Shocked at H+H advice not to wear too much hi-viz

Rowreach

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If I had kids I'd certainly be dipping them and their ponies in luminous paint and covering them with fairy lights!! :D

My kids, both boys, are decked out in hiviz whether on or off their ponies. If ever I though anyone considered them "pansies" or accused them of being less than intelligent because they wear hiviz, I cannot imagine what my reaction would be :mad::mad:

fwiw I have noticed that whenever H&H print an even slightly critical letter from a reader, the editorial response is always dismissive, defensive and reactionary :(
 

teapot

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I wouldn't call the mounted police 'nervous novices' when they're out and about trussed up like Christmas trees. For the mounted police in London, they're not dealing with fast traffic or indeed hidden under shadows of hedges and trees and yet it's STILL good enough for them...

Just saying. (and yes I wear high viz & I also happen to have a fantastic waterproof coat that's yellow.)
 

mtj

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I'm afraid Lannerch is right concerning messages etc on tabards and L plates. I undestand the official advice is to avoid any statement ie young horse, that could be interpreted that you are contributing to any incident.

"Please pass wide and slow" is considered acceptable as a non admission of liability.
 

Natch

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If this thread isn't in the top 5 threads in next weeks edition then we will all know that H&H is fake

Ah but we already know this. Top 5 threads aren't the most popular threads, they are the ones HHO deems most appropriate for their image ;) Shil's cob thread for example, by far the most replies when it was started, rumbled on for weeks, but only actually made it into the top 5 (for the first time :cool: ) a year or so later, when only a handful of replies were added to bump it back up.

Naturally - meant tongue in cheek ;)

Ps stop stalking me :D

Oops missed that :eek: and I shall, I really need to drag myself away from here and facebook! :eek:
 

Bikerchickone

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The scary thing is I think this thread shows what the editor of H&H and associated staff actually think of all their paying readers to whom they owe their jobs.

If we all withdraw our financial support then they'll lose their jobs and hopefully that ridiculous superiority complex they seem to have developed.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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Today's H+H has an article on mollycoddling horses. Most is about overfeeding/rugging/clipping etc., but it also implies that wearing more than a hi-viz tabard is excessive.

Bit shocked to be honest. Thought the recommendation was for some hi viz on both horse and rider.

What do you think?



Right :rolleyes: and so what if we molly coddle horses???

Some of us think of horses as family.

To be honest I never view article H&H post unless its on the front page more often than not I don't bother with their articles.

So I wear a tabart- leg wraps-martingale wrap-hat band -hi viz rug- hi viz gloves etc and more so I look like a beacon but at least I give my horse the best chance of being seen.
 

lannerch

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Ceris comet IMO yes but my opinion in your opinion no that's fine too.
Please don't come high and mighty just because I dare to disagree!
 

Rowreach

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Right :rolleyes: and so what if we molly coddle horses???

Some of us think of horses as family.

To be honest I never view article H&H post unless its on the front page more often than not I don't bother with their articles.

So I wear a tabart- leg wraps-martingale wrap-hat band -hi viz rug- hi viz gloves etc and more so I look like a beacon but at least I give my horse the best chance of being seen.

Sorry Leviathan, you are like [most of] the rest of us, nervous novice numpties who don't have a "traditional" horsey background and therefore are not worthy of horseownership. We over-rug, overfeed, overclip, underexercise, over supplement, and use excessive traffic as an excuse to only ride in arenas, except for those of us who are REALLY nervous and stupid and deck ourselves out in obscene amounts of hiviz before venturing out on a hack :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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Anything more than a tabard is overkill eh?

Fine, well tell that to ROSPA you folk in the H&H towers.

Do you want to preach to all other road users - such as say motorcyclists?
Tell them to wear a tabard & dont bother to put their lights on - its overkill eh?

H&H Editor, you have let reporters use the mag for some odd & quite frankly biased opinions over the years which have been laughed at and then forgotten.
However, in this instance please think about them trying to encourage readers to cut back on safety, in DIRECT conflict with all other advice, such as in the highway code and in all Pony Club and BHS training.

A retraction, in big print on your website with follow up comments form the DVLA, BHS & Pony Club on the website and also in the magazine would be appreciated.

I wont hold my breath tho :rolleyes:
 

true dragon

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I have a hard enough time convincing the children and students that I teach that hiviz is cool enough to wear without the idea that others (including H&H mag) consider them "frightened" Bertie Bassetts for wearing it :(

exactly! this comment in "half a sentence" might stop some teen or child wearing hi viz for fear of being laughed at and called "bertie basset"

taken to the extreme, this "Half a sentence" might get someone killed on the roads.
 

true dragon

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How many deaths will it take before H&H support hi- viz ?

exactly! this issue literally is a life or death choice. not only for the rider, but their horse and the motorist too

if there is not an apology and article about the merits of wearing hi viz i will not be buying this magazine again. (a weekly customer for the past 10 years)
 

HollyB66

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I agree AshTay.

Also the Bertie Basset comment was quite derogatory and will not make it any easier to persuade reluctant teens to put safety over looks.

Re the comments about yellow Hi-viz and oil seed rape fields, I agree with that too. A combination of yellow/pink or yellow/orange helps you stand out against more backgrounds and is therefore better and safer than yellow alone.

I also read the article in the magazine before seeing this thread and totally agree with Ashtray, Catwithclaws and Faracat! and probably many others but have only reached post #290 ish in my reading.

