I nearly ran over a horse last night...reflectives

R2R

R2R

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I stopped my car driving home at 8pm last night because I nearly ran over a woman on a bay horse. I honestly couldn’t see her, was driving at 30ish, down a nat. Speed limit road.. and nearly went up her horses bottom. Goddaughter didnt see her either!

I told her I couldn’t see her and she was really rude and told me to slow down!!! I would have blinking slowed down if I could have actually seen her, dopey woman!

So just a reminder that even though it was summer I couldn’t see a blinking thing :D and if you don’t you have NO excuse to moan about fast drivers :D
 
At least it was you that passed her and not some nutter who thinks roads are for breaking the speed limit!

We passed soemone on the way up to the stables last night, passed her slowly, no hi viz, didn't even say thank you. It's people that don't say thank you/ are rude that give us horse riders a bad reputation.
 
A lot of people are slack about reflective clothing. Dark horse, dark jods etc means you can't see them! It would have been too awful for words if you had actually run into the horse. Let's hope this stupid woman thinks and goes out better prepared in the future.
 
I find it shocking how many people on my yard don't wear hi viz. Having had a similar experience to you and nearly hit someone on a bay horse wearing a black t-shirt and black jods who had just blended in with the hedge I always wear hi viz, even in the middle of a summers day.
 
Its her own fault for not wearin hi-viz stuff.
Isnt that one of the rules for travelling on the road?
 
Yes, I agree. The dazzleing low sunlight casting shadows across the roads in the summer evenings makes it harder to see horses than in dull rainy conditions I think.

I am always thinking horse (my life is rather dull I rarely think of anything else :D) , and even I've had a few instances where I've been driving and all of a sudden there's a dark horse with a rider wearing dark clothes at the side of the road, camoflagued by the shadows of the trees and hedges along the verge! On those occasions I have told the riders I almost didn't see them and why, but I don't think it really registered. I wouldn't care if they were on a bike and I narrowly missed them, but it's their horse I worry for.
 
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Gosh I'm glad for you that you didn't hit her - would have been a horrible experience.

Gaaaaaaaaah people who don't wear hi viz (horse riders and cyclists) drive me mad. I wouldn't ever step out on to the road without minimum of hi viz vest on me and leg bands on my horse. It takes seconds to do, is minimal cost and could save a life or three. Gaaaaaaaah.
 
Completely agree - wearing hi-viz not only means drivers can see you quicker (if at all in your case) but also makes them more aware that a horse is a 'hazard' on the road and that they need to take action.
 
DiablosGold said:
also makes them more aware that a horse is a 'hazard' on the road and that they need to take action.
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I'm with you on this. I always think it shows drivers that you are aware that you are a hazard and that you've tried to give some thought to everyone's safety. I think if you've made an effort drivers are more likely to treat you with respect.
 
i had the exact same thing happen to me last night too, i was leaving the yard (which is in the forrestry) at about 9pm and i was only doing about 5mph (its a dirt track road) and the next minute i spotted a horse & rider about 10ft in front of me i swear i didnt see them, the horse was bay and the rider was wearing dark clothing too so were completely camoflaged (SP??) in the shadows.

and then to top it off she didnt even nod or smile or anything when i passed which really p*sses me off!
 
Unfortunatley not everyone will wear flourescent / reflective clothing when out on the roads on their horses (idiotic IMHO but hey ho) I ALWAYS wear hi vis and so do my horses!

It's the horses I feel sorry for when they get mowed down by motorists that couldn't see them becuase their rider had been to lazy / vain to put some glow gear on them! :(
 
I would like to see high viz become a mandatory requirement on the roads!
As I kid I would ride a black pony bareback in dark clothing in the dusk down narrow Cornish lanes. I shudder now at the thought of how much danger I put him in :(
 
DiablosGold said:
Completely agree - wearing hi-viz not only means drivers can see you quicker (if at all in your case) but also makes them more aware that a horse is a 'hazard' on the road and that they need to take action.
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Seconded/thirded/millionthed :D Helps everyone and is basic responsibility. I don't like seeing riders or cyclists out without it - and then there's the helmet issue. More common obv with cyclists (and I know there's an argument that 'it makes drivers more complacent about my safety' but frankly doesn't the reduced risk juuust kinda outweigh that?!) but couldn't believe my eyes one day on the way to old yard: driving down wide-ish but fast country road, passed intersection with 60mph lane. Obv slowed to pass large chestnut thing that was dancing about all over the place while waiting to cross - and on board was hatless rider. Full tack etc so don't think they were just bringing in. I'm a hat fiend anyway but on a road? On that road? If I hadn't been so gobsmacked and passed on I'd've said something - politely, obv ;)
 
What really annoys me is that she and countless other selfish riders choose to blame the motorist for their short-comings in not wearing hi-viz clothing.

If we all gave a little more thought to other road users and vice versa things wouldn't half be as bad. Riding when the sun is setting is another danger, when the sun falls low enough to be below a sun visor in a car, its blinding. Get a horse, walker or anyone for that matter without some form of hi-viz and its an accident waiting to happen. Not that hi-viz can stop all accidents but it most definitely helps.

