Wear High Vis - even in the summer...

suzysparkle

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RE A comment above about trailer checks. In my local newspaper today is an article about a Man who was killed. He was killed because he was hit while driving (doing nothing wrong) by a trailer that had detached from a vehicle. Said trailer hitch was found to have several faults and was the cause of the accident. The person towing it was fine.
This is my point. It's not the same but it's similar, cause and effect. If you blend in (which Horses do) and someone were to spot you last minute and had to swerve, then hits someone else, people could be seriously hurt. Yes, of course the blame may lie with the driver for not paying attention, BUT, my point is when high vis appears in your field of vision it's automatic to slow down. Not everyone driving cars is totally switched on. Just today I had someone pull out in front of me (I had to stand on brakes), I saw 3 people on phones, and I had to brake heavily for a car overtaking on a bend coming towards me. I do have a fairly long drive to work!! Drivers can be idiots. If (god forbid) you are ever involved in an accident at least if you have made an effort to be visible, you are less likely to be held liable in a court case. Oh, and you might just save someones life.
 

cider loving mare

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I wear hi vis, and as a driver think it does make a difference in spotting people on bikes or horses. I don't enjoy my rides any less and it only takes few seconds to put on. Aswell as not being insured if anything does happen you will be seen as being responisible by police and ball more likley to land in your court. Also although both my ponies are fine an the road, people are more likley to take more care when over taking you.
 

hairycob

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Pastie,

Do you live in North Beds by any chance. I ask because when I am driving to the yard at 7am I often pass 2 women who wear brown clothing on brown horses with no hi viz no matter how gloomy the weather. Now going along this quiet, relatively straight road I know that there is a high chance I will see them & even though I drive at about 40 & am extra aware that they may be out, there have been times where they are invisible against the hedges until I am almost on them. On those occasions I stop & tell them where I was when they became visible to me so they realise, but so far it has made no difference.
One day some one will be going a bit faster, won't be specifically looking out for that tell tale movement in the shadows & then it might get very messy.
 
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Hullabaloo

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Why, Why, does Hi Viz come up every month? It must depend on the roads you use, the situations you may come across. I dont wear Hi Viz, and I shall never do so. Please explain to me why we cannot judge for ourselves and take a calculated decision. I have been berated for my lack of Hi Viz in the past. then we get a thread and many admit that they dont wear it. Please we are in a nanny state as it is, just leave us alone, the renagades that dont want to scare the sheep, scare the cattle. IF I ever get run down by some dimwit that can not see a bloody big horse and me AND my dog they should go to bloody spec savers"!

Surely roads = cars = makes sense to make sure drivers can see you. It doesn't matter that there aren't many cars - it only takes one.
I almost ran into a man on a large brown cob on the main road near my house one morning a few months back. He was riding into the sun, had no hi-viz on and I couldn't see him until I was right behind him. If I hadn't been paying attention and sticking to the speed limit (as many drivers along that stretch don't) I could very easily have hit him.
So lets think about this - which of us was the dimwit!
(and there is nothing wrong with my eyesight either!)
I'm all for people doing their own risk assessments but if you refuse to reduce risk by doing something as simple as wearing hi-viz you will be criticised for it.

I'm off to don some hi-viz and go and see if I can scare some sheep and cattle. I regularly ride through a herd of cattle while wearing hi-viz and don't seem to have scared them so far but maybe today I'll be lucky and start a stampede!
 

ilovecobs

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I agree, and they aren't all that bad, you can get nice thin ones that wont make you too warm like the huge coats and things do. Plus you can get nice boot type ones for your horse to go over their brushing boots, or ones that can go on your noseband or reins. It really is better to be safe than sorry.
 

