Hacking out - Hi Viz?

Wearing Hi Viz out hacknig

  • Total voters
    0
At the risk of adding fuel to the flames of yet another "why should I wear hi-viz if I don't want to" controversy on here; frankly I cannot understand what the big issue is about it.

It gives drivers an extra few seconds to see you and your horse - that should be the obvious issue surely? Plus IMO it shows that we as horse riders are serious about road safety.

I've been involved in an accident out riding where someone drove into the back of my old horse; luckily (miraculously) we were both OK. The driver was going up a hill behind us into bright sunshine and claims he "didn't see" us, and drove straight into the back of my poor old horse. God knows how he was OK, but even writing about it now seventeen years later, I still freeze at the awfulness of knowing that someone was coming up behind us fast, and the knowledge that we were going to be hit. I wasn't wearing hi viz at the time; maybe just maybe if I had been, the driver would have seen us in time, who knows...........

That's why I wear, and horse wears, hi viz now. It just isn't worth the risk of not being seen. I know only too well how lucky me and my horse were on this occasion. My old boy isn't with me anymore, poor old lad, he was in his retirement when it happened; and bless him, he never flinched at traffic at all after the incident, was the same steady old rock that he always was; I was a nervous wreck afterwards and it took me a long time to be confident out hacking again, but he looked after me like he always did. Horses are truly generous.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Do you or dont you wear it? I mean YOU, not just perhaps your horse for this poll :)

This comes from the 'where do you put your phone' thread & so many mention jodh pocket or bra, but not many mentioned a hi-viz pocket etc (perhaps their hi viz doesnt have it tho?)

Whether on road, off road or just round your farm tracks etc - do you put it on every time?

If not, why not? (no fights, but just asking) :)

I know emergency services say its easier to spot a fallen rider (sometimes they have missed a lone rider as too camoflaged).
Click to expand...

i wanted to click two options as i wear it hacking every time and only on the roads
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Do you or dont you wear it? I mean YOU, not just perhaps your horse for this poll :)

This comes from the 'where do you put your phone' thread & so many mention jodh pocket or bra, but not many mentioned a hi-viz pocket etc (perhaps their hi viz doesnt have it tho?)

Whether on road, off road or just round your farm tracks etc - do you put it on every time?

If not, why not? (no fights, but just asking) :)

I know emergency services say its easier to spot a fallen rider (sometimes they have missed a lone rider as too camoflaged).
Click to expand...
this video shows why I would always wear some sort of hi viz.

http://www.parsonsrump.co.uk/hi-viz-can-save-your-horse-or-your-life
 
spacefaer said:
Don't own any, don't wear it.

Not fighting, just saying. :-)
Click to expand...

I am a fan of Hi viz, so many times, early morning or when the sun is high, I drive past horses without Hi viz and I don't see them until I'm on top of them, I live in a rural area with tree lined narrow roads, my horses are not allowed to be ridden without both horses and riders Hi vized, even walking in hand we use Hi viz, better safe than sorry
 
flirtygerty said:
I am a fan of Hi viz, so many times, early morning or when the sun is high, I drive past horses without Hi viz and I don't see them until I'm on top of them, I live in a rural area with tree lined narrow roads, my horses are not allowed to be ridden without both horses and riders Hi vized, even walking in hand we use Hi viz, better safe than sorry
Click to expand...

fully agree
 
I wear it when I will be hacking on the road/crossing the road/in poor visibility conditions. I have a vest, and horse has a sheet - I also have a jacket for winter.

I don't see the point in wearing it off road if visibility is fine. I know some people have mentioned cyclists, but on the off road paths we use, cyclists share the route with walkers, joggers, children running round and babies in buggies as well as horses, so speed is never great. My horse is also bombproof with bikes/vehicles.

On the road though, even just crossing the road, I always wear at least one hi viz item. We often end up hacking in the fading light and even sometimes full dark, so I have a set of lights as well as full hi viz for those conditions, on and off the road.

