Polite tabards and your horse

[Serephin]

I shall carry on wearing mine regardless.

 

[chessy]

I do chuckle sometimes when i pass riders with it, as there is no way they could even think they were pulling off the 'Mounted Police' look when they are on a 13hh pony... there is a couple locally who wear the full kit, and ride with an attitude and clearly think they are fooling drivers.....

This is one of the reasons I haven't bought anything from the range... I ride a little 14.2hh cob that couldn't pass for a police horse, I don't think I'd be fooling anyone lol!

 

[Toast]

I have to laugh, wonder where JamieWillson went!

 

[Abbeygale]

Lol. I just noticed that too !!! It was rather bizarre that a "friend" of the company had so much information on top secret occurrences... And when he pmd me, all the stuff in the pm was top secret and mustn't be passed on. But then he posted all the same stuff on the thread...

 

[Munchkins]

I can't help wondering tho' - if this was never a "Police approved" product then this must surely be fraud? People bought it surely because of that alleged endorsement, and Equisafety made loads of ££ because of it -no different from selling bootleg DVD's or Kelvin Clien boxer-shorts in my book. Would anyone have bought it without the above "endorsement"? and, if Fake Britain allege it didn't meet the CE standard then it is doubly fraud cos it says it has been tested, but it didn't pass the test they did on it. Would you get a refund because of this?
All very interesting - I want to know!

 

[ester]

I dont think it ever said police approved...

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/310949.html

 

[philamena]

It would seem somewhat left-hand/right-hand, or at very least 'after the event' for the police to react now. Not least when individual forces have said they're OK. This quoted as being from the Northamptonshire Poilce facebook page during a previous debate like this one:

Is it legal for people to give you the impression they are Police officers? Ive just seen tabards for Horse Riders for sale that are exact replicas of Police issue ones,except they say 'polite' not police,and riding hats with the blue and white squared band on them.Are they allowed to do that?
Like · · 3 hours ago via Mobile

Northamptonshire Police Hi Sarah, we are aware of the 'Polite' range of fluorescent clothing and a rider would not be challenged as impersonating a Police Officer for wearing this. We encourage horse riders and cyclists to wear high-vis clothing to ensure they are seen by other road users.
2 hours ago · Unlike · 2

 

[Jazzy B]

Personally, if they have been banned then brilliant! The whole Polite range is just a major wind up for motorists I think and making the horse world look like a bigger bunch of idiotic toffs than already perceived by members of Joe Public not a bad thing in my opinion at all.

 

[Goldenstar]

Personally, if they have been banned then brilliant! The whole Polite range is just a major wind up for motorists I think and making the horse world look like a bigger bunch of idiotic toffs than already perceived by members of Joe Public not a bad thing in my opinion at all.

I have to say having met a few idiotic toffs in my time the last thing you would see them in is a hi viz jacket saying polite.
Also nowt wrong with being idiotic or a toff must not take ourselves to seriously .

 

[Tiffany]

I wouldnt spend another penny with that company after the MD screamed, bellowed and swore down the phone at my mum!

To be honest though, i think once a driver has realised its not a police jacket they'll have little or no respect for it.

Mine says "YOUNG HORSE training thanks for your patience" in bold red font. I printed it myself (its my job) and personally i think its much more polite than the "POLITE" one.

Someone told me a couple of years ago that having 'young horse' or 'caution young horse' or similar was an issue? Something to do with insurance Companies saying if there's an accident you've sort of advertised the fact that horse is yound etc?

I just wear a yellow hi viz vest with nothing written on it

 

[Goldenstar]

Someone told me a couple of years ago that having 'young horse' or 'caution young horse' or similar was an issue? Something to do with insurance Companies saying if there's an accident you've sort of advertised the fact that horse is yound etc?

I just wear a yellow hi viz vest with nothing written on it

The issue is it could be used for a driver to make a case that it was your horses fault the accident occurred however I asked my insurance company about it and was told it might be taken into account if you where sued but they would never use it to wriggle out of a claim .

 

[Dovorian]

Timely postings I have to say, only this morning I met 2 Police off road bikes on the trail of 'illegal' off roaders. Having told them where I saw the 'crims', they then complimented me on wearing good high viz, and that inclused a 'polite' tabard + ex sheet!

Having read previous posts I could have been in the cells by now as I also wore black breeches and a black coat.....!

 

[glamourpuss]

My friend has a brilliant one that says 'Does my bum look big in this?'
She claims it is the most effective hi-viz she's ever worn. People always slow down & smile at her

 

[criso]

might be taken into account if you where sued but they would never use it to wriggle out of a claim .

Your insurance wouldn't but the driver's defence would try to get mileage out of it to show you were negligent by taking an unreliable horse on the road.