MurphysMinder

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A friend works for a big hunting yard, these people jump crazy hedges etc out hunting so wouldn't call them wimps but no-one is allowed to leave their yard to exercise horses without hi viz. And they ride round very quiet lanes, and in some cases over common land. I have watched my daughter and a friend riding up the road from my bedroom window, as they went into a shadowed area daughter was still clearly visible in her hi viz, friend totally disappeared.
 

potty_4_piebalds

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I always wear my hi-viz and have got a mini shetland who wears her yellow hi-viz exercise sheet (we had to have it made lol) when getting walked out in hand and my nearly 3 year old son has got a couple of hi-viz tabbards for hacking out (well plodding to the end of the road and back) on a sunday morning and we will only 1 or 2 cars.
 

Gorgeous George

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I don't see why it is a problem this type of thread coming up on a regular basis, if you're not interested don't read it.........but if it changes one person's mind and they put on hi-viz it could save a live.

Of course it is entirely up to you if you wear it or not (of course your horse doesn't get a choice) but imho it's crazy not to. George wears hi-viz bands on his bridle and martingale, stirrups and tail and I have a tabard/coat and hat band. I got stopped my a driver once asking for directions because they thought I was the police!! (that must slow people down) It also means that if I am riding in the woods walkers and cyclists see me in plenty of time. Finally I fell off on a hack a few years ago and George ran off, thankfully I was just winded but my friends who had caught George said they found be quickly because they saw the yellow in the field.

My life and my horse are too precious, I would never forgive myself if I thought I could of prevented an accident.
 

NeilM

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Finally I fell off on a hack a few years ago and George ran off, thankfully I was just winded but my friends who had caught George said they found be quickly because they saw the yellow in the field.

That's an important consideration. I remember from a previous thread that the emergency services were easily able to find and recover an injured rider who was on open moorland, because she was wearing hi-viz.

As a motorcyclist as well as horseman (I use that term in its loosest possible application), I am more than aware of the need to draw attention to myself in order to preserve my own safety. In the world of motorcycles, you always assume that the person in the car/van/truck has not seen you, until they demonstrate that they have, and as most motorcycles are travelling much faster than any horse can, the motorcyclist needs to be seen FAST.

Recently, I was driving across country in Oxfordshire. Rolling countryside, winding lanes, sunny day, superb. My attention was drawn to a flash of hi-viz about 1/2 a mile ahead, I just got a glimpse of a vest, so I slowed down as I got close to the spot and as I came round a corner, there were two riders on decent sized horses both wearing vests. I was already driving much slower than I would normally have been (60 MPH road), so passing slow and wide was no problem. I got a nice wave in return. Just because it's 10.00 am in the middle of the week and on a quiet country road in the middle of nowhere, doesn't mean there's not a business man with a Sat-Nav, trying to get to a meeting on time.

As with all things, it is a matter of choice and a consideration of probabilities. By necessity I ride my pony on the road almost every time I ride him, there has been a horse fatality on the road I ride, I don't want there to be another, so, I wear hi-viz.
 

SmartieBean09

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I have friends who dont wear hi viz but I always make sure I do! If not for me but for my horse.......and for my friends and their horses if they arent wearing hi viz and hacking out with me. It goes without saying too that it is for the drivers safety too.

I have driven down a country lane in broad day light before and not seen the horse and rider but have seen their hi viz!

My hi viz vest came from a sports wear shop for £2! For the sake of £2, I think its worth it!
 

rosie fronfelen

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I think the ones who disagree are the more vociferous, also the ones who believe that good riding can save your horse from being hit (I have no idea how this works, but there you go...)
Why someone feels the need to say Oh God no I cannot imagine, but there are those who seem to think that we make the whole of the riding fraternity look bad if we wear hi-viz, it is bey9ond me, but there are those who are too 'cool', to 'experienced' etc etc to need Hi-Viz. I have ridden for many many years and have upgraded my hat, my tack etc. as better safer stuff has arrived. I also have upgraded my visibility. I currently have a jacket and hat band on me, leg wraps and exercise sheet on the mare (both summer and winter weight). I see no reason not to and every reason to.
i do have a name! i wrote that comment as this thread has been on before and got very emotive- so i get a feeling that its been dragged up again to stir a bit more, i could be wrong!!PLEASE NOTE I HAVE SAID THIS- i am not commenting on this subject and am sitting on the fence this time- not worth the upsets!!
 

