Does anyone else ride in the dark?

I hack around our hay fields and around our little forest ride late in the dark all the time - the horses are fine with it and your eyes adjust quickly - I find it very relaxing tbh.
Dont think i'd go on the roads in the dark its bloomin scary enough in the daylight!
 
If I have an evening lesson or dressage in the winter, I'm at the very least hacking home in the dark. It involves about 10 minutes in the forest, and then one road crossing before our yard. I make sure we're well-hi-vizzed for the road crossing, and find the forest part rather nice! The pony seems unworried by the dark forest tracks (and he's very good at worrying about things), so I don't see why I should be worried by them!

I wouldn't want to actually go along roads in the dark. I had to do so once, when I was caught out by a storm that prevented taking the forest paths home, and it was a very scary experience, despite the hi-viz.
 
Pedantic said:
Maybe some people should be driving with more due care and attention, it's part of the highway code you know, I "don't expect" people in grey cars on a grey day with a grey road and a grey sky to drive without any lights on, but they do, I "don't expect" people on bikes to ride in a dark coat on a dark bike in the rain with no lights on, but they do, I "don't expect" people to double park then get their offspring out "into" the road, but they do, I "don't expect" a tractor to be round the next bend on a country lane, but it might be, but any of the above "might be", so maybe a little less texting phoning arse scratching, nose picking, looking round to tell the kids off, putting make up on, faffing with the sat nav, or whatever else seems to be so much more important than actually driving properly.

"I do expect" people to take "some" responsibility for themselves by wearing lights and viz gear, whether bikers or horse riders, but some wont, because we live in a Nation of Ar******s.

Maybe somebody could explain to me what the reluctance is for some drivers to put their lights on in poor visibility, do they think it will wear the battery out or something, some just put little side lights on as well, whats that all about.. duh....
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What you have written is all completely true, however, despite what you are legally allowed to do, and what you feel you have a right to do, there is no way I would ever compromise the safety of my horses and myself by riding out in the dark,just because I have a right to do so- I honestly think it is the most stupid, wreckless thing to do.
I'm not debating that my horses can't see in the dark, because obviously they can, but that doesn't mean I should ride them in the dark.
I don't care how much hi-viz you have on, are you honestly telling me that it is a reasonable, sensible thing to hack out on roads in the dark? Come on!
 
RunToEarth said:
I don't care how much hi-viz you have on, are you honestly telling me that it is a reasonable, sensible thing to hack out on roads in the dark? Come on!
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I will. I've seen the police hacking round where I used to live at around 10.30pm in total darkness except for street lights. Now no one would expect to see them but are they stupid for doing it?

I used to ride in the dark all the time but the yard I was at had a few little lights on the driveway and at the end of the driveway was a housing estate mainly with street lights. Not many drivers ever drive like they expect to meet horses, or cyclists or pedestrians for that matter, day or night, so no real difference there IMO. The only difference I can think of is that its extra important to make sure you are visible after dark but as people have said they take care to do this, I don't see the problem. :confused:
 
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It is dark with a handful of crappy old orange lights. :D There's dark and there's dark. If you can see where you are going, which you can on a clear night with no lights, then wearing lights its as safe as daylight. OK on an overcast night on a little lane with high hedges and overhanging trees you would probably have a problem. It depends really on where your yard is and what the roads and weather are like.
 
Flame_ said:
I will. I've seen the police hacking round where I used to live at around 10.30pm in total darkness except for street lights. Now no one would expect to see them but are they stupid for doing it?

I used to ride in the dark all the time but the yard I was at had a few little lights on the driveway and at the end of the driveway was a housing estate mainly with street lights. Not many drivers ever drive like they expect to meet horses, or cyclists or pedestrians for that matter, day or night, so no real difference there IMO. The only difference I can think of is that its extra important to make sure you are visible after dark but as people have said they take care to do this, I don't see the problem. :confused:
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Street lights give a whole new dimention to anyone in the dark, it isn't really dark if you're under street lights, surely?
I just believe it is an extremely dangerous gamble to put yourself and your horse between traffic on unlit lanes in the dark. You, of course, are entitled not to agree with me, but I would be extremely worried if you genuinely did not understand the "problem" I have with it, can you honestly not see why I think it is dangerous?
 
I used to ride in the dark, especially in the winter.
If you want to compete, have little money, and work full time you do what you have to do to compete.

I never went on road, I was lucky enough to be right on lots of bridleways and open fields. Was the best feeling ever, and my horse worked much better in the dark. I found he listened to me more.

The other thing I noticed, was how quiet and peaceful it was riding at night.

But I would not encourage anyone to so it!
 
Smug at nearly always for the last ten years had direct access to off road hacking :D
But hack in the dark, usually set off in the light but come home in the dark.
One reason I don't now.....bats! :eek:
 
Our riding area doesn't really consist of windy country lanes with high hedges, well, only a couple of very short distance on one particular ride, thats dangerous enough in the daylight, yes pitch black river path (unless full moon, then it's like daylight) housing estates and Bridleways, the post was about riding in the dark, "not where" in the dark.
 
Interesting discussion.

