Hi Viz Wear - To Wear or Not To Wear - Hackers

I used to hate that my mum made me wear them but just did ride and road safety and saw gross pictures in the front of squished horses and I was shocked. I would HATE its if something like that was to happen to any of my horses!
People who chose to not wear a hat, its only them that are effected and obv family upset by accident. But when on roads, you are putting yourself, your horse (in my opinion mosyt important :P) and the car driver in danger.
therefore, i think its selfish not to wear it. We put boots and other protective equipment on to keep our horses safe, what makes this any different?
Im 19 years (nearly 20 :O ) and wear a high vis tabard, sometimes pink breastplate, and always hi vis wraps round the horses legs.
 
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applecart14 said:
Depends how much you cherish/respect yourself and your horse. Hi viz has been proven to give car drivers an extra three seconds of thinking and braking which when equated into yards can be several yards depending on speed. This is the difference between life and death in some instances. I am surprised that its not made mandatory and enforceable by the government in the same way that seatbelts are to car drivers.
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Ditto this, would never go out without it :)
 
We are not allowed off the yard without hi-viz vest on as a minimum. We are on quiet country roads and mainly only do about 1mile until its bridle paths but that is YO policy and i am happy with it. I generally will have reflective rug on in winter aswell and a mrtingale and in very dull days i will wear leg wraps. I would prefer to look like a xmas tree than be left in a hedge after my horse dumps me cos no-one can see me!!
 
When my sister and I were younger, my mum would make us wear high-viz tabards and hatbands. And we had exercise sheets for when it was dreary or dark. We hated wearing it with a passion and always complained bitterly, even though we knew that we ought to. However, she made us- we weren't allowed off the yard without it. And now, it's second nature to us- as much as putting on a hat is.

To me, fashion isn't important. Fashion is for when you're off your horse! When on top, I'd rather look like a Christmas tree and feel safe than look 'cool'. And when you fall off out in the open countryside, the high-viz means you're easily spotted.
 
Noodlejaffa said:
Wonder how many of us who wear hi-viz have done our Riding & Road Safety test? I certainly thought very differently after I'd done it, and I'd been driving for 15 years!
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I did my PC one! Does that count? Admittedly, everyone on the training day turned out with their high-viz stuff, and it was a real "whose is the coolest" thing, where things with funny slogans and nifty pockets were deemed "awesome"... Maybe janey's daughter is the uncool one for not wearing the stuff, according to my PC branch!
 
Not read all the answers, but:

I wear it to protect my horse as much as I can (never mind me and my family, etc.);

and,

I wear it so as I can be found if necessary. The Air Ambulance thanked me for wearing High Viz as they spotted me easily, saving time and money. The A&E staff thanked me for wearing it as I was with them sooner (being spotted quicker, etc.), making their job easier, which as their job was to patch me up, I was rather keen on it.


Given the chance, I would make it law to have to wear high viz.
 
I haven't read the entire thread but I always hack out in hi-viz regardless of what type of hack I am doing. I don't look OTT but I have leg bands for pony, tabard for me and an excercise sheet if its chilly. I saw a horse vs car accident as a child and it still haunts me to this day. At a minimum I wear a tabard at all times.

One thing to be aware of - my insurance polisy has a hi-viz clause in it somewhere so worth reading the small print FWIW if you currently don't wear anything.
 
I wear always, but then again, most of my horses work is roadwork (no school). Reflective waistcoat and exercise sheet at all times.

And yes, I have my riding and Road safety, and many moons ago got to the finals of the Audi RRS comp at Blenheim 3DE, 2 years in a row :)
 
Leg_end said:
One thing to be aware of - my insurance polisy has a hi-viz clause in it somewhere so worth reading the small print FWIW if you currently don't wear anything.
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Very good point - was there not a court case a couple of years ago re a driver accusing a rider of their horse damaging their car, but driver was going too fast (or something) and horse freaked out. Because the rider/horse was wearing hi-viz clothing, the case swung in the favour of the rider as they had taken precautions to be as visible as possible.
 
I have done my Riding and Road safety test, anyone who wanted to hack out without member of staff had to pass the test (I was at boarding school). However by the time I left only 6th formers were allowed to hack as we had cattle grids at all entrances to the school, sadly one day a horse bolted on a hack and fell through the cattle grid and was PTS.

As for insurance I too heard that some insurers will only cover you if you wore a certain amount of Hi-viz.

If you are hacking on private land and never go near a road then it is an entirely different situation to someone who has to hack on or across a road.

To be seen clearer on the road all you need are some simple leg bands on the horse, a reflective breastplate and something on the rider. At my previous yard only two of us wore Hi-viz and we both went to the same school! Saying that the boys never rode in a hat unless competing or on a very naughty horse. Their mother did comment what a difference it made to her spotting a rider when I hacked out.
 
