Hi-Viz is optional - but so is common sense, apparently !

[trundle]

If your horse was black, and the world outside was dank and gloomy and full of swirling, freezing, patchy fog, and you had to ride along a very fast road with bad driver visibility ....wouldn't you wear even the tiniest bit of hi-viz? You know, just to give yourself half a chance of being seen ? Especially if your horse wasn't over-keen on traffic and kept veering out into the road?

That was today's public service announcement on behalf of Cazza and Trundle. if you hack out through Stoke Hammond, on a large black horse that isn't keen on traffic, PLEASE think about getting some hi-viz.

 

[miller]

It amazes me too - my horse is black and I won't ride out at any time without hi viz but I passed someone a few weeks ago on a black cob with a bike behind in the dark with no hi viz or bike lights

 

[wormhugs]

Some people are mad!
I have a black horse, who is v good in traffic and we wear:
Him: Hi-Viz noseband and 4 legbands
Me: Tabard, hat band and flashing arm band
And, I'm getting a neckband for him from Santa.
I would rather be seen than squashed. A car actually stopped me as we were riding along the other day to complement us on how visible we were and what a nice change it was!

 

[fairhill]

What a crazy rider

Even with a tabard and lights I was very nearly run over by my mum

So I got a neckband, and even more hi-viz

Brown/black horses do disappear into the background - I often can't see my girl in the field, but Chloe, with her white face and legs, is visible

 

[Tanta]

I know - I hack out in the flashing tabard, and its amazing how that and a flourescent quarter sheet back the traffic off. Interesting, we live near a top team event rider - and I see that this year she and her groom are also hacking out in hi-viz. It just isnt worth the risk not to...

on a similar subject, on the motorway today, I saw - just - a motorbike rider dressed in black on a black bike, no hi viz at all - and I can promise you he was virtually invisible coming up behind me. V silly!!!!

 

[sunflower]

It's crazy. I was coming home from a riding lesson a few weeks ago at 4pm and we passed 2 riders heading back to the riding school. Even with high-viz stuff on we didn't see them straight away - just the cars queued up behind them.

 

[Merlotmonster]

I always wear a tabard and quarter sheet in this weather. It gives the drivers just a few more seconds to see you and thats all it takes.

 

[meandmyself]

There's an idiot who rides a bike around here dressed in black in the dark. I've almost hit him a few times now. It's madness.

I wonder who would be to blame? The driver or the idiot though?

 

[amandathepanda]

Even out hacking opn my friends grey I will wear my 'police horse' jacket this time of year - crazy not too! And that is in daylight too!

 

[Muffin61]

The same problems face us who cycle in the dark. I use a cycle path as part of my commute to and from the train station which is very dark both in the morning and in the afternoon at this time of year. I have had a number of close calls recently where I have almost run into other cyclists coming in the opposite direction because they do not have lights and wear dark clothing. Some pedestrians are the same in that they walk along unlit roads in dark clothes, it beggars belief.

 

[custard]

I think I'd stick someone before a court for this TBH, a danger to other road users and sheer stupidity, colour of the horse is neither here no there when you get collected on someone's bonnet. Grrrrrrr!

 

[RunToEarth]

No, I wouldn't, I would take one look at the weather and I would ride in the arena, or the field,or the tracks, or I wouldn't ride at all, because my horses mean a great deal to me, and there arn't many people, on their way home from work in the semi darkness that would be too fussed on looking for hazards in the road and slowing down for them.

 

[dwi]

tbh with the fog the way it was here you'd have been an idiot to leave the yard, no matter how much hi viz you had on

 

[Pedantic]

We have a pillock near us who rides with no hat on a dark horse in dark clothes in dark weather with no viz gear at all, AND uses a mobile with slack reins ON the road, I cant bring myself to speak to her as I hate to see it

 

[Daphnelia]

[ QUOTE ]
No, I wouldn't, I would take one look at the weather and I would ride in the arena, or the field,or the tracks, or I wouldn't ride at all, because my horses mean a great deal to me, and there arn't many people, on their way home from work in the semi darkness that would be too fussed on looking for hazards in the road and slowing down for them.

[/ QUOTE ]

ditto.
I get the piss taken out of me for all my fluorescent gear, but I wouldnt go out without it on a clear day, let alone a foggy one. We have a rug, leg bands, hat band and flashing tabbard, and I've had comments from drivers on how well they can see me which was nice

 

[dwi]

[ QUOTE ]
We have a pillock near us who rides with no hat on a dark horse in dark clothes in dark weather with no viz gear at all, AND uses a mobile with slack reins ON the road, I cant bring myself to speak to her as I hate to see it

[/ QUOTE ]

wonder if you're near me. We have one of those as well, I once passed her riding down the village main street at 10pm with no hat on...

 

[Happy2Hack]

I always wear hi-viz no matter what time of day or what colour horse I'm riding. I too have had people stop and comment on how much better they can see me

 

[Taboo1968]

Not guilty!!! Wasn't me!!! I went out yesterday looking like a prize lemon, quarter sheet and tabard and I think the articulated lorry we met on a rather quiet country lane was rather pleased he could see me!!!

 

[Reashi]

I didn't hack out on the roads today as I thought it was just too foggy and unfair on other road users if I did venture out. I always wear hi-viz.

 

[Coffee_Bean]

This is why I love off road hacking round me

But I always wear a hat band, and usually a tabard for bringing in in the evening, and wear a neckband and/or exercise sheet is going on the road for any length of time.

 

[RachelB]

Ditto what Rosiie said.
I have a grey horse, and ride another grey and a black and white coloured, and I always wear at least a tabard. I am always home well before it even thinks about going dark. I'd rather not ride than risk my horse!
I was meant to be hacking at 9.30am this morning but decided against it because of all the ice. Not only is Berlin not my horse to break, but I wouldn't want to risk any horse in those conditions! I skipped the field and pottered about and when I left at 10.30am I came round a slippery corner (crawling along) and nearly went into the back of two P2Pers trotting (hammering) along the road, two abreast, both dark bays, both riders wearing navy coats, both horses with navy sheets on. Neither acknowledged me and they didn't go single file either, it was a twisty road so I couldn't have passed them anyway but nor could have someone else coming the other way - and definately not anyone skidding on the ice. So I definately agree with the OP that common sense is in short supply at the moment!

 

[YorksG]

Always wear Hi-Viz tabbard, with lights and horse always has four hi-viz leg bands, we met a complet prat on Sunday evening, SITTING on a skate board on a dark hill in black jeans and a black hoody! We very very nearly ran over him.

 

[Cop-Pop]

I always have a tabbard and an exercise sheet. I'm looking for some decent boots too - we had some but the velcro wasn't very good.