Reflective gear - Is it a must?

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mickey

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Does it annoy you when people go out on the roads without reflective gear?
A few yrs ago when I was younger I probably didn't bother and didn't really think it was that important.
Now I would never go out on the road, or indeed, on any hack without a vest on. Hardly anyone in my yard wears one, and I do think that is irresponsible. I have had trouble seeing horses (when I was driving) when nothing bright was being worn.
If we're not prepared to minimise the risks for ourselves and our horses then can we complain when accidents happen? I feel now that I should make the effort to protect myself and my dear horse. I have another girl that hacks my horse occasionally and I always ask her to wear a vest even though I can see she would rather not........
 
Yes definately.
On my driving lesson yesterday I was coming to a junction and only just saw a horse and rider as I was coming up close to them. Chestnut horse, rider in a dark green jacket, and it wasn't even overly dull at that time. A few minutes later it had become very dark and misty so goodness knows how they would be seen.
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Im 14, and I have a 360 degree horse and rider reflective equipment set. Theres no way ild ever go out with out reflectives on. I went out once in the pouring rain with just a jacket on and was pooing myself thinking people couldnt see me. Cool or not, one day it may just save her life, as well as your horses

Nick.
 
At the end of the day its personal choice all you can do is influence. A reflective vest will alert people to your presence but in some circumstances it would have little effect.
 
I do think it is important for going on roads, fine not to wear it if you're not going on any roads but sadly most people do have to go on them nowadays
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Also country lanes can be the worst as people come pelting along them not expecting to meet anyone, so I wouldn't feel safe without my reflectives on on one of them.

Some of the people on my yard don't even wear hats for hacking on the roads! I think they are mad personally.
 
I also think it;s necessary offroad...

We have a lot of moorland hacking and if I was to come off and be knocked out and left somewhere wearing beige/brown jodhs and my green coat, that would be very hard for the mountain rescue teams to spot. Hi vis makes you safer everywhere IMO.
 
It's important to wear it even if not going on the roads, if you fall off it is easier to see you if you're lying hurt somewhere, and if your horse runs off he may have a better chance if he strays onto the road.
 
I think that until you become a car driver you dont realise just how important hi viz is when riding out.

I would urge everyone to wear it at all times through the year, even in the sunny weather.

As the drivers amongst us will know, when you drive from bright sunny conditions into an area of shade (say a row of trees ) there is a fraction of a second when you get a flare on the windscreen and it does actually go black. You cannot see anything for a split second. If you are on your horse in the same bit of shade you become invisible without hi viz.
 
In my opinion you cannot wear enough high visibility clothing, as well as a jacket I also prefer high vis trousers and headwear. High Vis is cool!
 
Personal choice not to, or endangering your life - not really an option is it? Should always be worn, even if off road (not in schools obviously)
 
Can we differentiate between reflective and fluorescent - reflective clothing makes you more visible when cars have their lights on, whereas fluorescent gear makes you more visible full stop. I personally always wear my "high visibility" tabard when riding - fluorescent yellow and it has reflective strips. I also usually wear it when hacking off-road, though occasionally if I am allowed to use our off-road hacking route then I will leave it off... I always feel guilty though and feel I should have it on anyway in case I come off! A friend of mine was once dumped underneath a bush by her horse and was only found by the air ambulance because she had her high-viz tabard on.
In winter I tog myself and my horse out more extensively - tabard, rein strips, nose band, leg bands for horse and rider, arm band for rider, etc.
 
I think I changed my friends mind on this today, after she saw my box of hiviz. I take it off my tack when I school, then put it all back on when I hack.

I like my hiviz, and I have more things ear marked for when I can afford it.
 
Sadly you can only look after your own...I never ride without my high viz jacket on and my horse has high viz leg wraps too. My life and that of my horse is important and I want all the chances I can get given that I am on narrow twisty country lanes for all of my hacking.
 