cbmcts

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Apart from the sterling job hi viz does in avoiding an accident in the first place I also take the view that if some muppet does hit me and my horse - they are not going to talk their way out of blame afterwards by saying they couldn't see us.
 

rosie fronfelen

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Pastie,

Do you live in North Beds by any chance. I ask because when I am driving to the yard at 7am I often pass 2 women who wear brown clothing on brown horses with no hi viz no matter how gloomy the weather. Now going along this quiet, relatively straight road I know that there is a high chance I will see them & even though I drive at about 40 & am extra aware that they may be out, there have been times where they are invisible against the hedges until I am almost on them. On those occasions I stop & tell them where I was when they became visible to me so they realise, but so far it has made no difference.
One day some one will be going a bit faster, won't be specifically looking out for that tell tale movement in the shadows & then it might get very messy.

in Pasties defence, she lives in the hills of Cumbria!!
 

Persephone

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i do have a name! i wrote that comment as this thread has been on before and got very emotive- so i get a feeling that its been dragged up again to stir a bit more, i could be wrong!!PLEASE NOTE I HAVE SAID THIS- i am not commenting on this subject and am sitting on the fence this time- not worth the upsets!!

If you have a look, the OP is actually pretty new to the forum. They are imparting a useful statistic that may actually encourage another few riders to improve their's and their horse's road safety. It is quite unkind to suggest that the new poster is stirring.

Also you and Pastie don't have to respond to, or act upon the thread in any way. When you have been here longer you will realise that the same threads occur over and over again. You don't have to keep replying.
 

Spudlet

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in Pasties defence, she lives in the hills of Cumbria!!

Jeez Louise, when I ride in Cumbria I hi-viz up, those lanes are like race tracks sometimes:eek:

However if someone chooses to not wear hi-viz that's their choice - I disagree with them strongly and would have absolutely no sympathy whatsoever if they were to be hit - all my empathy would be with the driver (and most of all the horse).

There are many numpties in this world, we can certainly stand the loss of a few.
 

rosie fronfelen

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If you have a look, the OP is actually pretty new to the forum. They are imparting a useful statistic that may actually encourage another few riders to improve their's and their horse's road safety. It is quite unkind to suggest that the new poster is stirring.

Also you and Pastie don't have to respond to, or act upon the thread in any way. When you have been here longer you will realise that the same threads occur over and over again. You don't have to keep replying.

thank you for your invaluable advice- i've been posting on this forum for quite a while actually! i couldn't care less if the OP is newish on here, does that leave it free to not call someone by a name- also i will post how and whenever i want, i still think this thread is emotive and has proved so- bugger Hi Vis i say!! just to put a tiger amongst the pigeons-
 

thinlizzy

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I wear hi -viz all the time all year round i only have to drive my car country lanes and blink and a cyclist appears all in black !I dont look very posh or glamorous in hi-viz workman yellow, but i feel safer , can give hand signals to slow down clearer.I am the only one from my yard who wears it all year round , iahve spares and i offer people to lend them if hacking with me but i am declined .
I do believe a lot of road folk who drive around were i hack , etc and lorry drivers ,cyclists and dog walkers are familiar with me and i think me always wearing workman hi-viz yellow coat is my trademark now
 

G&T

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There are many numpties in this world, we can certainly stand the loss of a few.

:eek::eek: Woah there that's a bit strong isn't it?? I wear a tabard on the road but in fact I rarely ride on the road these days at all as where I live in the country the roads are quite bendy and someone coming round a corner at 60mph might not have time to stop or swerve to miss us, esp if someone was coming the other way at speed. I think it's frankly dangerous tp ride on any but the quietest little lanes these days as there isn't the awareness/respect for the riding community among some (not all!) motorists.