I very much agree with better safe than sorry, but I do think disbelief at riders not wearing hi viz is a little ridiculous. Yes, it is a good idea and much safer - but with the number of road cyclists I pass who refuse to wear hi viz even in fading or poor light conditions, I don't think you can really say it is a minority who don't.
 
I have a hat band high vis gloves and a vest. Vest does have a pocket but its not v robust so phone goes in my jodhs pocket. For winter I have reflective lights on the right hand D rings so if we are out later than intended we can bee lit up. I am currently looking at hi vis numnahs too
 
I always wear high viz when hacking, roads are dangerous enough as it is without risking blending into the hedgerows. Nobody else on the yard does.

The Fuzzy Furry said:
This comes from the 'where do you put your phone' thread & so many mention jodh pocket or bra, but not many mentioned a hi-viz pocket etc (perhaps their hi viz doesnt have it tho?)
Click to expand...

My high viz doesn't have a pocket. It is a builders waistcoat and is more visable than many of the tabards marketed as riders as it covers a larger area.
 
I think the problem with this poll is on the whole, the people voting & replying are the ones who do wear hi-vis. The ones who don't just think we're boring on about it again :rolleyes3:

Like nearly everyone else on this thread, I cannot understand why you wouldn't wear it. Either on or off the road. I had a nasty accident a couple of years ago, and whilst I was fully conscious, I was lying down waiting for the rescue party to arrive, and they saw my hi-vis before they saw me. If I hadn't been conscious and been able to direct them to where I was, it could have taken an awfully long time for them to find me if I hadn't had my waistcoat on.

TFF I think we most likely have the same type of summer waistcoat - pink neon!
 
Originally I only always wore HI-viz on me but then realized how dumb that was as if I were to part company with my horse she wouldn't be seen - being dark bay certainly wouldn't help! So now we're both decked out every time whatever the weather / time of day / on off road etc. It makes no difference to me or the horse so can't see the problem in wearing it, each to their own but in my eyes it's not worth the risk not to. Even off road it is important so if needed be you could be easily found and also to aircraft.
 
I ride once a week but if we have to leave the yard i will put Hi-viz on, i couldn't find the owners hi-viz so went to poundland and grabbed some of the waistcoats and keep them in my car if i need them, heard to many horror stories and also ironically since i have learnt to drive (been driving for 3 years) i wear more then i used to as i see to many people without it on horses/bikes and it actually drives me insane!
 
JennBags said:
TFF I think we most likely have the same type of summer waistcoat - pink neon!
Click to expand...

Ew, no. Mine is an old fashioned yellow fluorescent workman's vest. My horse wears yellow as well. And if I didn't have yellow, I'd get orange!!

Also regarding not being found when coming off - when off road, we hack along an old railway line. There is no where to fall where you wouldn't be spotted fairly easily!

I've also found that the hi viz really scares some of the dogs we meet when off-road. Don't ask em why, but some of them really don't like people in hi viz. So if we're not going on the road, and the light conditions are fine, it actually can be safer not to wear it!!
 
I wear a hi vis jacket (the POLITE one with pockets so that's where my phone/keys go too), pony wears a hi viz orange sheet and on occasion leg wraps. Oh and I wear it wherever I hack, be it on the yard's hacking or off site.

I remember on an old yard, a group were heading out and one girl was debating whether to put hi viz on. One lady (who was old enough to know better!) told her not to worry, they were sticking to the XC ride, and it didn't matter anyway as her pony was grey.....*headdesk*
 
JennBags said:
I think the problem with this poll is on the whole, the people voting & replying are the ones who do wear hi-vis. The ones who don't just think we're boring on about it again :rolleyes3:

Like nearly everyone else on this thread, I cannot understand why you wouldn't wear it. Either on or off the road. I had a nasty accident a couple of years ago, and whilst I was fully conscious, I was lying down waiting for the rescue party to arrive, and they saw my hi-vis before they saw me. If I hadn't been conscious and been able to direct them to where I was, it could have taken an awfully long time for them to find me if I hadn't had my waistcoat on.

TFF I think we most likely have the same type of summer waistcoat - pink neon!
Click to expand...

I think you are right JennBags :)
 
Haven't read all the replies.

