HY VIS, WHY DO I NEED HY VIS?? CARS HAVE HEADLIGHTS DONT THEY?

[catherine22]

This is our christmas tree look - we have to hack down a lane to get to the school in the evenings! I really don't care how people think we look, as long as they see us thats all I care about

This is how we are dressed up when we go out - he isn't very impressed about it though!

This is how visiable we are, just from the light of the flash, in the dark

From behind

 

[Boulty]

*Head desk* Does she not drive herself and realize how difficult it is to pick out any dark colours even with headlights? I've nearly ran over cyclists before now when I've driven along pitch black country roads at night, because I couldn't see them til I was nearly on top of them due to the total lack of any hi-viz! (may have seen them a tad sooner than I did and not had to slam brakes on had I been able to have full beam on but tends to be frowned upon when there's oncoming cars!) It's such a simple thing and it's not exactly expensive and it really really could save her life one day! Even when visibility is good it still makes it a heck of a lot easier to pick you out!

 

[fidleyspromise]

OP - tell the person next time they are in a car to have a look at road signs.
Look how reflective they are so that you can see/read them and compared to a sign that someone has put outside their house for instance.

At the end of the day, sad as it is, you can only do what you can. As you can see from posts on this subject on here in the past, you can't make people wear hi-viz.

All you can do is try to educate them, as you are trying to do with this woman and the end decision is up to them, as to whether they feel the risk is worth it.

 

[Shantara]

This is a very fair point! I find that 99 % of drivers local to me are great and the other 1 % are not lunatic horse haters but do need a bit of education! I've thankfully never come across one of these! I do think they are very few and far between, the majority of the bad ones 'just' need educating.

So true! (This and the original point)
Most of the drivers around me are great too, they pass wide and slow and return thanks. However, I have come across one or two horse haters...you can really tell them apart from the uneducated.

One of them was revving, beeping and yelling out the window about how horses deserve to be in pies, not on the roads. I was alone, but thankfully on 'Old Faithful' Blobby. He put his ears back and that was it, no other reaction. I put Blobby on the verge and gave him the finger.
Needless to say, he sped off and returned the sentiments.

 

[Bikerchickone]

What an idiot! Think I read somewhere, possibly on here, that even if you have 3rd party insurance they will attempt to avoid paying out if you have an accident on the road and aren't wearing hi viz. Something to do with your responsibility to take due care at all tiimes. So I would guess she knows paying for insurance is a waste of money! Poor horse, if she doesn't care about herself she should at least do the right thing for her horse.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Honestly this was the answer when I asked " where's your hy viz" when a livery On the yard came back from riding just gone 5.30pm tonight. I wasn't the only one shocked as she rode back up the track on a dark horse in dark clothes. So I thought maybe if I sent her a link to this she may think twice!!! So please see if you can leave a message to drum it into her, also she has no 3rd party insurance which I also think is stupid but that's problem.
Oh and it was country lanes she was riding round

If her brains were dynamite........she wouldn't have enough to part her hair!!!

 

[applecart14]

There's no excuse for not wearing hi viz. I went and restocked my horsey wardrobe a few months ago as Aldi has some fantastic deals, a flourescent breast plate for £4.99, leg bands for £2.99, a flourescent wrap around exercise sheet for £6.99 all reduced in price.

Drivers don't realise the damage done to a car after a horse has ploughed through it either. Not only is the horse and most probably the rider dead if struck by a car at high speed , but the car would be totalled too, along with any drivers/passengers. I think young drivers should be more educated in road safety too. So many people from our yard hack out with just a faded old tabard on too. Yes, its better than nothing but a flourescent tail thing and a flourescent leg band and exercise sheet would mean the horse is seen from all angles. I've heard everything from 'its too windy and the exercise sheet would flap' to 'there's no point riding in flourescent when the sun is out' and 'I would if it was night time and I rode out in the dark'. Ggrrrrr.

 

[applecart14]

This is our christmas tree look - we have to hack down a lane to get to the school in the evenings! I really don't care how people think we look, as long as they see us thats all I care about

This is how we are dressed up when we go out - he isn't very impressed about it though!

That's how we look too only I have strips on my reins, lights that flash on his off hind leg (the lane I hack down is very enclosed and dark) and a flourescent tail thing.

So many people have said to me 'Ohh we could see you from miles away' or 'the car drivers can't fail to notice you' to which I reply 'that's the idea' and then educate them about the extra three seconds drivers have in order to see you and react to you if you wear flourescent and how that equates in metres depending on their speed. Without being mellow dramatic this equates to the thin line between life and death.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I think the *SEEU* lights the police wear are brilliant, its so hard to find them now
mounted police use them


http://youtu.be/GsoFLiQWHrE







.

 

[Jayde87]

Honestly this was the answer when I asked " where's your hy viz" when a livery On the yard came back from riding just gone 5.30pm tonight. I wasn't the only one shocked as she rode back up the track on a dark horse in dark clothes. So I thought maybe if I sent her a link to this she may think twice!!! So please see if you can leave a message to drum it into her, also she has no 3rd party insurance which I also think is stupid but that's problem.
Oh and it was country lanes she was riding round

Yes, but at the end of the day it's her decision whether she wears hi-vis or not. Who are you to scream and shout at her? Her horse, her decision. Just saying.

