Following on from riding in the dark post!!!

Another cruel owner here
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Take no notice of the other post
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Apparently it's very dangerous riding on the roads in the dark as cars might not see you, despite being draped in hi-viz, and flashing lights a go-go, and so every time you venture off the yard you are risking your horse's life
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I couldn't be arsed to reply to the other thread, but I do feel safer on our roads at night! I can see the lights, before they see me, so I get out of their way!
I don't trust ANY driver to stop or slow down so I just get myself into a position where they can see me and if they choose to slow down then fine.

I feel more 'at risk' riding on our lane in the daytime.

Each to their own I spose.
 
For those that ride out at dusk or night I have just been sent details of the 'GS Glowsafe Equestrian' Tabard which lights up at both the front and rear. Check out www.glowsafe.com (and no this is not advertising as I have nothing to do with them). Their contact details are Glowsafe Ltd The Old Vicarage Glastonbury Somerset BA6 8BY Tel: 0870 1998524 Email enquiries@glowsafe.com
 
Well, as a driver I wouldn't be impressed coming across a horse on a busy road in the dark and as a horse rider I'd never take my horse out on the roads in the dark, no matter how much High-viz I had on. That said, I'm entitled to my opinion and you're all entitled to yours - I'm also entitled to think you're all bonkers!
 
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Well, as a driver I wouldn't be impressed coming across a horse on a busy road in the dark and as a horse rider I'd never take my horse out on the roads in the dark, no matter how much High-viz I had on. That said, I'm entitled to my opinion and you're all entitled to yours - I'm also entitled to think you're all bonkers!

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Finally, someone that agrees with me!
 
i have a back road from mine that only leads to a boat yard, busy in summer, so occasionally i ride in the dark with hi vis stuff all over

but.....

i rode lastnight in the field with one light, turns out he goes alot better like that, thinking of getting him sunglasses so he thinks its dark all the time hee hee
 
In the daylight I can see if there's something at the side of the road which my horse mught spook at. I can adjust my riding correspondingly - especially if there's a car coming, I might wait till it's gone past so horse doesn't jump on bonnet. How do you overcome this if it's dark.
Also I am able to see any potential hazards, potholes etc. and ensure the horse either avoids them or has some warning about them.
Just curious as I'm sure people have ridden in the dark over the ages and I would imagine it requires a high degree of trust on behalf of the horse. How do you deal with potential hazards, and are you hacking in the dark because you like to (not being able to enjoy the sceneray and all that??) or because you have to.
 
I do think there's probably some misunderstandings about the road conditions people are riding out on.

Personally I go round what is mostly a well lit-up housing estate, the busy road I ride on has lots of street lighting, and the traffic is hardly ever travelling above 30.

The only unlit road I use in the dark is the one that our yard opens out onto, and it has a designated horse/cycle track, single file traffic, with calming measures in place to make sure the cars don't speed.

The area I ride is also well known as a horsey route, and is part of the TP trail, and so car drivers are aware there may be horses on the road.

I don't see that riding out at night in these conditions makes me bonkers
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If I didn't ride in the dark in winter, I wouldn't get to ride my horse at all during the week and therefore wouldn't be able to compete during the winter and might as well sell my horses. I do go out looking like a christmas tree and only ride on well lit but quiet roads. I know I can be seen for at least half a mile away which is more than most riders acheive during daylight.....
 
I ride in the dark because I have to (it is dark when I finish work) and because I want to. I do not want to be riding in a school until next April. Also, Mac has dodgy legs and is unable to do school work everyday.
 
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Just curious as I'm sure people have ridden in the dark over the ages and I would imagine it requires a high degree of trust on behalf of the horse. How do you deal with potential hazards, and are you hacking in the dark because you like to (not being able to enjoy the sceneray and all that??) or because you have to.

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I started off because I had to if I wanted to ride through the week, as the yard I was on had no floodlights in the school, and was more dangerous.

I'm now on a yard with full flood-lights, and huge school, but hack out in the dark once a week, normally when the school is busy with jumping lessons. I like hacking out in the week as it is more relaxing than schooling after a hard day at work.

Horses have got good night vision (otherwise they'd be bumping into things in the field at night!), so they are able to see just as well, and I might be a freak, but I can also see well enough in the dark to spot anything that Meg might not like.
As I've said in my post above, most of my night rides are in well-lit areas anyway
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I ride in the dark because I have to (it is dark when I finish work) and because I want to. I do not want to be riding in a school until next April. Also, Mac has dodgy legs and is unable to do school work everyday.