Lolo said:
Admittedly, everyone on the training day turned out with their high-viz stuff, and it was a real "whose is the coolest" thing, where things with funny slogans and nifty pockets were deemed "awesome"... Maybe janey's daughter is the uncool one for not wearing the stuff, according to my PC branch!
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Similar thing happened at my daughter's PC Road Safety training and test! The funny thing is, Janey has posted a photo of her daughter riding in bright pink and purple clothing and accessories, and the whole family seems to be into 'matchy matchy', so you would think they would love the chance to dress up like this:

highvis.jpg


:D :D :D
 
Interesting about the insurers? Which ones do have this clause?

I examined a PC R&RS test last year. You could barely see some of the ponies for it all! lol!
 
janey said:
So is it the younger riders (kids, teens) wearing the whole lot, bandages numnah etc and the adults wearing just a Hi-Viz top for instance?

What age group are you too? Is it because I'm older that I don't want to wear one (if I hacked out) is it a younger generation thing to wear?
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I have strips off side horses legs, strips round the reins/neck and a tail strip and knee boots on always. I have a jacket on and am contemplating buying a strip for my hat as we have high hedges by us, so cars would be able to see me if I was riding around a bend for instance.

Janey I am not sure why you thik wearing hi viz is to do with age. without sounding disrespectful it is more to do with the amount of brain cells one has in my humble opinion. If it helps though, I am 40. Old enough to know and wise enough to not give a c**p what people think.
 
I used to absolutely hate the stuff, and would avoid it at all costs, but since learning to drive, I've realised how hard it can be to see a dark horse/rider combination on the country lanes around where I live, so have started wearing it. I could never forgive myself if my horse got injured by a car, and there was something that I could've done to prevent it!
 
Always something on me, always something on the horse. It's selfish to go on the roads and not take precautions to keep your horse and other road users safe. Might aswell wear it for off road rides aswell.
 
janey, it sounds like a really self aware yard you are on. to be honest when i see peoplee who actually look fashionable on horses i tend to assume THEY are the novicey ones. any serious riders i know just slob around on horses.

i hate the attitude of people scoffing and thinking its novicey to be very safety aware. i never wore a hat leading but recently a few months ago my horse, out of the blue, reared and his hooves landed on my head full blast, i dont know how i wasn't killed. now il wear a hat more often for walking and lunging if i think there might be an issue.

i couldnt give a toss if anyone else has an opinion about it or thinks im being too precious, i would class people like that in the same category as boy racers who dont wear seatbelts cause they are not cool!
 
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I always wear hi-viz when hacking out- the more road work I plan to do, the more I load on. I have a selection of mesh vest or full jacket (both hi-viz yellow with reflective strips) and have a red flashing LED light that gets pinned onto whatever I'm wearing at the small of my back. I also wear this outfit for walking out inhand on the road and walk with horse closest to the verge and me in the road.

For Hopalong, she has the option of a full exercise sheet in hi-viz yellow with reflective strips, this is made of mesh so not too hot even in (Scottish!) summertime. She also has a fleece saddlecloth that I use if doing minimal roadwork- here she is modelling it!

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I have brushing boots with hi-viz pink straps and reflective strips on them also.

I'd rather folk had no excuse for not seeing me and therefore give me and her the best chance of not being hit and injured/killed by a car. It also gives cyclists/dog walkers etc more warning of us being there and so less spooks from them suddenly appearing and not slowing down/recalling dogs.
 
We always wear at least a tabard when out hacking and will add leg/hat bands and/or exercise sheet if weather is bad or visibility fairly poor. I'm always amazed when I drive past people out without any on - you really don't see them until a lot later, especially when it's neutral clothes on a dark horse.
 
I'm ashamed to say I wear a tabbard. I have had 2 hat covers in the past but they seemed to fade very quickly, and I didn't think the hatband would have the same impact.

So thank you Janey for this post, will now be toddling off to hi-viz pony and me right up, as I seem to be almost invisible!

It never fails to amaze me that people put more emphasis on what they look like than the safety of themselves/horse/others. I have spent quite a lot of time in hospital over the years and if several pieces of yellow/pink nylon can save lives (as this is what it boils down to) then I am more than happy for me and pony to sport it.
 
Always got high viz gear on, even though on very quiet lane. Also wear it if hacking off road, so that if have a fall emergency services can find you! We also have a lot of chanukes low flying through our valley, & it helps the pilots to see you & avoid flying right over you. I think it should be compulsory with hats on the road!

Two people I know lost their horses on the road, because they were not wearing hi-viz gear!

It is our responsibility to protect our horses!!!!
 
2 horses were killed in our village at the end of last year (separate incidents), and one horse the year before last due to being hit by cars who apparantly didn't see them in time. Everyone on all the yards around here now wears plenty of high viz, even for a 10 minute road walk round the quiet residential streets to cool a horse off after schooling.
 