 

[thatsmygirl]

And within such a small village jayde87 it could well be me or a member off my family or friends who hit her one day and wouldn't like to think how somebody would come out off it so yes by saying my piece iv tried to help.

 

[Brandy]

Yes, but at the end of the day it's her decision whether she wears hi-vis or not. Who are you to scream and shout at her? Her horse, her decision. Just saying.

What a completely ignorant comment.

It may be her horse, and as such she has a duty of care and responsability to it. Also, the OP may be the person driving down the road, in the dark, who encounters the horse and rider when they are barely visible, or indeed she may the one who happens across them AFTER the accident has happened.

 

[moana]

that's my girl *gives well done pat on back*

ANYBODY who can'r understand and see the need for hi-viz should not be allowed to ride. A bit strong this comment? I think not. I hope this thread goes noticed.

 

[DragonSlayer]

What a completely ignorant comment.

It may be her horse, and as such she has a duty of care and responsability to it. Also, the OP may be the person driving down the road, in the dark, who encounters the horse and rider when they are barely visible, or indeed she may the one who happens across them AFTER the accident has happened.

It is NOT an ignorant comment. WE know you should wear hi-viz. WE KNOW THAT BUT it is NOT law! You cannot force what is not enforcable. I wouldn't be getting steamed about it either. Because it is my choice.

 

[pec]

All I can say is
'Never try and teach a pig to sing, it wastes your time and it annoys the pig!'

 

[meandmyself]

Yes, but at the end of the day it's her decision whether she wears hi-vis or not. Who are you to scream and shout at her? Her horse, her decision. Just saying.

Because it might by -my car- that hits her. I don't want to die or kill someone because they're too stupid/lazy/selfish to wear hi viz.

She has a choice- the poor driver (and her poor horse) don't. I think it's very selfish not to make yourself visible if you're going to use the road in the dark.

 

[Shantara]

This is Ned's hi-viz look. In total it cost us less than £20.
I also have a hat band, Polite tabbard and full length chaps.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Because it might by -my car- that hits her. I don't want to die or kill someone because they're too stupid/lazy/selfish to wear hi viz.

She has a choice- the poor driver (and her poor horse) don't. I think it's very selfish not to make yourself visible if you're going to use the road in the dark.

^5 to this

 

[Shantara]

Because it might by -my car- that hits her. I don't want to die or kill someone because they're too stupid/lazy/selfish to wear hi viz.

She has a choice- the poor driver (and her poor horse) don't. I think it's very selfish not to make yourself visible if you're going to use the road in the dark.

Very true! I know it's not quite the same, but a good family friend hit and killed my old cat. I always imagined, if it was going to happen, it would be some careless idiot. It wasn't. She was kind and always careful. She just didn't see my cat in time.

 

[MochaDun]

The BHS will give a talk if you ask them to called "Horses don't dent, they die" - maybe suggest they come to your area and persuade that prize idiot to attend. It's the same talk they give to both horse riders and car drivers and is excellent. What she hears and views may change her mind. When I went along they also had the other half of the talk being given by the guy who heads up the Large Animal Rescue team of the local fire brigade - again tough talk, images and video covering many scenarios but beyond all the horse box/lorry accidents there were several incidents even just locally of horses being hit by cars. She needs to realise it's not just about her, but her horse and all the innocent other road users her stupidity could impact on.

 

[Orangehorse]

There is DEFINITELY a snobbery attitude about Hi Viz, which is why I suggested that it was a Yard Rule, then everyone has to be the same.

I meet a local lady who has 4 or 5 eventers, bays and chestnuts and people have complained to ME that she doesn't wear any scrap of Hi Viz winter or summer at any time.

She obviously looks down her nose at me when we meet and even sometimes ride together (OK my horse is sometimes muddy!) as I ALWAYS go out in high viz. So my muddy horse needs HighViz but her glossy, clipped horses don't?

 

[Faithkat]

if you REALLY want the Christmas tree look how about these :
http://www.pedalite.com/horse.html
looks good to me and they don't need batteries!

 

[thatsmygirl]

Thanks everybody, I have showed her this now as I am quite friendly with her and don't want to see her hurt, I must say she sat and read for quite a while so that was good. She commented on the pics that somebody posted off their horse in a camera flash??? Thanks for those they helped. She also said she didn't relise how strongly some off us felt about it. So hopefully as she was willing to read/talk about it without getting funny I'm hopeing theirs hope. Iv offered for her to use mine until she buys her own and she said " thanks for that" so will see if it's done any good.

 

[Shantara]

Thanks everybody, I have showed her this now as I am quite friendly with her and don't want to see her hurt, I must say she sat and read for quite a while so that was good. She commented on the pics that somebody posted off their horse in a camera flash??? Thanks for those they helped. She also said she didn't relise how strongly some off us felt about it. So hopefully as she was willing to read/talk about it without getting funny I'm hopeing theirs hope. Iv offered for her to use mine until she buys her own and she said " thanks for that" so will see if it's done any good.

Fantastic news Glad we've done some good! Well done to her as well, for listening! I know it can be hard to listen to people who are trying to drum something into you and not always using the kindest of words
This actually made me smile