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Me too! I ride in a well lit area and its a horsey are so everyone knows that there is going to be horses around all the time! Its not like you cannot see where you are going is it really!!! so what so bonkers about it! More and more horsey riders not riding on the roads in the dark stop traffic ever coming across with and having to deal with the situation! I personally am not happy also that you all think that i do not value my horses life! I would never do anmything to hurt or get him into trouble and like i said before I would ride in the dark at all if i didnt trust my horse! No tosh about it!
 
I ride in the dark sometimes (not that often because I'm scared of the dark!). I go round the fields, covered in hi-viz and I don't think I'm putting my horses life at risk! I don't go on the roads, they're country roads - cars going at 60, completely dark, hilly and bendy - not a good idea.
 
Totally agree with Fairhill. It isn't pitch black when I ride. After a short stretch of roadwork, I am in Epping Forest with miles of riding and I can see pretty well.
 
I have to ride in the dark before work otherwise my horses don't get exercised. I have one road to cross, if I want to go that way, otherwise I have 2,800 acres of estate to ride across. I always leave a note saying where I've gone, take my phone and just get on with it. I find I'm only riding in the dark for 20 mins or so and you just adjust to the gloomy light.

I am usually terrified of the dark which always results in me running from the yard to the house but when I'm on my horse and my dog is alongside I am not scared at all. Wierd!!
 
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I am usually terrified of the dark which always results in me running from the yard to the house but when I'm on my horse and my dog is alongside I am not scared at all. Wierd!!

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I think its worse with the dogs - when they start barking and growling at nothing, thats enough to scare me witless
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. Same with the horse, when he seems to see things that I can't *shudders*
 
I presume that you aren't referring to me, since I didn't make any comments about whether you value your horses life.

There are plenty of situations where I could see riding in the dark as being valid, though I would either want to be off road or, on brightly lit housing estate type streets myself.
I am curious though about what you do with the type of hazards I've mentioned in my post.
 
At my old yard we had to go up and down a very old, stony track (stream in winter!) to get anywhere.
It was very overgrown, and used to freak me out sometimes coming back down it in the pitch black! I got caught up in the brambles and whacked in the head by hawthorn branches quite often
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I much prefer going straight onto the road at night
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No not you personally not personally im just annoyed from yesterdays post about how i was told twice or maybe more that i dont value my horses life (not exact words but more or less) If i approach something i know my horse wont like i would pull to one side and wait for the traffic to go past as i say its not a busy road anyway and take a wide berth around it! He is not stupid but if hes unsure or something giving him chance to look at things or taking it wide helps him to get over it!
 
I can see hazards at the side of the road, the road is well lit. TBF, things that Dolly might spook at one day, she'll not take a blind bit of notice of the next. As I said, although it is dark in the forest, I can still see. Some nights are darker than others, and some tracks are darker than others depending on the density of the trees. On nights with a great moon and good visibilty, I will have lots of trots and maybe even a canter. On darker nights, we stick to walking. You have to bear in mind that the tracks through the forest are very well ridden by us, to the point that I sometimes think we could do it with our eyes shut!
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I wouldn't ride my horse on the road in the dark but the drivers round here are nutters even in daylight...But I dont know what your roads are like.

I will ride my horse without a hat...You may not
 
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I wouldn't ride my horse on the road in the dark but the drivers round here are nutters even in daylight...But I dont know what your roads are like.

I will ride my horse without a hat...You may not

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Exactly what I said yesterday. I think riding without a hat is just as stupid as me riding in the dark!
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I dont ride out on the road in the dark, I'm lucky enough to have miles upon miles of open common land to ride on. But I have to say my normally very spooky mare is a lot less spooky when riding in the dark. I think its basically cos she cant see scary looking gorse bushes or bits of bracken. I do wear one of those lamps on my ridin hat, so that I can see a bit in front of me, so maybe that helps her eyes keep forward
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And I would trust her 100% to find her way home, which has proved useful sometimes when the fog has come down on our mountain and I havent a clue where I am
 
When I worked full time a friend and I used to exercise our horses at 5.30 am. I didn't like it but had no choice throughout the winter and there was virtually no traffic at that time in the morning. I think if you deck yourself and your horse up like a christmas tree and choose your route carefully (ie residential lit roads) it is probably not significantly more dangerous than riding in daylight. You would probably be more visible. TI think the trouble is a lot of people ride early evening in the dark, when there is a lot of traffic and people just wanting to get home, when possibly they are not as observant as they could be. I understand the difficulty of working full time and having to exercise your horse and I'm sure nobody would do it if they could avoid it. Unfortunately every time we set foot on the roads with our horses it has to be a calculated risk. Hooray for floodlit schools!!
 
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