Safe winter hacking... I wear hi vis, who else?!

I've seen four riders out in the past few weeks without Hi-Vis on, all riding dark coloured horses, wearing dark coloured clothing on murky days. It takes you that much longer to notice them, and that small amount of time could be the difference. I was put off wearing hi-vis when I was a young teen by the adults on the yard I was on, who stated that only novices and Riding School cliental would be see in it. That had an effect on me and I stopped wearing it. After being involved in an accident when out riding, both me and the horse were OK, I wear it proudly and hope that others follow suite. Those I ride with certainly have and I've definitely noticed the drivers giving me more space now.

I'm currently wearing a polite waistcoat, flouresecent hat cover and the horse wears hi-vis boots. But I'm going to purchase a hi-vis coat now it's getting colder, it should make any arm signals clearer.
 
I always wear an orange vest with flashing red lights, horse (dark bay) always wears reflective yellow strips on martingale (one on neckstrap, one on standing martingale attachment), wraps with yellow reflective strips on nearside legs and yellow reflective bands with red flashing lights on offside legs.

In winter I add either an ex-police jacket or yellow reflective mesh jumper for me and a yellow flourescent exercise sheet and tail guard for the neddy.

Even if I'm not riding on the roads I usually wear hi vis so that if I get seperated from the neddy, he can be seen on roads and the air ambulance can find me! :D
 
I wear a hi viz coat like yours and pony has a fluorescent yellow exercise sheet and his boots have high viz straps. We look like total lemons but I'd rather that than someone not see and hit us! :)
 
I bought the "Polite Notice" tabbard and hat band and smile sweetly and express thanks as the traffic crawls past. It has been well worth buying because the drivers aren't sure if I am police and keep their speed down and give us far more space. But I will trot on until they can pass us safely.
 
Malibu-Stacey where did you get your saddle cloth from? Be good for summer when its too hot for my equi-fleece exercise sheet. I wear hi viz hat cover, tabard. My boy wears pink hi viz bridle & rein set, leg wraps in pink&yellow & excer.sheet if its really dull, cold or raining. I also have flashing tail wrap but it slips if its raining or if he gets rather excited & bucks in canter! :-D
 
I have never seen a soul on horse back wearing hi-viz where I live.

Mind, with the exception of myself and my Boarders I have never seen anyone else out on the roads.

Orange is the hi-viz of choice here, very important if you wish to avoid being shot by deer hunters :D
 
Ebenezer_Scrooge said:
Malibu-Stacey where did you get your saddle cloth from? Be good for summer when its too hot for my equi-fleece exercise sheet. I wear hi viz hat cover, tabard. My boy wears pink hi viz bridle & rein set, leg wraps in pink&yellow & excer.sheet if its really dull, cold or raining. I also have flashing tail wrap but it slips if its raining or if he gets rather excited & bucks in canter! :-D
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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PolyPads-...t=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&hash=item5adaefecdf
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Be-Seen-B...Horse_Wear_Equipment&var=&hash=item1c20573408
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HKM-Horse...t=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&hash=item2575a08b73
there you go
 
I actually got mine from here:

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.loesdau.de/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dloesdau%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26biw%3D700%26bih%3D678%26prmd%3Dimvns&sa=X&ei=bJx7ULrtNerG0QX9v4DYCA&sqi=2&ved=0CCQQ7gEwAA

http://www.loesdau.de/Reflex-Schabracke.htm?websale7=loesdau&pi=6129&ci=05-schabracken
Much cheaper than anything from ebay and great quality. P&P to UK bumps the price up, but when I got it another lovely HHO user (Muffinmunch) combined it with an order she was getting and got it sent to her parents in Germany, where she then picked it up when she next visited them.
 
I ride throughout the entire year in the same high viz - high viz leg wraps all round on horse and high viz jacket for me. I even wear my jacket in the height of summer at 6am, even though I never see traffic at all. But that is my choice, I like to be as safe as possible and feel that I am when in my high viz.
I do the same on the cycle in to work - high viz tabbard and lights all round...for the same reasons.
 
Always have, always will - whatever time of year, time of day. Would not ever ride out without it and will not ride with anyone who doesn't wear it. Not many of us round here wear it, but there again some people still ride without hats on, so they obviously haven't got brains to protect let alone think with.
 
Always wear "Polite" tabard and hat band whatever the time of day! The hat band I've found is just as important as the tabard as I live in Cornwall and many of the routes I ride have the big cornish walls and drivers have said that they have seen the hat band coming over the top of the wall before they see anything else!
 
I always wear tabard with 'please pass wide and slow' Most of the lanes round me are single track but if I know im going on any bigger roads I put legbands on too. My mare's grey so that also helps.
I have to admit I went out a few weeks ago in the fields so had no hiviz on and it was such a nice day i decided to extend the hack and loop back on the road. Never again! nothing happened but its amazing how much difference the hi viz makes.