Yes I always wear one now, as we have to go along a country lane to go on the shortest of hacks. At my old yard where we didn'v have to step foot on a road, I didn't bother... but I feel really nakes and unsafe without one now!
 
I wearhi viz too and it makes such a difference and IMO very important if you have an accident.

I was dumped last year out hacking and my horse ranoff but she was kitted out in high viz and people who caught her on the road mentioned how more noticeable she was in it.
 
I believe it is important to ride defensively when on the roads. There are more cars driving at every increasing speeds. Some drivers drive without any thought to the safety of other road users.

I wear a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that other road users can see my hand signals.

Hi-Viz will in many cases make you and your horse more visible on the roads and reduce the chances of being hit by other road users.

The safety of your horse should be a priority.
 
Message from my husband here "Please people, if you are riding on country lanes I can see you a lot better if you have a hi viz band around your hat" Often a hat bobbing up and down is one of the first clues a driver has that there is a horse around a corner.

I don't wear hi viz, now, I don't even own any, but I used to, I always liked the idea that the helicopter would be able to spot me if I got dumped on some Welsh mountain.

I am pretty sure that there was some small print somewhere in my insurance policy that hi viz (or similar) was a requirement for coverage for incidents on a public road.
 
Enfys I spray my whole hat flourescent yellow. Your husband is right. I posted here a while ago asking for a manufacturer to make a hi viz vented hat and I was amazed when some dumb people posted to tell me that they didn't want them, as if I shouldn't want one just because they don't!

Long sleeves also make a heck of a difference over a vest with no sleeves. I don't know why, but they do.
 
Personally I think that it should be a legal requirement for riders and cyclists to wear high vis. I also wear it even when off road. Also, a hat cover is the best thing for helicopters to spot you as tabbards are pretty useless for 'from the air' vis.

Some of the worst conditions to spot riders are bright sunlight and also low light. I rarely see people wearing it round here. I think people are mad not to wear it on the road.
 
I don't mind if the riders want to get killed so don't bother with hi viz. But as it's always the horses who get hit I believe we have a moral duty to wear hi viz. And wish it was actually the law.
 
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I am pretty sure that there was some small print somewhere in my insurance policy that hi viz (or similar) was a requirement for coverage for incidents on a public road.

[/ QUOTE ]



I think everyone who chooses not to wear hi viz should ask their ins company if they are covered in the event of an accident.

A client of mine is being sued by the driver of the car that hit and killed her horse because he said he could not see it coming!

Her ins company don't want to pay out for death because the horse was nor wearing any hi viz gear at the time it was hit.

The rider had a jacket and hat band on but had fallen off when the horse tripped and the horse ended up over the bonnet of the car.

Not nice - so please - put something hi viz on your horse too.
 
I wear a hi-viz tabard and hat cover in summer and a hi-viz jacket plus hat cover in winter. I wouldn't go out on the roads without those items. Lots of people on the yard do and I think they are very stupid.
 
I reach some of my off road hacks via narrow country lanes with high-ish hedges. I've got lots of high viz gear both pink and yellow. I've noticed a big difference when I wear the bright pink high viz gear as it is far more noticeable than the yellow, especially against the green hedgerows. Cars spot me sooner and (especially the hat bobbing above the hedges) and can respond. I hate riding some of these roads but don't have much choice. I can't understand any rider around here who doesn't wear high viz. I think it's essential. And, yes, it really annoys me, along with the comments on our high viz!!!



Sue
 
Always have a minimum of hat band, tabbard and aem bands or hi-viz fleece and leg bands for the horse. I have just ordered a summer weight sheet for the mare (have a winter one). As a matter of interest, my stuff is orange and green, sister has pink and people have said that her mares boots are more instantly visable, so when I replace mind it may be with pink ones (although I am not sure that it will go well with a chesnut
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High viz/reflectives are vital for both on and off road riding.

I wear as a minimum a hat band, leg bands and a breast plate.

I intend to buy something high viz/reflective that I can attach to the end of my long schooling whip.

Any ideas?
 
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