Make hi-viz a legal requirement on roads and public highways/places is what I think.
 
Sadly the fact is that so many riders will not wear Hi-Viz because it just is not fashionable. There is no answer to this as sadly it is the horse that suffers in the event of an accident. (As well as the rider and their famillies).

Todays motorists unfortunately expect stationary and slow moving road users to be wearing hi-Viz so they are even less sensitive to what could be hiden in the shadows.
 
Stupid person. i wouldn't dream of riding on the roads without flourescent. Have known someone on our yard spend £1200 on a saddle yet moan about paying £12 for a flourescent jacket! Where is the sense????
 
applecart14 said:
Stupid person. i wouldn't dream of riding on the roads without flourescent. Have known someone on our yard spend £1200 on a saddle yet moan about paying £12 for a flourescent jacket! Where is the sense????
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Thing is it's even cheaper than that!

On ebay you can get a hi viz tabbard for 99p then 99p delivery so what's that, a bag of horse treats?! :mad:
 
Tbh that story doesnt shock me in the slightest, there are many stupid riders, just as there are drivers. I have to drive down two very narrow and windy roads to reach my horses, both roads are packed solid with horses. The amount of times ive driven down there in the pitch black and come across riders heading towards the woods (minus hiviz) and the amount of riders who deck out in hiviz to those that dont? 10% do?!

I have a couple of jackets (worn in diff weathers), a hat band, boots allround (mostly winter only as too hot under them), ex sheet (again winter), a breastgirth and a neck strap. Mostly pink however also integrate purple, orange and yellow too as i believe that more colours help you stand out better.
 
I don't see the point in not wearng reflectives - at the end of the day you can't put a price on safety.
I know a lot of people look from the fashion side of things, but it comes in so many different colours, I know I'm a fan of pink hi viz for me and my gelding :D
 
I don't get it either!? I have nearly gone into the back of horses - the roads round here are very narrow and have very sharp bends, and there are alot of quarry lorries and numpties who drive like loonies - I won't even walk on some of the roads let alone ride, yet I repeatedly see idiots on dark horses with no reflective gear, sometimes even riding side by side or on their phones!! I have stopped and told them they are hard to see yet they totally ignore it and carry on, with cars screeching to a halt coming the other way to - do people not care about their horses - sod the riders if they have that sort of attitude - but the poor horse has no say!!:(
 
Something similar happened to me and it scared me to death. I was going round a bend on a sunny day and I didnt see the horse either until the last minute and thankgod missed her. There were trees so she just blended in as they cast a shadow on the road and her, She was on a dark bay horse, had dark clothing on and was oblivious.
What also annoys me is the number of riders who ride, reins in loops, horse half asleep along the roads. It only takes a bird or something to startle the horse and thats it. My old instructor used to say if you cant leg yeild, shoulder in and your horse isnt truely off your leg, then you shouldnt be on the roads as these movements can stop you being hit if your horse spooks.
 
I always, always, always wear a minimum of a tabard when out, even though I am on a large grey beast. Usually also have leg wraps on all four legs, and in the winter have a fluorescent sheet as well. I won't let my sharers hack out either without wearing hi-viz.

It was brought home to me very clearly one day when driving along a minor A road on a very sunny day in the summer, when I very nearly went into the back of one of the other liveries from our yard who was riding her 17hh plus dark bay wearing dark jods and a dark T shirt and was in the shade of trees on that particular part of the road. She had always said that she was safe because her horse was so big you couldn't not see him. I put her right on that one after that! She now wears hi-viz every time.
 
At least you told her even if it did knock her pride a bit, perhaps next time she sets on out on an evening she'll think twice and put one on.

You could of saved her life... next time she hacks out.
 
what is the minimal ammount of hi-viz that you would use then because to be honest i've never really thought about it because when i was younger i never used to see anyone wear it so didn't realise the danger of not beeing seen :( after reading this i will be hi-vized to the max ! :)
 
penhwnllys_stardust said:
what is the minimal ammount of hi-viz that you would use then because to be honest i've never really thought about it because when i was younger i never used to see anyone wear it so didn't realise the danger of not beeing seen :( after reading this i will be hi-vized to the max ! :)
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Minimal I would say leg bands on horse
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110564684533&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Tabbard on you
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170503717460&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


Although I hack out in
hi viz hat cover
tabbard
rug (mesh in summer, waterproof winter)
bridle sleeves on breastplate
brushing boots with hi viz straps
 
We're based near a small but quite pricey stud and their girls always hack out without hi-viz - you'd think it'd be in all their interests to be seen especially as there are a lot of trees round our area. At the weekend one was on a black horse and only stood out as she was wearing a bright green shirt - the other was on a dark chestnut wearing dark clothes. Guess image is more important to them than anything else!!

I wear a hi-viz tabbard and my ned wears hi-viz leg wraps.
Have got illuminous yellow exercise sheet for winter tho.
 
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