PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Wear hi-Vis

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CBFan

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The number of times I have been driving round the lanes after work recently- on my way to the yard myself so driving carefully, when I have just about been able to make out the shape of something moving in the road ahead of me (against the wooded backdrop and hazy autumn evening sunshine glaring through the trees), only to get virtually on top of it to realise it is a horse and rider with NO hi-vis.... bearing in mind I'm doing 20-30mph when most users of these roads do 50-60pm... I dread to think what would happen if it had been someone else coming along the road with far less reaction time, and awareness. Please deck yourselves and your neds out as brightly as possible - pinks and Oranges are better than yellow but yellow is better than nothing...

It is worth noting that some of these riders have been gesturing drivers to slow down.... I had to wind my window down and explain to them that road users would be far more likely to slow down if they could be seen...... and off she marched with a 'harumpf'
 
i agree - 110%.

i had similar recently - 7.30pm last week (so not dark but light fading) and someone was riding on a dark horse in dark clothes along a fast road with trees either side - i saw her but only at last minute - and slowed right down and horse was obvioulsy not liking traffic - it shied at me going v slowly past her. i dread to think what could have happened if a fast car had gone by without seeing her! not to mention a foresty lorry (the massive twin trailer things we get round here that frequent that particular road) they are great if they seee you - very concientious - but if they cant see you what hope do you have?!

ETA - fwiw i alwyas have a high vist top on and hat band - if on roads (yes i wear high viz even if not riding on roads!) then horse gets breaskplate on - if cooler or poor light (fog etc) then she gest high viz rug on too)
 
A lot of teenagers round near me ride out with nothing on, I don't feel I can say anything to them for the amount of talkback I'd get :o

There is a lady that goes out with her daughter on a pony too, both with no hi vis, again I just don't like being shouted at :o
 
fully agree with you! i never ride on the roads now without hi viz for both myself and my pony. and i agree, as a driver you sometimes need that 3 extra seconds to slow down or stop.

people who dont wear hi viz while road riding are putting their own, their horses and other road users lives at risk.
 
9 times out of 10 I don't say anything but sometimes it just has to be said...

I wear a bright pink fluoro hat cover, yellow 'please pass wide and slow' tabard and my horse will be decked out in a fluoro exercise sheet with tail flap pluse reflective boots as soon as we start hacking again.... on or off road.
 
Stencilface said:
A lot of teenagers round near me ride out with nothing on, I don't feel I can say anything to them for the amount of talkback I'd get :o
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One of the teenagers on my yard bought the other a full set of high viz for the horsey for her birthday present - at Christmas they got each other high viz vests.

Lovely sensible girls :)
 
Just giggling at the thought of teenagers riding out with nothing on.
I slowed right down this morning when I thought I saw a fat bummed bay cob ahead, (but on the pavement) - it was a man with a brown jacket & a black backpack! But just goes to show how deceptive the light can make things.
 
While we're at it... can anyone reccomend anywhere to buy hi-vist coats / jackets from? I notice all the horsey ones are around the £50 but the industrial ones are around the £25 mark... they're virtually the same!! Any tips?
 
My friend got me a hat band for Xmas quite a few years ago...that started my rather grand collection of hi-viz kit!

I've not come across horses while I've been driving, apart from the ones from my yard and they're pretty good.

I can't imagine what it'd be like to hit a horse, I would never ever get over it I don't think. I don't think anyone actually wants to hit a horse (though some like to frighten them!) so it's not just for yourself and your horse, but for drivers too!
 
CBFan said:
While we're at it... can anyone reccomend anywhere to buy hi-vist coats / jackets from? I notice all the horsey ones are around the £50 but the industrial ones are around the £25 mark... they're virtually the same!! Any tips?
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Have you tried markets? There's 2 markets local to me who do very cheap hi-viz jackets and even trousers!
 
All the sensible ones will always wear Hi Vis, the idiots that don't care about their animals, themselves or the driver won't regardless, so your wasting your time.

Approximations, £2000.00 for the horse, £600 saddle, £120.00 Bridle £65.00 shoeing, £50.00 inoculations, £45.00 back person, £40.00 Dentist, £150.00 a month livery add on feed add on feed and hay £60.00, but hey £2.50 for a tabbard and ooooh can't afford that. NOA
 
Nah said:
Have you tried markets? There's 2 markets local to me who do very cheap hi-viz jackets and even trousers!
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Hmmm The one near work used to sell them but doesn't seem to anymore... might try the one in my home town... Thanks!

Otherwise I ad seen them on the Dickies site so may just buy from there...
 
Just another point to add - Sometimes due to the sun being low it doesn't matter it you wear high-vis or not, they still can't see you.

