Riding On Roads In The Dark??

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Holzdweaver

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Iv got a bit of a dilemma, I work full time and when i get to my boy after work in winter, its always dark. Wasnt much of a problem when i was on the livery yard as we had floodlights on the school, but now i have got my own field a few mins from my house we havent a school and the roadwork has increased a lot! Now il be riding him over winter to keep his fitness up, as il be indoor showjumping two evenings a month. But that leaves me no choice as to ride out in the dark...

A friend of mine said as long as i wear hi-viz i will be fine as where i ride, as there are streetlamps lining every road, i pass through houses then onto a bigger road at a junction (well lit) and then round more houses and back again.

Now by hi-viz i mean the whole works! not just a tabard or something. He will be wearing everything iv collected over the years...Four leg wraps(yellow with reflective bands), Exercise sheet, tail wrap with a red light on the back, Flashing(or can change them to solid) red lights attached to his breastplate, reflective strips on his bridle and stirrup lights. I will be wearing my good old yellow coat with one of those v shaped harness things with the red lights on, and a hat bad. haha with all that on, Surely i will be visible enough?

Whats your opinion?
 
Difficult one - I can see your problem.

Only advice I can offer is always remember that it's white lights to the front, red lights to the rear when you're on the road.

And good luck.
 
I've wondered the same myself, other people have said how they've been out in the dark all 'hi-vizzed' up and its been fine, intact cars slow down more because they're unsure what it is but I think I would be scared of someone going far too fast, I think people often drive faster in the dark because they can see headlights before they can see a car. Sorry I've not helped at all have I !!
 
Thank you all for your feedback, I havent ridden on roads in the dark and im glad he isnt a spooky horse and doesnt give two hoots about traffic or the size of it. I didnt think about white lights... All the ones i have are red except the stirrup lights which are white at the front... Anything anyone can think of which will have white lights on at the front? :)
 
I've never actually seen a horse rider out riding in full darkness but I'd be interested to actually see one, to see how visable they are, it's something I have been thinking about lately, I suppose it depends where you ride and the type of drivers that tend to use your particular roads.

I think providing you are really visable and you have lights, your riding round any blind corners and you have the space to get of the road if you need to, then from seeing well lit up dog walkers and power walkers on a night I was quite impressed with how visible they were.

I guess as well it depends how the lights from the on coming traffic will effect your horse, if the streets are already well lit up I doubt there would be as much glare but if out on the country lanes an coming car may seem rather bright or could be a bit off putting to the horse maybe...I duno.

You'd also have to be careful with the footing, so any tracks that are uneven or pot holes in the road, but if there roads your familiar with then I guess that wouldn't be an issue.

I'm same as you, by the time I get to the yard and brushed and tacked up it's pretty much dark, if I knew I was really visable then I'd probably give it a go but I'd need to know how visable I was first to ensure me and my horses safety.
 
You need lights to ride on the road in the dark the same as a car and cyclist. The stirrup ones should be fine, you can get red ones that go in the tail. Your braver than me!!! X
 
we do have a country track leading to a bridleway just a few mins up the road but it is so rough that i dont think he would manage it in the dark, it is so stony and not little ones either, he does it ok in the daytime with his head to the floor looking where he is going and he picks his way through it, but he wouldnt be able to do that in the dark so i think out of the two options, the roads will be safer for him :)
 
What i may do, is brave it one evening with him all hi-vized up and get my partner (hes gonna love me lol!) to stand at the end of the road with my camera and video me coming down the road and with cars going past. Il then watch it and if i am really visible, il continue. if not, il either buy a lot more bright lights and yellow bits and try again, or just ride him once a week on my day off, which i really dont want to have to do as he needs to be kept up to fitness. If i manage to bribe him to take a vid of me, il post it on here so you can all have a look, i think it will be quite educational :)
 
I ride in the dark along the river in pitch dark with all my light gear and his headlight, I also tuck a small flashing light into the top of my half chaps, then onto the estate roads which are street lit, cant see a problem and never had one up to now, ridden out in the dark for last 7 years.

