory negligence. However driving with due care and attention is a legal requirement, and surely you were going slower and more carefully due to the weather conditions and because it was the type of road you might expect to find a horserider on? Equally, it could have been a pedestrian, and few pedestrians wear hi-viz - the onus is on the driver to look out, not on the non-driver to avoid being hit.
 
You silly person, get some new batteries for your crystal ball so you know when they will be on the road, come's in handy for knowing when cyclist are going to fly out in front of you and when behind BMW drivers to know when they are turning ;) really must get some for mine.......:rolleyes:
 
Mithras I do see where you're coming from but knowing I was legally in the right is no compensation if my horses, myself or more importantly my daughter gets hurt. I'd rather know a driver had a few seconds more to stop than be pointing out their driving errors after a collision.
 
I never ever go out without Hi-viz - it doesnt matter what time of the day it is!

Just been on the BHS website which shows all the posters you can download which are good but have just seen the one about showing the damage a car can do if it hits a horse - I expected to see the mangled car but not the dead horse lying behind it......shocking but think that needs to be the case.

I wish for every idiot who drives too close to me (even with my mountains of hi viz gear) that I could give them a copy of this poster and make them realise this could happen as a result of their driving.....
 
Mithras - Yes I was driving very carefully, I expect to find horses, cows, sheep, deer, dogs etc etc in the lanes, I live in the countrty - never had an accident in over 30years! It is still very very stupid not to wear Hi Viz!
 
Pedantic said:
You silly person, get some new batteries for your crystal ball so you know when they will be on the road, come's in handy for knowing when cyclist are going to fly out in front of you and when behind BMW drivers to know when they are turning ;) really must get some for mine.......:rolleyes:
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You're not supposed to use your crystal ball while driving, same as phones....:p
 
May I just add that if your on a large horse 16hh+ don't just wear a high viz bib put leg bands ect on the horse! Was driving home from the yard the other night and there was a rider coming on the opposite direction on a 17hand or so horse she was wearing a high viz bib but as she was so high up the bib did not fall within the beam of my headlights so we were almost beside her by the time I saw her! Fortunately she was on the opposite side of the road and on the verge but could have been nasty if she hadnt of been
 
Dog is missing out at the moment as he is always hi viz when out with us but he did a houdini and lost his hi viz jacket somewhere on crooks peak - have searched without success so he is grounded until I get him another - although dont think I will be hacking with him until the rain stops !! I personally wear a cheap builders flourescent tabard - cheap and nasty but v effective !
 
Mithras said:
Hi-viz is not a legal requirement though and I'm not even aware of any case law where it has justified a reduction in compensation due to contributory negligence. However driving with due care and attention is a legal requirement, and surely you were going slower and more carefully due to the weather conditions and because it was the type of road you might expect to find a horserider on? Equally, it could have been a pedestrian, and few pedestrians wear hi-viz - the onus is on the driver to look out, not on the non-driver to avoid being hit.
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Yes I totally agree, but being in the right isn't much compensation when you and your horse are lying in the road dead, being visible and easier to see by drivers is common sense regardless of what the the law says.
 
Pedantic said:
Yes I totally agree, but being in the right isn't much compensation when you and your horse are lying in the road dead, being visible and easier to see by drivers is common sense regardless of what the the law says.
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Totally agree - look after yourself first and foremost. I too, only saw two dark horses, no high viz, owners in green and brown clothes, about 3 seconds before I could have hit them and I KNOW there is a livery yard around the corner so am expecting (and looking for) horses (not the first time I've seen idiots from that yard I'm afraid). I was approaching a very steep bend so only driving slowly too. I pointed out to them I couldn't actually see them, but I think it fell on deaf ears sadly.
 
I would be embarrased to be seen on the roads WITHOUT hi viz - purely out of respect to my horse. With all of the idiots driving out there, it's the least we can do to try to keep them safe.
 
I think some riders are not keen on the hi-viz look as it doesn't match the numnah or their new jods. I never go on the road without hi-viz on me and my horse who wears a hi-viz exercise sheet. I see many riders out dressed head to foot in brown and black and cannot be seen. Complete madness and a subject that drives me nuts...
 
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