Friend and horse knocked down whilst hacking

:( sooooooo sad.
I would be getting the press and local news to do a piece if the owners are up to it. At least it will make local drivers aware.

Again so sorry sending HUGS xx
 
I am so very sorry to hear this. :(

I'd do what ever you and your friend can to help prevent drivers in your area doing this again, I hope your sucessful in doing so too.

RIP horse x
 
So sorry to hear this, my thoughts are with the girl and her family.

Regarding a campaign I would suggest the following:

First report the matter on the official BHS Form
Ask the BHS for any literature/posters/help they can offer for you to do something locally
Write to your local council and the individual councillors
Write to your local MP (and ones for neighbouring areas) and your MEP
Write to the local press, not just the paper but your local lifestyle magazines too
Contact the local tv and radio news programes too.
Contact groups like the CTC and the Ramblers and see whether they would be interested in a co-ordinated campaign
Get the help of as many other horsey folk in the area so put notices in tack shops, livery yards, livery yards etc. Get them all to join in with letter writing etc.

I'd consider whether it was simple lack of awareness of vulnerable road users that caused this accident or whether there is something that could be changed with the road layout before you start your campaign as you may wish to include a request for the junction to be changed or something too.
 
:( :(

How awful for all involved.
This is the email I sent to the DfT's Think! Road Safety people a while ago

As a horse rider who has been involved in a road accident, I thought I would have a look to see what campaigns are coming out to make drivers more aware of horses on the roads I have to say I am DISGUSTED!!! What do we as horse riders have to do to be able to educate the other road users on the hazards of driving like a complete imbecile around horses?

I feel very frustrated and feel that there is so much protection for motorcyclists and cyclists, but what about us!! We do everything we can, we wear hi-viz, we thank drivers that are considerate when they pass us and most of us even do the BHS Riding & Road Safety Test. Personally I think that people should be educated about what to do when passing a horse and rider more than a cyclist or motorcyclist as a horse is a live animal and far more unpredictable.

A driver that acts inconsiderately or one who does not know how to drive past a horse could end up killing not just the rider, but the horse and themselves. I am a 25 year old female and I can honestly say that there are times when I am terrified of riding on the roads, I am lucky to have a sensible horse that looks after me and I wish I could say the same for some of my friends but I cant.

Are there any plans to EVER have a marketing push for horse riders or are we forever going to be worried for our lives on the roads? I also feel the need to point out that it is not just adults that ride on the roads, but children on ponies too.
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and this is the response I got.

Thank you very much for your email. I am sorry that you have been involved in a road accident whilst out riding your horse and you are now worried when you go out.

We do promote safer driving around horses. I don’t have the latest television transmissions to hand but in the 18 months from April 2009 our Driving around Horses television filler had over 13,500 transmissions in Britain on terrestrial and digital television stations. These television fillers were produced in conjunction with the British Horse Society and were supplied to all television stations, who play them free of charge to the DfT.

We also have a Driving around Horses leaflet and poster, which can be ordered free of charge by road safety officers, the police and other interested organisations.

It is true that we don’t run paid-for advertising for this campaign. As our budget is not large we have to focus on areas where deaths and injuries are highest, like motorcycling where there were over 6,000 deaths and serious injuries in 2008, speeding, drink driving and child road safety (2,807 children aged 0-15 were killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads in 2008.

I hope you understand that we would like to run campaigns around other road safety topics, but we don’t have the resources.

With kind regards,

Glyn
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So basically until we start dropping from our horses like flies and into the paths of these idiots, there is little to no chance of anything being done.

There is a link to a useful leaflet here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/think_media/241024/241111/horsesense01.pdf that we could print out and distribute?

Sorry for going off on one, it just drives me mad. I was out hacking last night and I lost count of the amount of morons who came flying up our bums, it is so scary.
 
They may have put out 13,500 transmissions but the only time I have ever seen one is during very early hours of the morning when most people are in bed!
 
I am so sorry to hear this, another horrible incident! Poor little girl must be devastated!

Ditto the others, BHS and publicity are a good way to go. There is also a Facebook group Kill Your Speed Not My Horse: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=11747929119

There was a post a while ago about trying to get people organised to distribute leaflets and posters but I am not sure anything came of it.
 
nikkinoo said:
My friends daughter was out riding yesterday and got hit by a car as she was on a mini roundabout, the car knocked them both to the ground,

She was very lucky and got away without any serious injuries, But unfortnatly I can not say the same for the poor horse, she suffered a broken hind leg, and had to be put down at the roadside,

There were witneses and said it was the drivers fault (he has been done for it)
I got there just after it happened it was awful to see and waiting for the vet seemed to take forever.

She was an amazing horse won so much at showjumping and was a cross country machine RIP poor pony xxx

I am soooo anoyed as the drivers around that area are idiots and will rev their engines beep their horns and basically are so impatient its unbelieveable (saying that they are like this every where)

I just want to know has anybody run a campaign or something to create awareness of horses on roads and who to contact like council or BHS etc?