Maybe I should do a vid on how to fit the light on a bridle

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Not something I would do except in an emergency! Our roads are lethal in full daylight never mind the dark :(

I personally would've thought a reasonably fit horse turned out all day and worked weekends would maintain a sufficient fitness level to SJ twice a month - I do however stand corrected if appropriate ;)

Fairy
 
You've already mentioned lights and that's great. I believe (although I stand ready to be corrected) that when on the public road after dark, a horse and rider should legally have a red light(s) on the back and white light(s) on the front - just the same as a motor vehicle or even a pushbike does.

Have you thought about getting a headtorch that could fix onto your hat? Or maybe you could even find a way of fixing a headtorch to the centre front of a breastplate (haven't tried this, but you could possibly make it work).

Reflective strips on anything and everything are best after dark. Hi-viz itself (whether yellow, pink, orange or green) is only really effective in the daylight (but I'm still very pro it being used). After dark, it is the reflective strips that come into their own.

Another idea - Many endurance riders, when taking part in the really big rides with pre-dawn starts, will fix a series of glow sticks around the horses breastplate too, for extra visibility. (I haven't yet investigated where to get these from though!).
 
Pedantic said:
I ride in the dark along the river in pitch dark with all my light gear and his headlight, I also tuck a small flashing light into the top of my half chaps, then onto the estate roads which are street lit, cant see a problem and never had one up to now, ridden out in the dark for last 7 years.
Click to expand...

Can you recomend where and what to purchase (as in lights) for both horse and rider, for example the one you have attached to the bridle? :)
 
Oh wow, that headlight is fantastic! Im definitely going to have to make one of those for my boy's bridle! He wont be bothered by it as i dressed him up as a reindeer and he had a bright red flashing nose on his nosebad in the dark, and if he will put up with that im sure he will let me put one of those on him. You look really visible on that picture too, puts me at ease a bit to know it can be done without disastrous consequences xD

Im very lucky that on the roads i usually go along, a lot of people know i ride along there and will look out for me, feed him carrots, give him some love, and have a little chat and if i mention to a few people that if they see some wierd flashing floating lights and bright yellow, thats its me riding the horse in the dark, im pretty sure the whole estate will know by the next day and wont be surprised if they see me.
 
This is a cut & paste from the Highway Code:

51. At night. It is safer not to ride on the road at night or in poor visibility, but if you do, make sure you wear reflective clothing and your horse has reflective bands above the fetlock joints. A light which shows white to the front and red to the rear should be fitted, with a band, to the rider’s right arm and/or leg/riding boot. If you are leading a horse at night, carry a light in your right hand, showing white to the front and red to the rear, and wear reflective clothing on both you and your horse. It is strongly recommended that a fluorescent/reflective tail guard is also worn by your horse.

I wouldn't dare ride on the road at night cos the drivers are all half cut round here at night, but on streetlit streets, why not.
 
Hmmm, it would scare me witless unless I was riding where there was streetlighting and they could see me from a long way off. Drivers tend to rely on seeing the lights of another car to let them know something is ahead and put their foot down thinking it is clear. If you were on windy little lanes, they would be hooning along and not know you were clip clopping along in the dark until potentially too late.

I cycle down to the stables in the dark and get blinded by headlights (it is a narrow lane). Also people seem to slow down less at night oddly. The earlier point about not seeing hazards in the road is a valid one, I hit a brick on my bike in the dark and nearly came off splat. Also you need a surprisingly powerful light to cycle by in the proper dark.

I encountered someone riding along at 8am the other morning, I hate (and am sad) to say it but there was no place for a horse on a narrow rat run of a road when everyone was rushing to work and on the school run. The choice is never just either ride on the road or not, there is the third consideration, is it safe to do so?
 
Needs must. I do it and am back at it again just this week.
I would invest in a really good headtorch and lots of high-vis and only venture out in good weather conditions and on quiet country lanes. I went on mountain-bike forums to get a torch recommendation and got an LED lenser. Honestly it only takes a few rides for horse to become used to it and it's very Very bright.
http://www.torchdirect.co.uk/head-torch-range/led-lenser-head-fire-revolution-focusing.html
 
Legally you must have a white light to the front and a red one to the rear. Hi viz alone is not enough. You should also have as many reflective strips as possible. You could even get some of those little reflectors that they give out free to kids for walking to school and attach them to yourself.