My point is that I would never judge those who do ride on the roads (even wearing hi-viz, imo STILL DANGEROUS, sorry!) and say they effectively deserve to be hit and don't care about their horse's welfare, just because they don't take the same precautions I do. So to judge those who don't wear hi-viz so callously is a bit harsh. Especially as hi-viz won't save you from a car speeding round a corner, they'll still see you too late.
 

brighteyes

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thank you for your invaluable advice- i've been posting on this forum for quite a while actually! i couldn't care less if the OP is newish on here, does that leave it free to not call someone by a name- also i will post how and whenever i want, i still think this thread is emotive and has proved so- bugger Hi Vis i say!! just to put a tiger amongst the pigeons-

Well, well. Another stupid person to go with Pastie. I just hope you never see the broken ruins of your horses lying before you on the road. You are deliberately and knowingly putting much more than your narrow-minded and selfish selves at risk.

We need a high-vis sticky, never mind it surfacing once a month. Good point about the low sun, too.

Does anyone know if mounted police officers suffer from the same level of disregard us civilians often do and why it would be that they wear hi-vis?

Mounted.police.london.arp.600pix.jpg
 

Hullabaloo

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You just never know when your hi-viz will be needed.

When I leave my yard I have to ride along the path at the side of the A4. Its a long straight stretch and we're not actually on the road so I'm sure some poeple would argue that on a bright day like today you don't need hi-viz.
On my way back from my hack this morning I turned down the path (its only on one side so on the way home you are facing the traffic). I realsied that down close to the entrance to our yard there was a tractor out cutting the verge. Luckily he spotted my hi-viz and me signalling like mad that I was going to be taking that turning from the top of the hill (best part of 1/4 mile away) and stopped to wait for me to reach my turning.
Meeting him after he passed the entrance would mean either taking my horse onto the main road with traffic at 60mph which might or might not slow down, waiting in the village until he passed (he'd almost reached there by the time I left for home!) or taking a long detour.

I never leave the yard without it.
 

Puddock

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I was out this morning in blazing sunshine with mine on. Won't go out without it.

Can't understand why it seems to be a badge of "cool" not to wear it?

But then I don't have utter disregard for the safety of my horse (after all, it's taken me twenty eight years to get him and I'd quite like him to be around for another few years). Or for that of other road users. I will do everything I possibly can to avoid being the cause of an accident and that includes wearing hi viz.

Maybe if I go out without it I'll automatically become some kind of dressage superstar, you know, since it makes you such a good rider :p
 

Persephone

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thank you for your invaluable advice- i've been posting on this forum for quite a while actually! i couldn't care less if the OP is newish on here, does that leave it free to not call someone by a name- also i will post how and whenever i want, i still think this thread is emotive and has proved so- bugger Hi Vis i say!! just to put a tiger amongst the pigeons-

But the opening poster did not respond to any of your posts. I think you may be getting confused.
 

Spit That Out

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I added this post as the topic came up in our brew room the other morning. Someone was laughing at someone else because they looked like a neon light with the amount of hi-vis they had on themselves and their horse.
It was clear when they went out for their hack but the mist/fog about half an hour later came and visibility was down to about 100 yards.
The first thing we saw coming though the fog was Emma's band round her hat and the jacket along with Tinkers hi-vis leg wraps and martingale...you couldn't see her face or Tinker until they were nearly in the yard.
Hence why the post says even wear hi-vis in the summer.
The fact that hi-vis gets you noticed and adds stopping time for drivers has got to be a good thing.
I apologise if you have had this post before and i don't care if you wear hi-vis or not, that's up to you, but please remember that there are new people joining H&H all the time and many may not have read all 100,000 posts. As someone said earlier, if it helps one person then why is it a bad thing to post about it again?
You don't have to read or comment on every post. If you have read something before then go to the next post...walk away and leave the comments to others who find the subject interesting.
There are often repeated posts about Laminitis or what do you think of my advert...what should i call my horse and at the moment blooming england flags but you don't see comments like "Not again" or "leave us alone it's up to us what we do!!"
I wear Hi-Vis...if you don't then fine. I eat meat, if you don't then that's fine. I drink red wine and not white, if you like the other way round then fine...each to their own...Hi-Vis...it's up to you but don't slate people for posting a topic, it's just rude.
 

