No hi viz...

In my village there is a lady that leads out, on foot, a very small child on a pony. She leads from the inside so the pony is nearest the traffic. No HI Viz on pony, child or adult.

Both child and adult wear dark clothes and the pony is black. They can be difficult to see until up close.

I feel like stopping and telling her about Hi Viz and to lead from the other side but think I would be viewed as an interfering old bat.

Edited to add I will speak to her next time I see her, my concience (sp) will then be clear if anything should happen.
 
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I nearlly hit a rider last year.

Dead straight road, derestricted, I was doing 50mph. Bright sunny day, I was concentrating. They were just totally camoflagued against the background (was a chestnut, so not even dark colour). Rider in typical muted greens/browns horse clothing companies seem to love. Literally saw her at the last minute, managed to swerve around her, worried about passing horse at that speed.

If she had been wearing some hi-viz, or the horse, this situation could have been totally avoided. What if I had hit her? Horse would probably have died, she would have serious injuries. Whose fault would it have been? I was paying attention, doing 10mph under the speed limit with excellent weather conditions. Rider hadn't taken responsibility for the fact they were in muted colours & not visible. end result dead horse. My thought is if you give an ounce about your mount you'd wear it to try & do your best to make sure you both come home at the end of the ride.
 
i always wear hi viz, most of our hacking is country lanes, so as others have said, you blend into hedges, a good point made by someone too, if you did fall , at least you could be spotted, never thought of that !
 
Responses have been great! Feel like I am armed with lots of quotes and research bits, plus that poster (thanks so much for the link!) So will have a friendly chat with my friend next time and see if I can instill some knowledge in them about the facts and figures! :0)
 
I was wearing a hi viz coat, my horse a hi viz rug, perfect November morning on a straight road in a 30 mph zone and got hit by a van !
Driver wasn't speeding just drove to close and caught my horses back end. Hi viz was really helpful in that situation.........
 
There is yet something to be invented to prevent accidents with absolute numpty drivers though! I always carry a schooling whip and have it between me and the traffic to try and prevent them getting too close (not sticking out or anything!)
 
carefreegirl said:
I was wearing a hi viz coat, my horse a hi viz rug, perfect November morning on a straight road in a 30 mph zone and got hit by a van !
Driver wasn't speeding just drove to close and caught my horses back end. Hi viz was really helpful in that situation.........
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I don't really know the point of above post? Applying the above logic it proves the below to be true.

If a man that smoked 20 cigarettes a day for over 70 years & he never caught cancer, that proves that smoking doesn't cause cancer?

....and we all know that that's bunkum!

The wearing of Hi Viz cannot guarantee your safety on the road whilst riding, nothing can, however if you wear hi viz you are less likely to be involved in a road accident.
 
I always wear at least a tabard and hat band high viz and boots and rein/Breast plate high viz on horse. In winter or rain we have a high viz quarter sheet coat and chaps! Oh and lights. People always giggle and say wont miss u coming. I smile and say, no, exactly!!
I used to ride on a windy Nat spped limit road scared me to death how fast people went but as my yard was on it had no choice. That's when I bought quarter sheets. I could hear the traffic breaking and it slowed down much sooner.
I always insist anyone accompanying me out wears at least a tabard and I have spares so they can't use that as an excuse!!
 
The point is people go on here about how 'stupid' people are for not wearing hi viz and yet as another poster says there's still some **** whose going to hit you even if you're visible from mars. A schooling whip wouldn't make any difference, if they can't miss half a ton if horse in luminous yellow a thin stick isn't going to make any difference.
 
Carefreegirl a schooling whip isn't to be hi vis, just held out so cars so don't skim past so tightly!
I always wear hi vis, no one else at my yard does but I've given up trying to convince them. I wear it, so does my horse and that is all I can allow myself to be responsible for. It is their choice at the end of the day
 
It is not compulsory, so I am afraid it is down to the individual. There is snobbery in all sports about things such as safety wear, high viz and lights and there always will be. As an individual you just have to say stuff it, I dont care what people think I am doing this for me and looking after my own back.
I personally will not ride my horse at any time of day or anytime of year without my high viz jacket and his high viz leg wraps - that is my choice and I personally think it helps drivers see you quicker.
I also wont ride my bike without my lights on - even in the daytime in full sun...the difference a set of lights makes on a cyclist for drivers is amazing! But I know it causes amusement for some cyclists and is frowned on by cycling pureists....but there you go!
 
Horse & rider hacking thorugh local village last year local to me, no high-viz, was well documented on here. Horse got hit by elderly driver, who failed to stop because he thought he had hit a tree. Horse died. Hi-viz would potentially (few things certain in life but I do believe n swinging odds in your favour) avoided accident or at least made guy realise he hadn't driven into a tree. I would just struggle to livve with myself if I went on the roads & my horse was involved in fatal accident unless I knew I had done everything reasonably possible (such as wearing hi-viz) to protect my horse.

I don't lecture other riders, but seeing them without does sadden me that they think so little for their mounts.
 
hannah90 said:
which do you think is better , pink or yellow hi viz, i did think they made pink just because some people like the colour ! but is it more effective ?
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I think it depends on weather conditions, but I'm converting to pink. Was driving down a leafy lane the other day with good visibility and wondered what the little blob of pink was bobbing up and down on the other side of the road. As I got closer I realised it was a local lady riding out with 3 young girls. They all had high viz on, but yellow. The blob of pink I saw first was the wide pink band that one had round her hat. It really made me think because the yellow didn't show up will in bright sunlight and shade at all.
 