LED lights are quite good for making yourself seen, and are lightweight and small but they are rubbish for allowing you to see. So it is worth getting some old fashioned bulb type lights as well, especially for the front.
 
car headlights don't get much of a reaction.
I suppose the same horse that's used to being caught and tacked up by a headtorch wearing human just seeing another type of light coming towards him:) a light coming towards him is nothing to be feared. I've had had tractors all lit up pass us and its like 'meh' but then he's used to everything being lit up in winter. Though he still thinks puddles that suddenly light up and reflect back are a bit 'eeek' :rolleyes: I do find he's more on his toes about reflection from a car approaching from behind. It can throw our shadow out in front of us dramatically. But then this in on a very very quiet lane with maybe 1 car passing and that's belonging to a neighbour who is used to the sight of me:D
 
This is the one I bought, but I notice it's "slightly" different in this picture on the button for switching on and off, maybe this is an older picture, but it will fit exactly the same, just cut off the straps that come with it, and then use "small thin" cable ties to strap to your bridle, they have to be thin cable ties as you have to thread them between the base (battery holder) and the light, don't forget to put your batteries in first, then cut off excess cable tie ends, I like this type of light as you can angle it to suit depending on where your horse holds his head, I use mine basically so it lights up where's he's looking, used this model all last winter with same batteries, bought a new one for this year.


http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9788877&fh_location=//catalog01/en_GB/categories%3C{9372015}/categories%3C{9372043}/categories%3C{9372176}/categories%3C{9392059}/specificationsProductType=headlights
 
I absolutely wouldn't ride on the road in the dark. You can hi viz all you like, but any motorist will not be expecting to see you out in the dark, and may well assume you are a bike or something else. Just seems far too dangerous for my liking, sorry. :(
 
Brandy said:
I absolutely wouldn't ride on the road in the dark. You can hi viz all you like, but any motorist will not be expecting to see you out in the dark, and may well assume you are a bike or something else. Just seems far too dangerous for my liking, sorry. :(
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No need to be sorry, you ride as you feel is ok for you, as I said, I have never had a problem in 7 years, I ride anywhere pretty much, light or dark any weather, BUT, I would never take him hunting, it would blow his brain and just be a nightmare for me, we all ride to our and our horse's limitations.
 
I drove up behind something the other day. Light was fading, nearly dark and it was very, very thick fog. I saw the 'thing' long before I would have seen a hi-vised horse on a clear sunny day.

It was a horse and rider, hacking down the road. The 'thing' was a reflective tail guard. I might well ride in the dark this winter, you really couldn't miss her, even a long way off and that was only with the tail guard. With reflective strips on everything, I think you'd be fine :)

J&C
 
Eye level are horse legs and as said tail. But during the day its often the hat with a reflective cover on that gets seen first.
 
Think of glow sticks too, okay so you shouldn't use them on their own, because they're not bright enough. But they're extra, and they'll make drivers slow down. Plus they're cheap, and attachable to anything.
 
Thank you all for your brilliant feedback and ideas, when im done im pretty sure you will be able to see me and my horse from a mile away! :D

As the roads will be lit, im not concerned about him seeing where he is going, but more for others to see me, i always see people with torches coming from the top of my road and so some white led lights on his front and red ones at the back, will surely make him more visible.

you have all made me be creative and had a good look at lights on offer, found these wonderful bright led lights which would be great to clip onto the front of my reflective breastplate:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Bri...rnsTorches&hash=item2306f7abe7#ht_3061wt_1395

also depending on the size of it, i think this would be great to clip onto the top of his bridle, he has a comfort bridle and so the noseband runs over the top of the poll piece, looking at it, it would fit nicely over the poll piece and clip under the noseband piece which should also hold it on a bit more:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LIGHTS-UL...ingAcces_RL&hash=item25682f1f5c#ht_961wt_1395

and if i sewed a few velcro tabs onto the back of my exercize sheet these would attatch nicely to the back and make his bum all that more visible! Plus with the flashing 2" round light attached to his tail guard, no one would surely miss us xD

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Battery-R...60675141498?pt=UK_Candles&hash=item3cb172ff7a

Those along with all his reflective gear on his legs, sheet and breastplate will make me so much happier riding in the dark :D
 
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