Nobody leaves my yard on one of my horses unless both they and the horse have some sort of hi-viz - minimum a tabard and exercise sheet. Yes I have had the p!55 taken out of me for it, but I'd rather that than ending up on the bonnet of a car.
 
We were hit by a car a few years ago, the car was speeding, the Police said that if we hadnt been wearing hi-vis, the driver could say he didnt see us and get away with it. But as we were wearing hi-vis he had no excuse, and got done for dangerous driving.
 
Yes, always. I know myself as a driver what a difference it makes - hi viz catches my eye I would say up to half a mile away in all kinds of light conditions.

I prefer a yellow/orange combination - so I usually have a tabard (no pockets sadly) or in winter a gilet, and a hat band, horse wears yellow leg wraps and an orange "bib". At the moment - although I loathe pink with a deadly loathing - I am wearing a pink jacket because it seems to show up better in the funny patchy sunlight/shade conditions. So we embody the true Bertie Basset look combining yellow, orange and pink :D

ETA - I usually have some hiviz in the car, and I often want to stop and throw a spare vest out the window at a runner, rider or cyclist dressed from head to foot in black in fading light conditions...
 
Last edited:
since having my youngster I always wear it! and think I always will, I hardly ever wore it when I used to ride my mare! but now I just feel it makes people more cautious and I don't want my insurance to be invalid
 
Always if we're heading onto the roads. Gilet for me, rug and boot straps for him. We're straight onto a busy B road and at the end of that is a major A road so it'd be madness to go out without it.

I must admit that I don't bother if we're just hacking around the farm and up and down the short stretch of bridleway at one end of it though. Not sure why! Perhaps I assume hi viz is only for roadwork?

Ps - Aldi is GREAT for hi viz stuff with pockets! I have their winter reversible hi viz gilet (zippable pockets on one side, slip pockets on the other) and one of the lightweight runners ones for summer (zippable pockets).
 
We have direct off road hacking, but I always wear high viz.

As a minimum, I have a hat band & tabard/gilet on me.

In the winter, I wear a high viz coat & a pair of black gloves with pink high viz bits on.

My horse as a minimum wears leg wraps & a neck band which attached to the girth, but he does also have a high viz numnah (if I plan to hack, he'll wear it always - but if don't use it in the school) & a bridle with a high viz nose band and rein slips (again, I don't use this bridle in the school).

I don't see the point in not wearing it.
 
Always wear it if you cannot be seen by road users and others you can be charged with causing an accident and if that is a fatal accident even worse.
 
All the time, me and the horse.

Used to wear a vest over my back protector, but now wear it under my air jacket, which I guess kind of defeats the object a little, but I don't want to risk impeding the air jacket going off if needed.

C
 
Always. I'm a cyclist, runner and rider as well as a motorist. When driving, I am always on extra lookout for horses, cyclists, runners, etc. I know it's people's rights but I can't help getting annoyed at the ninjas all in black. Roads are busier these days, and it just makes sense to help each other by being easier to spot.
 
The traditional fluorescent yellow Hi viz is now a thing of the past in many industries ,as it has been found to make the wearer LESS visible in certain circumstances . Red and yellow is the way forward folks. And DONT WASH your hi viz ,it looses its ability to fluoresce. If it becomes too grubby , bin it and buy a new one . I almost hit a horse a while back, rider wearing high viz turned across the path of my car in the dusk , The only thing I saw was the silver strip on the high viz , My car headlights had no effect on the rest of the jacket because it had been washed a number of times.
 
lottiepony said:
Originally I only always wore HI-viz on me but then realized how dumb that was as if I were to part company with my horse she wouldn't be seen - being dark bay certainly wouldn't help! So now we're both decked out every time whatever the weather / time of day / on off road etc. It makes no difference to me or the horse so can't see the problem in wearing it, each to their own but in my eyes it's not worth the risk not to. Even off road it is important so if needed be you could be easily found and also to aircraft.
Click to expand...

This. My horse wears a mesh quarter sheet, and it saved him when we got parted last year and someone saw his hi viz flying along the road before he saw the horse.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top