Please wear flourescents!

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pottamus

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Whilst mucking out this morning at about 7.45 am I heard a horse coming down the lane but a few moments later I heard a car come down and then brake sharply...presumably because they realised there was a rider in the road! When I had a look out to make sure everyone was okay I could not even see the horse and rider...it took me several seconds to see her against the glare of the rising sun!!!! She was riding at a bad time when you can't see because of the glare of the sun on your windscreen - no problems as we are entitled to ride when we want...but she had no flourescent clothing on and was on a black horse and wearing dark clothing!
She had a lucky escape there but I did fear for her as she got round onto busier roads.
So I guess I am just making a plea to anyone who does not wear flourescent stuff to at least take it and try it...you might be surprised at how sooner vehicles slow down for you. Let's try to keep safe and make it easier for drivers to see us and give us room...which in turn makes for pleasant riding!
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By the way...I am not trying to preach...we are entitled to do what we want...but it just helps as riders if we are risk aware that's all
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I really love my high viz coat - it is the best thing EVER!

I even wear it hacking in the woods, a chap came cantering towards us Saturday and spotted us straight away and stopped! He even commented on how he spotted me quickly with the high viz on
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I might get OH to take some pictures at the weekend we could have a HHO High Viz wall of fame
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I wondered if yellow flourescents made it worse in bright sunshine (or risinf sun), not sure though. I thought about getting an orange jacket for when its sunny, might be seen better. I aways wear flouresccnts, I don't understand why not everyone does!
 
I always wear Hi Viz - not only does it allow the traffic to spot you more quickly, but I find even off road dog walkers can see you more easily and can call their dogs back!
 
I always wear my 'caution young horse' or 'please pass wide and slow' high viz, not that all drivers pay any attention, there are always a few that still whizz past too close and beep the horn or yell abuse
 
i always wear high viz when out hacking. i once met somebody else coming up a main road on a horse while i was going down, they had no high viz and the horse was liver chestnut and the rider wore dark clothing and they blended into the hedges very well. the road is very bendy too. i thought they must be soo stupid, you really couldnt see them until you were close to them.

i have a v bandz flourecent martingale, it is brilliant!! as well as the tabbard and flourecent boots!
 
Couldn't agree more with you Pottamus. For the sake of other road users and us riders we should all make ourselves as easy to see as possible.
Maybe riding schools should make all their clients wear a hi-viz tabbard when they hack out because it is the sort of habit that needs to be instilled at an early age. It is always drummed in that wearing an approved hat and suitable footwear is essential when riding - maybe for riding out in public places hi-viz gear should be added to the list of basic requirements.
 
Being a pessimist, I wear Hi Viz even when I'm offroad hacking - to improve my chances of getting spotted by an air ambulance, should I ever require one!
 
Riders not wearing hi-vis stuff on the roads is one of my pet hates. I always wear it when doing roadwork - unfortunately I'm in the minority where I live. Still, their horses, their lives eh?
 
Hi Viz needs to be made 'trendy'. Perhaps more of the better known equestrian brands should incorporate it into their ranges.

We have a cupboard full of Hi Viz. Orange, pink, yellow. The kids even have "L RIDER" ones.

I walked G out yesterday without my usual tabard on (as we were only going a few hundred yards) and I really noticed the difference, drivers slowed down at the last minute. He's a bright chestnut and drivers still don't see us without hi viz.
 
Ive had a horse hit by a car and its the first thing the poilce asked me if I was wearing mine. I also contacted the BHS and they asked me the same thing. I NEVER go out without mine
 
I agree Katy. Even if they just had the silver reflective strips sewn into garments it might make a bit more of a difference. Some times when I am driving and people are out jogging some dont wear any high viz and the thing that makes me spot them is the little reflective bit on the back of their trainers.

Also another bit of a rant ALL cyclists should wear it too - it should be made LAW!

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I wear a tabard with a reflctive strips on it. Although my dad says he doesn't think there's enough reflective strips (Has one on the back and shorter one on front. Actual tabard is flourescent yellow says caution on back as well as a red triangle on it) and has cleared out his lorry and found two vest style ones with reflective strips all round and a big waterproof jacket too. Bless him
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For some reason by our yard it seems very uncool/untraditional to wear High viz.

Both my horse and me/my hubby look like a member of the mounted police at a football match but I don't care!!
 
I never ride without high viz, and thought it would be a good idea to even wear them when riding in the woods, just in case you needed to be spotted if you had a fall.
 
I can't understand why all riders don't wear Hi Viz, even if only a vest.......it can't be the money, they're only about £1.99p in markets, Aldi etc
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We have coats for winter & tabards for summer. The horses have tail guards (though laziness means they are not always used!). We also have boots which work very well. I wish the guys that ride round Deanshanger would wear it more. I said last week I met a group of them, & not one, not even boots & it was 16.45 so was getting a bit dull light wise.
 
Agree hi viz should be made compulsory not only for the roads but for riding off road too!

The BHS campaigned very hard last year to work with the MOD to get us to wear the hi viz so aircraft also can see us!

Not forgetting how useful it is for the skywatch people to see us especially if we have fallen off and need to be found!

That missing pony last weekend could not be found for 3 days as he was black-even the skywatch people could not find him! If he had got hi viz on he would have been spotted earlier!

strauss direct do very cheap hi viz stuff and you can have anything you want written on the back! Handy if you don't have time to go to the local market!

www.strauss-direct.co.uk
 
I always used to wear a bright yellow jacket because, as someone else said, the air ambulance can spot you better! Riding on the mountains by myself always made me wonder what would happen if I came off.

My husband says that people should also wear a flourescent band etc around their hats as the head is often the only warning you get of a rider on country lanes.

Nobody seems to wear bright stuff here, except in the hunting season so that horses don't get mistaken for deer, the hunters wear orange from top to toe as well, so that they don't shoot one another.
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I'm not even riding atm, but I am longreining and as such am at a disadvantage at times when meeting dog walkers and other horses! I don't go on the roads, only the off road tracks and I ALWAYS wear flourescents and B wears bands on her legs - I'm waiting for her nose band & browband strips to arrive too!
 
I understood that yellow fluorescents were for poor visibility and pink were for sunshine and work in poor visibility too but not sure if that is true.
 
I'm another who always wears fluorescents though I can't convince most of the other people on the yard to do the same.

One point that's sometimes overlooked is fluorescents need to be kept very clean because they don't work anywhere near as well if they're grubby or stained!
 
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