Always wear at least 1 piece of high vis (tabard or jacket) - its being responsible to yourself, your horses and others (including anyone coming looking for you!). Anybody that's come across a horse & rider (also walker, runner, cyclist etc for that matter) will know how difficult they can sometimes be to spot. If safety can be increased even by a fraction, where's the argument? And with the amount of stuff available these days, there's really no excuse :)
 
To answer your question about competition riders and flashing lights. I do PN/N BE (so am competition-ish) and I am a cyclist. Now, it has long been a source of disappointment to me that there are no light fittings on my horse. I have various bicycle lights which would be fabulous for hacking out in, but try as I might, I can't seem to attach them to my mare. I did once settle for tying a red rear light into my hair, but I spent most of the hack worrying that it would exacerbate my already split ends.

I wear a tabbard and leg bands on my horse at all times when hacking, and a jacket and lights on my bike when it's dark. In terms of looking like a wally - I am somewhat resigned to it. When I am at the yard, I am generally covered in straw and smelling of horse, so I doubt that a bit of high-viz really detracts from the look. When I am on the bike, ditto! Old trainers and leggings do not a fashion statement make.
 
i always have something high viz on me and the horse - ie hat band and breastplate - even if i'm just hacking about the estate and not even going near a road
if i'm going on a road then i always wear my rockfish riders jacket - or a high viz gilet in warmer weather
if its a dull or rainy day etc then she has her equafleece exersise sheet
and if i remeber she also has high viz boots on
i also plan to get high viz "ears" for her (forgotton name of them!)

i value my and her life so why wouldnt i?
 
I always wear Hi-Viz, whether im hacking on the roads or through the woods. How much i wear, depends on the weather but as a bare minimum, i always wear a tabard and my ride wears boots. The pony im riding for a friend at the moment is grey so can be spotted miles away, but i still wont go without.

Not only for my peace of mind - my Mum and YO would kill me if they saw me without. Also, we are (possibly) using public roads.. cars have to drive with their lights on when its dull outside so why shouldnt we?

Even if you are only riding in the woods/forest/commons etc.. i still think they should be worn. God forbid your out riding on your own and you have an accident. Not only will passers-by see you, but if the air ambulance has to be called out.. they are far more likely to spot you when your wearing something bright yellow than when your just wearing your black/green/brown riding jacket and boots.
 
applecart14 said:
If it helps though, I am 40. Old enough to know and wise enough to not give a c**p what people think.
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Absolutely DITTO! :D

HOWEVER what is tongue in cheek is how many people preaching about the safety of their horses, cars and others etc and there will be loads of people (maybe not on this forum ;)) that don't have any horse insurance, 3rd party or vet insurance.

If I am the only one out of hundreds to admit to not wanting to ride in a yellow Hi-Viz there's going to be no one admitting to putting others and their horses at risk by riding without insurance. My insurance will not be effected regarding Hi-Viz as I mentioned before I don't hack out on the roads or on any public routes.
Hi-Viz isn't compulsory yet at BD events when warming up in the arena or walking from the lorry to the arena on a foggy morning. Nor is it compulsory whilst hunting....Now there's a thought

People on here hunt and I haven't seen many people hunting in a Hi-Viz on public land and crossing roads!!! :eek:
 
I don't know about other hunts, but ours has people (usually in hi viz coats;)) stopping the traffic at road crossings!

I can understand the importance of public liability insurance, which we have, but can't see how vets insurance comes into it - that doesn't affect anyone else? As long as you know you can access the required funds for veterinary treatment for your horse, then its not a problem.
 
janey said:
Absolutely DITTO! :D

HOWEVER what is tongue in cheek is how many people preaching about the safety of their horses, cars and others etc and there will be loads of people (maybe not on this forum ;)) that don't have any horse insurance, 3rd party or vet insurance.

If I am the only one out of hundreds to admit to not wanting to ride in a yellow Hi-Viz there's going to be no one admitting to putting others and their horses at risk by riding without insurance. My insurance will not be effected regarding Hi-Viz as I mentioned before I don't hack out on the roads or on any public routes.
Hi-Viz isn't compulsory yet at BD events when warming up in the arena or walking from the lorry to the arena on a foggy morning. Nor is it compulsory whilst hunting....Now there's a thought

People on here hunt and I haven't seen many people hunting in a Hi-Viz on public land and crossing roads!!! :eek:
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My horse was uninsured other than the insurance I had by being a member of the PC and BRC and yet I still rode him. You try insuring a 27yo TB, especially when you have claims on it already. Not financially viable, tbh!

The insurance pays out after you've had your accident. Your point is like saying that it's fine to jump off a bridge because you're on the NHS so can have it patched up again...
 
It's not necessarily your insurance though - if a car hit you and the driver claimed he couldn't see you it could well go in their favour if you've not made the effort to make yourself visible.

I started wearing high viz when I realised how much quicker I saw pedestrians and cyclists when driving - we never wore any as kids either.
 
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