Pink vs Yellow or Polite Hi Viz- friendlier?

sidesaddlegirl

sidesaddlegirl

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Wigston, Leicestershire
www.sidesaddlegirl.co.uk
While hacking out the other day with all our pink hi-viz on and seeing people's reaction to us decked out in pink, it got me to thinking about all my friend's experiences while hacking out with their yellow or Polite hi-viz on (and people's experiences here that I've read).

I have a pink tabard and Hattie has pink hi-viz overreaches and brushing boots for hacking just around the roads near my yard but she has a hi-viz exercise sheet, rein reflectors and ear bonnet and I have the helmet band for when we go on the busier roads.

*Touch Wood*, I have not had a bad experience while hacking out while in pink, even last summer before I got my trailer, when we were hacking 10 mile round trips to shows on busy roads. I find people smile at us more, ask more questions, cars slow right down so that their kids can have a wave and a look at this "big brown horse" all in pink. People are just generally more smiley and friendly in cars and out walking.

Whereas my friends who wear the yellow/ Polite hi-viz hack on the same roads as me, are always getting into "word fights" with car types saying that "horses shouldn't be on the road", have had near misses, etc.

Even the local idiot who has his business near the yards and is known to speed past horses near me, slows down for me.

Maybe I've just been lucky but comparing notes with others, I'm starting to think that pink is the safer and friendlier option????
 
I use the polite yellow stuff and have never had a problem so I don't know if the colour makes that much of a difference. I think maybe it's more to do with the area, the roads you use and rider's attitude whilst on the roads. I make every effort to get out of a car driver's way so normally I'm thanked for my trouble. Of course it could just be luck that I don't encounter any horrible drivers!
 
We had an incident when a fellow hacker complained that my daughter's Hi Viz was "too pink" and her horse was unable to pass it. (She had a hi viz tabard and ned had a quarter sheet on.) We simply dismounted and moved out of the way to let her horse - which showed no signs of being disturbed by the colour - past.

I was always told that yellow Hi Viz is better on dark horses and pink for light horses. The pink with reflective strips is fine for low light conditions.
 
As a driver the other day I didn't see the pink hi viz on the two girls I passed hacking out - it was the movement of the palomino pony that caught my eye.

This was mid day but dull overcast misty weather, and they were in the shadow of trees - didn't see the pink at all till I was right next to her.....
 
In an "experiment" with a group of horses riding along a lane under shady trees on a sunny day, I definitely saw the pink high viz bobbing up and down well before the yellow showed up. It's as said above, different colours are better for different conditions. Interesting that people might be more friendly if you wear pink though!
 
I have always thought that yellow stood out best ( ponys kitted out all in yellow at the moment) but wonder now if mixing it up would be better. Might try and get some orange hi viz tabbards but we have only just bought excersize sheets in yellow so they are staying.
 
I use orange and yellow. I reckon, if it's good for people working on railway tracks in poor light it's good for me :D

Never had a bad reaction at all, people always seem to be very pleasant around here (although I do sometimes find myself growling "what is it about wide and slow that's not totally clear?) :D

Generally people smile and wave, and I smile and wave back. OK, I probably look like a twit, but hey... I also frequently stop on the sustrans track to chat to dog walkers, parents with children on bicycles etc., and horse gets petted and fed treats and apples. I have the mantra "horsey PR exercise" repeating in my head ;)
 
Well as above orange is used on railways, yellow on building sites. If pink was better than both I suspect that it would be used on site!!!
 
wench said:
Well as above orange is used on railways, yellow on building sites. If pink was better than both I suspect that it would be used on site!!!
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:D

I now have the most wonderful mental picture of a building site full of brickies wearing pink hi-viz :D

That's cheered me up for the day. I suspect it may be one of those days where I have random laughing fits :D
 
I was recently out riding in my pink and purple hi-viz tabard and pink hat band and i was told by a person that i was seen for a long way as it really stood out. In winter i have a pink hi-viz excercise sheet and a yellow hi-viz jacket and a hi-viz tailband and my hatband and i get seen very easily and drivers always slow down for me. I always thank drivers for slowing down and i have drivers slow down for me that don't slow down for others riders in my area so alot of it is down to riders manners or lack of,so i don't think it has much to do with the colour of your hi-viz. What really gets me is riders that don't bother with any hi-viz and then wonder why drivers don't see them.
 
wench said:
Well as above orange is used on railways, yellow on building sites. If pink was better than both I suspect that it would be used on site!!!
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Absolutely!