I actually quite like "Pass Wide and Slow" as it reminds drivers that may not see horses often and don't know of the highway code's recommended way to pass horses but someone posted a while back that a driver was trying to blame this when they hit something coming the other way.

And if you put "Please Pass wide and slow but only if it is safe to do so" then you're back to hiding all the hi viz material under too much writing.

 

[Goldenstar]

Your insurance wouldn't but the driver's defence would try to get mileage out of it to show you were negligent by taking an unreliable horse on the road.

I actually quite like "Pass Wide and Slow" as it reminds drivers that may not see horses often and don't know of the highway code's recommended way to pass horses but someone posted a while back that a driver was trying to blame this when they hit something coming the other way.

And if you put "Please Pass wide and slow but only if it is safe to do so" then you're back to hiding all the hi viz material under too much writing.

That's what I said but personally I prefer blank.

 

[criso]

Just saw some news footage where the police horses appeared to be wearing plain yellow sheets and the police dark clothes.

Does that mean I can't wear that combo because I look like the met mounted police?

 

[Goldenstar]

Just saw some news footage where the police horses appeared to be wearing plain yellow sheets and the police dark clothes.

Does that mean I can't wear that combo because I look like the met mounted police?

No it does not or I would have been locked up sometime ago .

 

[cremedemonthe]

My friend has a brilliant one that says 'Does my bum look big in this?'
She claims it is the most effective hi-viz she's ever worn. People always slow down & smile at her

When my friend rides her mare , she wears a hi viz tabbard with "Caution stroppy mare" written on it, it's not referring to the horse either!
Oz

 

[criso]

No it does not or I would have been locked up sometime ago .

I was being a bit sarcastic as putting aside the polite/police thing, there has been a suggestion in this thread that the police may have the monopoly on checks.

 

[Goldenstar]

I was being a bit sarcastic as putting aside the polite/police thing, there has been a suggestion in this thread that the police may have the monopoly on checks.

A suggestion on the thread does not make it the law .
You need case law, and as far as I am aware there is non if anyone knows differently it would be great to see that on the thread.

 

[criso]

A suggestion on the thread does not make it the law .
You need case law, and as far as I am aware there is non if anyone knows differently it would be great to see that on the thread.

Which is why I referred to it as a suggestion and made a sarky remark about dark clothes and yellow exercise sheets being worn by the met meaning I couldn't.

If the police do put out a statement I suspect it will be challenged by the manufacturers and drag on a bit.

 

[xxbrubblexx]

I know someone that got stopped by someone that got out their car and starting shouting saying they were trying to look like police. you're not the only one thats confuse btw i got one from equi-safety that doesnt say POLITE on it (with zipped pockets)

 

[Goldenstar]

I think could be forgotten that this buisness could be damaged by all this and it employs real people with real family's and that would be awful.

 

[Frances144]

And on the basis of all of this, I have gone and ordered my tabard and hat band because I think it is a wonderful idea if it gets the ******s to bloody well slow down and stop trying to annihilate me and my horse!

 

[mcnaughty]

I shall carry on wearing mine regardless.

So will I - that is until I see the news in writing somewhere other than on a Forum!

 

[WelshD]

I'm sure this is just sour grapes rumour spread by motorists from the fast car forums who are very embarassed that they have been caught out not knowing the difference between a muddy pony club pony and the old bill.

 

[Crackerz]

I'm sure this is just sour grapes rumour spread by motorists from the fast car forums who are very embarassed that they have been caught out not knowing the difference between a muddy pony club pony and the old bill.

I use a handful of national car forums, quick searches on 4 of them bring nothing up regarding the polite range or impersonating a police officer. My biggest group of friends are 'fast car' drivers and have no issue either, most probably wouldn't notice what was written on them, all they care about it that we wear hi viz at all times on the road.


I will still be purchasing a POLITE tabard once i get paid next, love the look of them & not in to scare mongering

 

[WelshD]

There have been links from forums to other forums several times on 'POLITE' topic threads where motorists are having a rant about the range

Also working in the automotive industry I've had a fair few comments

 

[criso]

There have been links from forums to other forums several times on 'POLITE' topic threads where motorists are having a rant about the range

I'm sure there are, I have also seen many links to motoring forums talking about how horses shouldn't be on the road and scaring riders and how funny it is when they fall off.

Not sure it is possible to placate this minority of aggressive drivers who don't want to share the roads with horses (or cycles, or tractors or pedestrians etc etc )

 

[rockysmum]

Well its seems as though West Yorkshire police dont like them.

Look at the comments as well as the orginal comment on this Facebook page. Our local tack shop is stopping selling them, one comment is from a police officers wife who says her husband has been briefed on them, and another from someone about someone in our area actually being cautioned for wearing it.


It might not be accurate but I would not be paying out for any until I had proper confirmation.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/wharfedale.equestrian