A poor response from H&H Admin to which I have only just started my weekly subscription.

I wear a mix of yellow and orange hi viz, which might make me appear like a 'Bertie Bassett', but it keeps me and my horse that little bit safer when we are on the roads. The extra seconds count!!!
 

livetoride

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I think hi viz is useful and use it myself, but to read some of the posts here you would think that a horse was invisible without it!
 

jenki13

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I think hi viz is useful and use it myself, but to read some of the posts here you would think that a horse was invisible without it!

Not invisible but definitely harder to see! There is one person who rides out on the same lanes I do and she has a bay horse and often wears a dark green/brown jacket and similar coloured jods, considering we have hedges bordering 99% of the lane and most of these are taller than a person on top of a 16/17hh horse then she does quite literally camouflage herself. There has been a couple of incidents with myself or a family member driving that we have only seen the horse/rider because we see a flash of a white sock or blaze as the horse moves :eek: A bright yellow/pink/orange tabard and leg bands would make the individual stand out a good few seconds before.

Putting hi-viz on before riding out on the horse is as automatic to me as putting my headlight on my motorbike is before riding that.

I have today invested in a long sleeved pink top and an orange one from sports world (was planning on this before the thread) they are meant for cyclists but will work just as well on horse back! I have also brought some fluorescent leg wraps after reading (and thinking about) the advice that a moving object is seen quicker than a static one... and also realising that my horse has nothing on from the rear on front yellow brushing boots!
 

ILuvCowparsely

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Sorry Leviathan, you are like [most of] the rest of us, nervous novice numpties who don't have a "traditional" horsey background and therefore are not worthy of horseownership. We over-rug, overfeed, overclip, underexercise, over supplement, and use excessive traffic as an excuse to only ride in arenas, except for those of us who are REALLY nervous and stupid and deck ourselves out in obscene amounts of hiviz before venturing out on a hack :rolleyes::rolleyes:



I am not a novice 45 years of riiding and BHS exams under my belt thankyou and owning my own yard.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:.

H&H want to print a stupid comment like don't wear to much Hi Viz I say shame on them.
So what if we want to pamper our horses buy them fancy rugs etc, boy things are going downhill with ............................
 
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MrsMozart

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I was wearing high viz when I came off Dizz and had a bleed on the brain. I was in a field having just got back from a hack.

The Air Ambulance crew, the ground crew, and the A&E staff all thanked me - for wearing high viz and therefore easy to find, thereby saving their time and quite possibly my life.

Having nearly hit a horse because it and its rider blended into the stone wall and hedges, I know stop to ask those that don't protect their horse and themselves to reconsider.
 

justforfun

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As a mother, car driver and horse owner.

1, I do not let my children hack out without hi-viz, any mother who do are IMO irresponsible and clearly do not care enough about their children to take 5 mns and 'hi-viz' up.

2, I drive alot of miles each day, past lots of yards. and I am fed up as a driver to come round a corner in the evenings to find a horse and rider on the road without ANY hi-viz, I DO NOT WANT TO KILL A HORSE OR ITS RIDER, but from where I am sitting behind my steering wheel it looks like the horse rider dosnt care about ANYTHING OR ANYONE, not themsleves,their horse or the car drivers, one word SELFISH.

3, I love my horse, and although I take a risk riding on the roads, I still want to make it as safe a ride as possible for EVERYONE on the road.


In a world stuffed with health and safety madness-this is one time where good old common sence should prevail.
 

Morland

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Check that your hi-viz stands out - on country lanes in Spring or Summer, or if it's a bit misty, pink is better than yellow/green. Happy Hacking!
 

Ladydragon

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Forgot to put before for those who use l signs for young horses be careful for if something was to happen (heaven forbid ) it may like the wording caution young horse be seen blame wise as an admission of lack of control,

I'm afraid Lannerch is right concerning messages etc on tabards and L plates. I undestand the official advice is to avoid any statement ie young horse, that could be interpreted that you are contributing to any incident.

"Please pass wide and slow" is considered acceptable as a non admission of liability.

I agree, there probably is an 'admission' hidden within the L plates and it's not as if the 'passenger' can claim full optional control with an animal in the same way as an L plated, instructor's car... But, I'm also a bit tired of the "Don't do something sensible because in the event of an accident you might be considered at fault" type attitude rampant today... Best I don't clear a walkway in the snow either in case someone trips over a bit I missed... etc...:rolleyes:

An L plate or a big red L on high viz is instantly recognised - from a distance... The "Pass wide and slow" probably less easy to read... Some drivers are just total wannabe rally drivers who shouldn't be on the roads, some will push things a bit and others are genuinely decent and considerate... I doubt either of the last two actually want a horse or person sat on their bonnet - the hi viz and L is an easily identified combination... It might even get some attention from the muppets who shouldn't be behind the wheel...

My 'risk assessment' is that the chances of an accident are reduced - which can only be a good thing... Arguably, having a young horse on the road and not making this clear for other road users to make informed decisions could be determined as contributory anyway... "But my client passed three horses earlier and couldn't possibly be expected to know that this particular horse was young/and or inexperienced and slow down/pass wider/pause until it passed to safely accommodate this fact"...

It could be considered contributory whether you do or don't use it... If the risks are reduced a tad though, that'll do for me...:)
 
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