No love for Hi-Viz?

sidesaddlegirl

sidesaddlegirl

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www.sidesaddlegirl.co.uk
I was getting ready to go on a hack today and I always tart ourselves up with pink Hi-Viz for safety and because I love pink. I find the pink colours make drivers more friendlier and it seems to make people happy out.

One of my friends at the yard said that my pink hi-viz looked stupid so I told him that we wear it for safety and that it looks good on my dark bay (almost black) mare! He said "no, it doesn't" but I guess him being a bloke, he would say that, lol. He argued that if a driver couldn't see someone 5 1/2 foot off the ground on a large animal that there was a problem. Another livery piped in at the same time and said that "she never uses hi-viz either".

It surprised me really with these comments as I thought that as horse riders and being VERY vulnerable users of the road that all riders would want to be as visible as possible.

To illustrate a point, later on when my OH and I went for a drive, there were some horse riders riding on one of the country roads we were on riding bay horses. It was the colours of their hi-viz that we noticed first as the natural colours of the horses blended in with the hedges, trees and dark tarmac of the road.
 
Spot the rider!:eek:

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The remarks made by the others were very ignorant. When you are riding you are moving slowly and can see perfectly well. A motorist is travelling considerably faster, and as you describe, a dark horse ridden by a rider in dark clothes mereges perfectly into the the grey roadsurface and dark hedges. Point out that it is there horse that gets hit first. As a local vet said (following a RTA involving the death of a horse). Dress your horse for the road, just as your would dress your horse for cross country, or for travel, etc.
 
Some people are just incredibly arrogant and stupid. If wearing hi viz means that there is a chance someone will spot you even a few seconds sooner then its worth wearing - plus, if you were to come off on a hack and get knocked out cold and a police helicopter was looking for you, it would be way easier for them to spot you wearing bright clothing (pink or otherwise).

Carry on as you are doing and ignore what anyone else says
 
I don't like hi-viz. as a cyclist, I used to say I'll wear it when it becomes compulsory for all cars to be painted in day-glo colours.

I still hate hi-viz, and my life is mine to do with as I please. My horses life on the other hand is not, and as far as I'm concerned, its part of out "agreement" as horse and rider that I do all I can to make sure she is safe while she's working for me. If that means me looking like a pillock in a eyebleed inducing green vest then so be it.
 
Fools, anyone in their right mind would at least wear a tabard on a grey day, or at least not be horrid to people who do. I know what you mean about pink though haha, I get people saying 'I hope that's a girl horse!', but it is so its fine :-)

I assume these people are adults, do they go to building sites and make fun.of everyone for looking stupid?!
 
All I can say is Idiots...

I'm always kitted out in Hi-Viz and rarely ride on the roads... This is my boy with his new bridle that he got for Christmas... (this is my friend riding for our last ride of 2012, i'm on my other pony... )


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This is us with our hi-viz on. I even have matching ear bonnets, hat reflector and rein thingies too if we are hacking far and will be on busy roads with oncoming traffic. You can see how dark my horse is and today I was wearing a dark navy jacket with dark navy breeches so I would have been dark as well.

hi-viz2.jpg


I think I may have to talk some sense into my friends at the yard as I would hate for anything to happen to them if they go out.
 
My boy after yesterdays ride.
My pony and late mare have pink the boy yellow

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the only thing was pony had not her rug as it was a hot day here note my boys rug was a summer mesh HI VIZ
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I'm happily a member of the Hi-Viz brigade even whilst hacking out in summer. It helps other riders and also walkers and cyclists see us coming - esp. dog walkers who can see us coming and call their dog back in good time.

My pony is Flaxen Chestnut but i'm under no illusion that we wouldn't blend into the background.
 
I'm the only one at my yard that wears hi-viz. I won't ride out without a tabard now.
3 weeks ago I found a man lying on the road screaming in agony after he'd just been hit off his bicycle. It was one of the worst things I'd ever seen but couldn't help but think 'imagine if a horse was involved'. He wasn't wearing any lights or hi-viz and this was at 4.30pm.
Hit home how easy accidents happen and so now I always wear hi-viz.
Everyone should. No matter how unlikely you are to get hit, even if you go off road I still think hi-viz is as important as a hat.
 
Heehee, I've got the summer mesh one too in pink! :D

My friends are in their 40's so perfectly entitled not to wear hi-viz BUT, their horse doesn't have the choice and to call it stupid, it kind of upset me a bit today. I was glad I had in on though, as there seemed to be hundreds of ramblers and dog walkers out near me today and my mare was being a "typical" TB today going sideways and wanting to canter on the spot due to the weather so it made us easier for people to spot and get out the way!!, lol! :D

timiton, that is horrible, hope he was ok!
 