Tuesday evening I was all luminous in a rather fetching shade of orange hacking along a fairly wide road and I actually had a woman in her car pull over and apologise for not slowing sooner as the sun was in her eyes and she just couldn't see me until she was closer. Thought it was a really nice thing to do (she wasn't going that fast anway so was rather suprised that she did) but it did highlight something I haven't thought about before, and from now on i will be trying to avoid the roads on those really clear evenings with the low winter sun.
 
zizz said:
Just another point to add - Sometimes due to the sun being low it doesn't matter it you wear high-vis or not, they still can't see you.

Tuesday evening I was all luminous in a rather fetching shade of orange hacking along a fairly wide road and I actually had a woman in her car pull over and apologise for not slowing sooner as the sun was in her eyes and she just couldn't see me until she was closer. Thought it was a really nice thing to do (she wasn't going that fast anway so was rather suprised that she did) but it did highlight something I haven't thought about before, and from now on i will be trying to avoid the roads on those really clear evenings with the low winter sun.
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yes! As a driver I get this all the time too... it's not nice and those who don't drive / think just aren't aware of the problem... as nice as it is to go for a hack after work... sometimes it just isnt sensible if roads are concerned! I do cringe when I hear fellow liveries say 'of shall we make it a bit later - it won't matter if its getting dark when we're heading home.... on these leafy and very overgrown country lanes where you can barely see a few metres ahead in daylight, never mind fading light...
 
Vetwrap said:
http://www.redoakdirect.com/hi-vis-clothing.html

These guys are great value. I have a bomber jacket which is a few years old - think it cost me £11.99 at the time and it's great!

I go out looking like a Christmas tree, because I think enough of my horse to put his safety first.
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Thanks! They even print on them so I might get 'PLEASE PASS WIDE AND SLOW' printed on the back... I do think this message works... most of the time ;)
 
I was doing 40 on a 50 road some weeks back, about 5/6 at night, wasn't dark but there was lots of trees. Only noticed bay horse when metres from said bay horse and darkly dressed rider. I levelled with them slowly and said 'Just to let you know, it's hard to see you in all the shade! Might be worth hi-vis next time!' too which she looked at me like i'd just microwaved her cat and she replied 'oh p*ss off'
Oh ok :)
Said rider was in late 30s/early 40s. I don't think she liked a teenager advising her on sensibility and safety. I wasn't rude in the slightest I just thought she mustn't have realized how shaded the road was.
Huge tankers come down the country road so even in the bright of day the girls have high vis on their tail and I wear a hi-vis vest.
Some people just don't want to be safe obviously :eek:
 
I don't know why people are so rude when you point out that you can't see them! If someone said it to me, I'd apologise and think about what else I could add to my outfit!
 
Last weekend I passed teenager (no h-v) doing a lead-rein hack with 2 tots from local riding school. No h-v on people or ponies. The hacks from here NEVER wear h-v (that's leader or client), as don't the liveries there. Seems endemic in their school attitude. Can't believe their insurance doesn't require it as essential.

To name & shame it is St Leonards in Launceston, who reguarly appear in h&h holding dressage competitions. They are on a rat run road (national speed limit) used as a cut through between 2 major (A) roads. In 4 years of living close to them have never seen person from there (livery, paying client or instructor) with h-v on.
 
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Nah said:
I don't know why people are so rude when you point out that you can't see them! If someone said it to me, I'd apologise and think about what else I could add to my outfit!
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Same here! If someone told me I'd be very thankful for knowing and also for their concern!
I've never spent a penny on hi-vis. I found a few of my dad's old work vests in the loft and have chopped them up into really thick tail bows, browbands, short sleeve vests and a strap for around my hat. It really isn't expensive to be safe.
 
agree 110%

especially these last few weeks! low evening sun is just as bad or worse than the dark!!

I have the same where I keep my horse,people use the rain as a rat run to work so don't regard its a rural area and there are horses on the roads everyday!!

hi vis up people! :cool:
 
pip6 said:
Last weekend I passed teenager (no h-v) doing a lead-rein hack with 2 tots from local riding school. No h-v on people or ponies. The hacks from here NEVER wear h-v (that's leader or client), as don't the liveries there. Seems endemic in their school attitude. Can't believe their insurance doesn't require it as essential.

To name & shame it is St Leonards in Launceston, who reguarly appear in h&h holding dressage competitions. They are on a rat run road (national speed limit) used as a cut through between 2 major (A) roads. In 4 years of living close to them have never seen person from there (livery, paying client or instructor) with h-v on.
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shakes head in disbelief... it should be mandatory for children to wear hi viz on roads imo.... actually, i think it should be mandatory for anyone riding on roads to wear a minimum of a tabard.
 
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