I had a horrible incident last winter. I was driving out of the yard with my headlights on so must have been dusk/nearly dark. Drove round the barn, must of been doing no more than 2/3 mph and nearly hit one of the liveries coming back from a hack. Big bay hunter, brown tack, brown/black clothing.
To make it worse yo had taken newly backed youngster out, 2nd time n road, again no hiviz. The other livery/sharer had a tabard on at the back of the group but...

Ella19 said:
I work as an instructor on a riding school and see it as my duty (as well as my own safety) to wear it and set an example whether working or riding my own.
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Im so glad to hear this as a riding instructor who used to teach at the yard i worked at didnt wear a hat when she was riding other peoples horses in the school. And people wondered why I wouldnt even give her the time of day.
 
This...but with a sheet too :) I in fact went to buy it that day!

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Love your horse OP!

I always viz-up!

We wear everything that's going basically, has a lovely fleecy quarter-sheet we got a few years ago which keeps my boy's bottie nice and warm www.equafleece.co.uk and NO I'm NOT advertising!

Also the Aerborn waterproof quarter sheets are brilliant for when its tipping down with rain; plus they don't make a noise when you ride in them to spook the horse. Even my loan mare can deal with it.
 
Yep another hi viz fan here :)

Polite tabard and hat band for me, 4 hi viz boots and exercise sheet for the hoss - I also often get people asking if he's a police horse lol
 
Happytohack said:
but there again some people still ride without hats on, so they obviously haven't got brains to protect let alone think with.
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Well said!

I can`t believe that no-one from one of our local riding school wears any hi-viz at all, and the other one only puts in on their two hack escorts(and then it is only a tabard each!) because I emailed them and pointed out that I couldn`t see them until I was on top of them and how dangerous & inconsiderate it was!!
 
I treated myself to one of those 'POLITE' tabards at HOYS last weekend.

Used this weekend for the first time. Best £15.00 spent for a long time. Nothing passed me at more than 15mph in the lanes. Very impressed and much better than my normal plain hi viz waistcoat.
 
I bought a decommissioned police jacket. My girl is a big bay so I've added a matching lanyard, mesh 1/4 rug and woof brushing boots. We do look like the mounted police.

It give us those valuable few seconds we need and acres of respect from drivers, dog walkers, cyclists etc. Everyone that sees us DO think I'm a copper and the safety difference it's made to our hacks and my confidence in is unbelievable, would never go without it now no matter how much others might laugh.
 
Always go out with a POLITE hat band and pink tabard on. Horse always has reflective leg wraps on all 4 legs.

And for dusky hacking I now have a v-bandz tail wrap to add!
 
Wear a tabard if going on the roads but if we're just going up the track opposite the yard I generally don't as it's literally just across the road. Usually wear it anyway incase we decide to go further.

Do have a exercise sheet as well that we wore alot at our old yard where it was nearly all riding on the road, but it got pretty shredded when friends horse reversed into us and got it caught on her stirrup. So will be wearing that when it gets fixed seen as he's clipped now.

When I kept pony and worked at a riding school we always all wore hi-vis when hacking and even when turning out if it was bad light as had to lead them right through a village to get to some fields.
 
We never go out without hi viz. The kids are great and i try to buy stuff that they like so that they will wear it. The ponies always have various stuff on but we are upping the ante at the moment for the winter.
We live near a famous show jumper and I am always shocked that his horses and staff never wear anything. Those horses must be worth a fortune so why not take care ?
What do you think though is pink, yellow or orange better for showing up. we ride in the forest and round the dark roads a lot so just wondered what you think shows up better.
 
Molasses said:
Even the dog is in high-viz on a foggy morning :D

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This pic is brilliant for showing how inadequate Pink hi viz is. (comparing your breastplate. To your sheet,dog & tabbard. )

I have a yellow hat cover and tabbard although I'm getting a new tabbard as mine isn't as bright as it used to be! Also. On the hunt for leg wraps, a tail thingy and breastplate all in yellow :) might get an exercise sheet too.....I'm quite looking forward to looking like an Xmas tree :-D
 
I searched and searched for an unlined hi viz sheet, and last year Aldi came up trumps with leg bands, neck strap and sheet :D Poor horse! I have a tabard, plus a hat band (which has flashing lights for foggy days) from Lidl.

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oh i dunno, as a driver i see horse riders in pink hi viz just as easily as i see yellow.

i used to wear all yellow, but ive started to mix it up with different colours as ive read a report saying that a mix of colours is the most visible to drivers. that why rail workers wear tabards of yellow and orange.

heres me in just yellow

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and a few of a mix of colours

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and this is what (both) my horses wear, as if i were to get thrown off and they legged it home, I know drivers will see them too.

ive got both mine in parsons rumps, which are cooler than sheets as my horses sweat like mad.

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looking good :)

Love your horses boots, they look great for riding on the road.
The bear minimum hi viz i wear is a tabard....If its bad weather conditions or we are going for a long hack/somewhere busy/poor visability I put a large orange wrap around on my horse too. Ideally I would like some reflective boots for her but not got around to getting them yet....I also put a bit of reflective tape on the end of my schooling whip (like a tiny flag!) cant tell you how good it is for encouraging drivers to keep thir distance ;)
 
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