I always wear high vis, normally in pink (on me anyway). However, I was chatting to a health and safety chap at an event last year who said that colour blind people (including him) can't really see pink high vis because of the red base. So that made me a bit concerned in case I meet a colour blind driver out there :S
 
I didn't used to wear Hi-Viz but I do every time I hack out now. There are so many idiots around on the roads these days that you can never be too careful. It definitely makes a difference though as I have found that drivers have tended to slow down more since I have been wearing Hi-Viz.
 
Saw someone 4 pm yesterday, along a road going to cross with no hi viz.... Really mad..... Met them on the road the other day in the rain.... God job I don't drive fast..... No thanks etc.... Just a vest would make a difference!
 
I go out like a neon bertie bassett as I value my horses lives.....if three seconds is given that translates to a lot of tarmac space to react
Also find ppl go around wider for the most part too.
 
Mythical said:
I don't like hi-viz. as a cyclist, I used to say I'll wear it when it becomes compulsory for all cars to be painted in day-glo colours.

I still hate hi-viz, and my life is mine to do with as I please. My horses life on the other hand is not, and as far as I'm concerned, its part of out "agreement" as horse and rider that I do all I can to make sure she is safe while she's working for me. If that means me looking like a pillock in a eyebleed inducing green vest then so be it.
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This, don't suppose anybody knows of a high viz sheet suitable for sumer use all the ones i have seen look like they would be unbearable in summer so i just end up in a tabard.
 
until it becomes law (and indeed wearing a riding hat does), then there will always be a huge debate on this. I wear it always, every day, but that's just me.

As a driver, I KNOW I will spot a horse and rider hi-vized up much sooner than otherwise. Even a tabard catches my eye seconds faster than nothing.
 
igglepop said:
This, don't suppose anybody knows of a high viz sheet suitable for sumer use all the ones i have seen look like they would be unbearable in summer so i just end up in a tabard.
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You can get mesh sheets, which are light weight and double up as fly sheets...
 
I've never understood the reluctance of some people to wear Hi Viz - most people at my yard wear it when the hack and I'd be reluctant to hack out with someone who wasn't wearing at least once piece of hi viz.

I always have at least a tabbard on or my hi viz jacket and pony will have his hi viz breastplate and a hi viz strip on his bridle. I used to just wear a tabbard and didn't put anything on pony - perhaps his tail band on occasion until it was pointed out to me that if we became separated, while I might be easy to spot, he might not be so he's always decked out too!
 
helenalbert said:
I always wear high vis, normally in pink (on me anyway). However, I was chatting to a health and safety chap at an event last year who said that colour blind people (including him) can't really see pink high vis because of the red base. So that made me a bit concerned in case I meet a colour blind driver out there :S
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That doesn't really make sense. I've taught children with red/black colour-blindness who *could* see pink and the more usual green/orange colour-blindness who had no trouble seeing red or pink. The vibrancy of the colour would make it stand out anyway and most hi-viz also has reflective strips.

I think your "friends" are old enough to know better than to ridicule you for wearing whatever you want - how rude. And they can't use the excuse that they didn't learn to ride wearing bright colours. Neither did I but I and my horse ALWAYS wear hi-viz. I don't understand why cyclists and dog-walkers don't wear hi-viz, too. It could save lives.
 
I am gradually becoming more and more hi-vis obsessed. I don't particularly like the look of it, but if it keeps my and my horses safe I will go with it! I ride out with my 9 year old daughter so I think I need to set a good example. Both our horses wear hi vis sheets, hi vis brushing boots or legwraps and we wear tabbards and headbands. Very silly not to in my opinion and I think it should be compulsory. We also wear yellow as have heard pink isn't so visable to some people but not sure if that's actually true!
 
Mythical said:
I don't like hi-viz. as a cyclist, I used to say I'll wear it when it becomes compulsory for all cars to be painted in day-glo colours.
Click to expand...

I stepped out on a zebra crossing the other night having completely failed to spot a cyclist coming towards me who was not going to stop. He nearly came off swerving to avoid me which luckily he did and there was no car behind when he swerved out.

I did look carefully as round here you can't rely on cars to stop either and I don't step out till I see a car actually slowing down, I've never not seen a car but I didn't see a cyclist in dark clothes on a dark bike on a dark wet night.

I always wear hi viz when riding and this time of year I also wear my hi viz jacket walking back to the train station from the yard as it's a dark country road.
 
I thought that the best colour for visibility was orange ?

I always wear hi viz, but don't do the OTT Christmas tree look.

Not fond of pink hi viz though, other than for girls under 6 years old riding Shetlands.
 
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