As a comp rider I used to *have to* ride a few times a week in the evenings but was lucky to have an indoor school ten minutes hack away where my trainer lived. BUT it was dark with few street lights and I never once rode it. I used to hi viz up, then get my trainer to come down in the car and escort us there with her hazards on and me leading and often my OH would come to then he would walk ahead of us with another set of lights.

Thinking about it, no reason I couldn't have ridden but it just struck me as better to lead. We did see cars and they def always saw us but I never liked it.

Then when I worked in South Africa we regularly used to come back from riding in the dark but that was prob more crazy as it was less cars we were worried about than lions!

AND I've also ridden in Mongolia and there everyone rides in the dark and the horses manage not to fall down holes etc etc.

If the issues is whether the horse can cope they absolutely can, if the danger is the traffic then it IS dangerous and its a risk that has to be weighed up on visibility and traffic behaviour. Locally to me it is mad to ride at rush hour as traffic simply behaves differently but the same routes two hours later are fine.

Have to weigh up each individual circumstance surely.

hmmmmm
 
elsielouise said:
Interesting discussion.

As a comp rider I used to *have to* ride a few times a week in the evenings but was lucky to have an indoor school ten minutes hack away where my trainer lived. BUT it was dark with few street lights and I never once rode it. I used to hi viz up, then get my trainer to come down in the car and escort us there with her hazards on and me leading and often my OH would come to then he would walk ahead of us with another set of lights.

Thinking about it, no reason I couldn't have ridden but it just struck me as better to lead. We did see cars and they def always saw us but I never liked it.

Then when I worked in South Africa we regularly used to come back from riding in the dark but that was prob more crazy as it was less cars we were worried about than lions!

AND I've also ridden in Mongolia and there everyone rides in the dark and the horses manage not to fall down holes etc etc.

If the issues is whether the horse can cope they absolutely can, if the danger is the traffic then it IS dangerous and its a risk that has to be weighed up on visibility and traffic behaviour. Locally to me it is mad to ride at rush hour as traffic simply behaves differently but the same routes two hours later are fine.

Have to weigh up each individual circumstance surely.

hmmmmm
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Sensible post.
 
I ride in the dark - otherwise I wouldn't ride Monday to Friday all winter, however I am lucky and we can hack round tracks on our yard - I don't go off the yard in the dark - but then we are in a very built up area.

Interestingly she is better behaved in the dark than she is in the daylight at the moment. Can do anything with her Mon to Fri but come the weekend she is like an unexploded time bomb and VERY spooky...

Quite a few people at my yard ride in the dark - If I am the only one riding I don't even bother to switch the school lights on!

T x
 
Riverboy said:
Interestingly she is better behaved in the dark than she is in the daylight at the moment. Can do anything with her Mon to Fri but come the weekend she is like an unexploded time bomb and VERY spooky...



T x
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This conjours up a lovely picture of classic 'horse logic' at work, as your mare goes out in daylight going 'bugger, didn't see that last night' every 30 seconds!
 
I work full time so have to leave home by 8.30 a.m every day. For at least 3 months of the winter, I leave the yard first thing in the morning and its still dark. I either go straight out the back of the yard and ride over the estate or I quickly trot over the road to the other side of the estate and ride there. All of my horses have been absolutely fine with riding in the dark except my youngster who I have now sold - he used to take advantage of it being extra scary and would spook and be stupid. It obviously does get lighter and we come home in daylight.

Some cubbing mornings it will be totally pitch black and I have to hack to the meet but will always ride over the farm to get there if I am not going in the trailer and you just have to get on with it.

If its very frosty or frozen and I have to do roadwork I will put on the hi viz coat and exercise sheet and wait until it is light enough to ride through the village. We have 2 raceyards in the village too and horses going up and down the road is not unusual - we just all make sure we are very visible. It is the main road that goes through the valley but its more like a b road and I always pull into driveways or gateways if traffic comes past.

A friend was driving past the other day and was about 1/3 mile away from me on the road and it was a very dull, dreary morning. She said I stood out amazingly and, as a result, is now wearing hi viz herself. She said she didn't realise the difference it makes wearing it until she had seen me.

I would not ride on the roads in the pitch black. It is not worth it at all - people driving do NOT expect horses to be on the road like they do in daylight and so are not prepared for them.
 
I have hacked to cubbing meets locally in the dark/sun just coming up and I know lots of others who do the same. Have also taken my horse out on our fields in the dark (though they are part of the yard so no need for riding on the roads). He can see where he is going better than me!
 
I used to do it when I was a kid at school and had to go out after dark. This would be in the 1970's and there wasn't the traffic around then. All I had was a little stirrup light, battery operated, and I'd saddle up after school and off we'd go.

Wouldn't do it now though, not with the lunatics there are on the road nowadays; unless you absolutely have to do it, or are caught out coming back late from hunting or whatever, anyone out there after dark is out of their tree IMO.

I would never, ever do it without at the very least a hi viz tabard, and that's pushing it.

Not worth doing IMO.
 
No, I never would. It's just too dangerous and too risky with the way dome people drive these days. I ride in the Indoor and Outdoor school with the floodlights on in the dark but would never go on a hack. Also, one of my boys is an Appy and they are prone to night blindness. I am not entirely convinced he has complete vision in the dark.
 
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