I want to do something so that this death is not in vain......
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Carmarthenshire Riders in conjunction with Parc Howard Pony Club are running a "Think Horse" Awareness Ride from Parc Howard Pony Club in Cwm Gors on Sunday 23rd May at 11am. We have leaflets from BHS to hand out and are raising awareness of how many horses there are in the area and that we have to ride on the roads as we have no local bridleways.
We are riding a 10km marked route. We have the Community Council attending and the Chairman of the BHS Regional Committee with Kevin Madge the Exec Board Member supporting the ride.
If anyone wants to attend on foot or on horse please contact Emma on 07747611274 to ensure we have parking for you. Riders have to be a member of the Carmarthenshire Riders Group (£5) but the ride is free. All riders in reflectives and sent out in groups of 4. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. The first part of the ride is on the A474 Cwmgors to Garnant so horses must be safe in traffic. If your horse is not safe please come on foot as all support is wanted. The South Wales Guardian photographer will be attending.
It is accidents like this one that we want to prevent by raising awareness of horses on our roads. I would suggest you run such an event in your area.
 
I would guess you're like a lot of us and have to ride on the roads coz there's nowhere else to go; you could try getting some riders together in your area and petitioning for some off-road riding? My neighbour and I are trying to get some tracks etc opened up in my area and the more people you have on board, the better.

Perhaps get in touch with the Police Road Safety Officer and give them the perspective of a victim of an RTA involving a horse; often they go into schools/colleges etc to give talks and perhaps they need reminding of the awfulness of having a horse involved in an accident like this.

What an awful thing, everybody's worse nightmare; condolences to all concerned.
 
How awful! Poor girl and poor pony!! :( I am so sorry to read this.

Maybe it's me, but folks seem to be a such a foul mood these days that I rarely get through a hack without someone shaking their fist at me or swearing. I always try to thank every driver but it seems that there's something about seeing a horse on the road that makes people behave like prats.
 
As regards a local campaign this has been covered above and you will get as much out of it as you put effort in to it.

I would also strongly advise anyone that rides on the road to always wear Hi-Viz on both them and their horses and to wear a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that motorists can see you hand signals clearly. Also take your BHS Road safety course and exam as this will provide you with a number of new skills for when you ride on the road.

Finally creating new local off road tracks and especially an integrated network of tracks will make local riding very much safer for you. Again this takes time and effort but a lot can be achieved. Your local BHS bridleway/access officer will be only to pleased to assist you. If you need details of your local BHS bridleway officer either pm me with the county you are in or contact the BHS H.Q Access Department.
 
adding onto what neilm said, we also did a pertition and put them in tac shops, petrol stations and garden centres around the area and got a huge amount of support, the speed limit where the accident happened was 40 so they put up a flashing 30 sign and there were no horse warning signs in a heavily horse populated area! i contacted our local mp at the time to. when we did the walk we all wore high viz which was the most important thing and bought merchandise off kill your speed not my horse who do tabbards that were really good, i set up a group on facebook at the time to get people in on it!. if you can get local support youl be well away!!
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=130676729868&ref=ts
 
Dear Poster,
Im very sorry to hear of your friends accident.
To be able to get the most out of horse riding you want to be sure that every precaution has been taken to make it as safe and enjoyable as possible. The BHS Safety Department offers help and guidance in all areas of equestrian safety, from hacking out on the roads to setting standards for clothing.

What are we doing for you?
• Offering an advisory service on health and safety matters in the equine industry.

• Advising and guiding on personal protective equipment for you, and safety equipment for your horse.

• Helping to make you and your horse safer on today’s busy roads.

• Campaigning for the safety of horse and rider on roads at national level and through the training industry for motorists and professional drivers.

• Providing free publications on aspects of Health & Safety and Riding and Road Safety.

• Advising on the purchase and fitting of safety equipment from hats to body protectors and rider footwear.

• Campaigning with other national organisations for safer riding, particularly on the roads.

• Working with Government departments to raise awareness for safer riding for all.

• Monitoring accidents on the roads, attacks on horses by dogs, problems with fireworks and slippery road surfacing, through completion of our online BHS Report Forms.

• Working with the Department for Transport on the official Highway Code in the relation to horses on the highway.

• Working with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on issues relating to low flying helicopters and fast jets.

• Providing information regarding horse trailers, towing, driver licensing laws and HGVs.

• Fluorescent/reflective clothing (hi-viz). Working with manufacturers and others to promote effective use.

How you can help

Our work relies on your support. We can only campaign on your behalf when we have sufficient information to carry forward our concerns to those in authority. If you experience a problem help us to help you by completing the relevant incident form which in this instance would be-

http://www.bhs.org.uk/Riding/Riding...ly/Road Safety/Road Accident report form.ashx

Please encourage any other people you know who have suffered a road accident involving a horse to do the same.
We also have a wide range of information available in leaflet / poster form for drivers and riders available for free if you cantact us on 01926 707823 or via email h.pinner@bhs.safety.uk
 
Can't really offer further advice, but just wanted to add how sorry I was to read this. I've noticed a deterioration of road manners in general over recent years. People don't have patience for anyone or anything, now. Not just horses. I guess it's another product of a convenience nation. :(
 
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