And you don`t see many police officers in pink hi-viz!

The pink is better than wearing none (and is very useful for pursuading the kiddies to partake) but the safest without a doubt is yellow/orange.

I wear yellow/orange mix. Flashing hat band, thick/mesh sheet depending on time of year, all four leg bands, martingale type neck band and long sleeved jacket.

I`ve never been given any abuse :unsure:
 
Brightbay said:
:D

I now have the most wonderful mental picture of a building site full of brickies wearing pink hi-viz :D

That's cheered me up for the day. I suspect it may be one of those days where I have random laughing fits :D
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Keep your eyes peeled then! Many building/plumbing/electrical etc. companies are issuing pink hi viz to their staff at the moment for cancer awareness - my husband has just had to issue them to all his men!
 
I have a green hat band, pink tabbard, yellow exercise sheet, green leg bands on the front and yellow on the back. And sometimes we wear a green neck band. I noticed in a friends photo the other day the green is really bright!
 
I think it is partly down to how you behave while riding on the roads too. I wear yellow hi-viz and am always aware of other road users, I use hand signals, thank drivers when they've been considerate and try not to hold up the traffic- as a result I've never had a problem with anyone, other than the one or two idiots who'll speed past you regardless of what you wear/how you act.

On the other hand, I've seen others wearing hi-viz and wandering around the main roads as if they were on a quiet county lane, completely oblivious to the traffic that they're holding up- that's a sure fire way of getting peoples' backs up. Horse riders have every right to ride on the roads, but we need to be as equally aware of other road users as we expect them to be of us.
 
I bought myself a yellow hi viz jacket from a company that makes them for security businesses - it's warm wind proof and you definitely can't miss me! I never used to wear hi viz but I don't want to take it off now :)
 
Well I like pink, but horse is a gelding, so I can't really put pink on him, and I am too matchy matchy to be able to have pink on me and yellow on him!

So have gone for yellow all around!

I find people nice. Thick at times, but mostly they do try.
 
I can tell you this....

All the drivers I have been out with on advanced driver training and LGV training have NEVER thought that the POLITE was POLICE so IMO that is a dead issue if that is what it was supposed to INFER

PINK certainly catches the eye much more than the USUAL colours and as a male I instinctively think - THATS A FEMALE - and my natural in-built protective instincts take over
 
I don't think the police would use pink even if it was the best, pink has been proven in studies to produce feelings of nurturing towards the wearer so not the image the police want to put out.

I have pink or yellow for me, I prefer pink tho. it lights up like a Christmas tree when headlights catch it.
 
I mentioned this to my dad - who is a health and safety officer - who said yellow is still the preferred colour but most important is the reflective strips being truly reflective not the cheap silver tape.

Also as he is colour blind the colour makes no difference at all to him :p
 
TigerTail said:
I mentioned this to my dad - who is a health and safety officer - who said yellow is still the preferred colour but most important is the reflective strips being truly reflective not the cheap silver tape.
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And he is spot on! The 'proper' reflective strips stand out a mile off compared to the cheapo silver!

Definately worth buying the best quality you can afford
 
pansymouse said:
Remember pink hi viz is designed to increase your visability in bright light conditions and yellow is for low light conditions, only orange is suitable for both.[/QUOTE]

Which is why it is universally used by any one not wishing to be flattened anywhere of course :)

I do wonder why orange is the least available (rarely see it advertised or in stores) hi-viz colour for riders and walkers though, any ideas?

Pink is a happy colour :)
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