Just washed my Polite tabard and really diappointed with how it's come out. That said, I will buy another one, as the difference it makes is incredible. Not well made, but worth it for the safety it promotes. Mines lasted about 18 months.
 
Bud_mum - I know that but having a crop sticking out doesn't make you any safer and in the past I have actually hit cars deliberately that have come to close. The drivers dont realise how close they are and how dangerous it is.
 
My story appears on all the hi vis threads, but if it pursuades just one to wear it, then I would be happy!
We were wearing Hi Vis when we were hit by a car. Not because the car didnt see us, but because he had lost control through speed.
I know I had done all I could to protect myself and benson, and my friend, herself and Charlie, but the accident still happened.The Police said if we hadnt of been wearing Hi Vis, the driver could of claimed that he couldnt see us.
I live with enough guilt every day that we chose to ride on that road that day, I dont have to live with the guilt I hadnt done all i could to protect them.
Hi Vis costs very little, its doesnt restrict you when you wear it, it does hurt, it oesnt affect the horse, so i cannot see any valid reason not to wear it, but each to their own.
 
I just think those that dont wear any hi viz are just plain irresponsible - simple as that.

Down the road to where my OH lives is a livery and I quite often see young girls on skippy horses with no hi viz on. First problem is they seem to really struggle to control their horse, said horses are flighty and going side ways and generally not in control. There are also alot of cars parked up along the side of the road and when driving along a horse and rider just doesnt stand out against them. You have to be pretty much on top of them to see them and yet they have the cheek to get all narky with drivers. Its the poor drivers i feel sorry for as they just cant see them.

A hi viz jacket weighs nothing and hurts nobody so why people think they are far too superior to wear one is just asking for trouble. When on the roads they are meant to be worn for a few reasons.

1) So drivers can spot you easier and either slow down or give a wide berth.
2) If a car was to hit you its guaranteed that the horse will come off worse and either be seriously injured or killed - so why put your horse at this sort of risk?
3) Peace of mind, knowing you have done everything to make sure drivers can see you.
4) Not as important as the other points, but insurance/police matters. Without the jacket you either wont get the payout or drivers will say they hadnt seen you. Therefore a life was either lost of seriously damaged, and for what? You paying nice big vet bills and months of care.

Im thinking of changing to a pink one, purely because I find I can see people better in pink than yellow. Even with wearing a jacket people will still sometimes get too close, so I make sure to ride along with my crop sticking out slightly so it makes more drivers pull out more when over taking. I couldnt bear the thought of not wearing one and someone ploughing into the back of my horse because they couldnt see us, through my own stupidity.
 
First problem is they seem to really struggle to control their horse, said horses are flighty and going side ways and generally not in control.
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And that is why I don't hack my boy!

He is very forward going and spooky, he is either prancing around like a loon or he's spooking at something in the hedge. Either way we always end up on the other side of the road!
As a driver myself I know that it's dammed near impossible to miss a horse if it physically leaps out in front of you!
That's what happened last time, my horse actually flung us both into the path of an upcoming Ford Ka! Thankfully the road was straight so there was a little more warning but it could have been disastrous.
So now I am walking him inhand (with boyfriend driving behind with hazards on, just to make things a little more safer!) and doing lots of off road hacking until I feel that it is finally safe enough to take him out onto the road.

After all I'd never forgive myself if I took my horse out and we had an accident, after all ignorance wouldn't be an excuse as I know that he is not good on the roads.

As for hi viz, can't be too safe in my opinion!
 
Janah said:
In my village there is a lady that leads out, on foot, a very small child on a pony. She leads from the inside so the pony is nearest the traffic. No HI Viz on pony, child or adult.

Both child and adult wear dark clothes and the pony is black. They can be difficult to see until up close.

I feel like stopping and telling her about Hi Viz and to lead from the other side but think I would be viewed as an interfering old bat. probably :(

Edited to add I will speak to her next time I see her, my concience (sp) will then be clear if anything should happen.
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There is an easy way round that one to salve your conscience, if you are driving, just pull up, compliment the pony/rider, whatever, and just happen to mention that they were quite hard to see at first.
 
I wear Hi Viz on the road every time. So do kids, they know they would be banned from the roads if I caught them out without. They ride on common land a lot and it would be nice to find them quickly if they part company.

I had a close one last year with a PC girl riding a dark bay horse down a shaded country lane. Although I was going at a sensible speed I didnt see her until the last minute, it shook me up that I could have hit them. I stopped beside her and just said "you were really hard to see I could have hit you " she just said thanks for telling me and carried on. She still wears nothing. That is just plain stupidity in my opinion and worries me, how would I feel if I hit someone, if I did and they had no hi viz I bet my insurance company would not be paying out , not that this would make me feel better
 
Am currently horseless and so riding horses belonging to a couple of friends etc. I keep a hi-vis vest inside my hat and whenever I put my hat on, I put my hi-vis on. It has become completely automatic like putting my seatbelt on in the car (which hacks me off when I drive 100 yards and have to undo it to get out and open the gate...).
I am sure there have been people who have thought I was mad wearing hi-vis in the school or field but I really don't care and it does mean that if I want to pop down the road for a cool-down afterwards, I'm ready to rock.
I really do have trouble comprehending why people don't want to wear it - maybe I'm just not vain enough!
 
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