Persephone

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Well said Sedgemoor Chaos!

Hi Viz is as important as your hat and tack and your horse's shoes!

There were a couple of slight slackers at our yard, but now we have more people there who do wear it as a matter of course, they have actually started putting some on themselves EVERY time.

I do think it actually could do with being made law, a lot of cyclists around our way don't wear it, and tbh I have seen more than a few of them squashed on the roundabout near my house unfortunately. All in broad daylight :(

And yes I agree that a sticky Hi Viz notice on here would be good!
 

HotToTrot

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These posts are useful - I only read them when I am stuck at work on a weekend (ggrrr!!!!) and maybe a month ago, I read a similar one. It made a point that has been made on this thread - what if you come off and your horse has no hi-viz on?

I know from experience that when I come off, my horse high-tails it, laughing her head off. I always sling on a tabbard to hack out and I gave it no more thought, but then when I read the thread, I pictured her legging it back to the yard on her own. Where I keep her, that would not be at all advisable. So I now have luminous boots for her, in the hope that it may help to stop cars hitting her if I come off her. And that was because of the post I had read on here.
 

lauzbeefy

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I wear High Viz all year round even if I am not on the road then if something happens and my horse gets onto the road, she can be seen and hopefully I am easy to find. I love my horse and am aware that by riding on the road she is at risk, I will do anything I can to reduce that... At least if the worst happens I know I have done what I can...

Also there are so many people riding on the roads with absolutely no road sense or courtesy to car drivers... another thing that gets my goat!!
 

pocket

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Very well said and as my friend on FB said yesterday in her post, we need to be mindfull of all the St Georges Flags that are flapping in the wind at the moment, very patriotic but not horse friendly......
 

mickey

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Oh, I can't be doing with looking stupid with all that bright yellow on! So embarrassing!

The above is a joke, don't worry! But sadly, it reflects the views of a number of people at my yard. There are near on 15 staff/liveries who ride out from the yard, and only myself and 1 other wear hi-viz! A girl from there hacked my horse out a couple of times in the Winter and she looked horrified when I asked her to wear one of my tabbards. Had she not, she would not have been going anywhere on my horse. No hat or no hi-viz = get off my horse I'm afraid. I am hacking out a lot now, and I always wear a relective/fluorescent tabbard, 4 reflective/fluorescent boots for Mickey and a pick hat band. I get some odd looks from the yard.

I try to explain to people that it is not just helpful on the roads, it also could be crucial in finding your horse and yourself in an accident. I put stuff on Mickey so that he can be seen more easily as well as myself (esp when moving). Another factor is that people may adapt their behaviour in general if they see you. This is illustrated very well by an experience that I had only this morning. I was hacking out off road, and someone was shooting. Individual shots seperated by a minute or so. When I emerged from a small wood (about a mile or so from where I estimated the guns were firing), I think they might have seen me because the shooting stopped. What about the person with a dog off the lead that is able to get his/her dog back much more in advance of you riding towards it. There are lots of complaints about dogs attacking horses after all!

I cross a very busy main road to go hacking and I know from using this road for many years that in the evening, it can be very difficult to see traffic coming from one way when the sun sets.

In summary, this issue is something which I feel strongly about. If you care for your horse, you will give it the best chance. If I had my way it would be law for riders and cyclists to wear fluorescent and reflective. Of course that could be difficult to organise!

When I was younger I didn't wear fluroescent. Thank God I have now seen sense.
I feel proud to look after my horse and other road users. And as for those who think it's not fashionable, well you seriously need to take action.

One other thing; I've been out hacking with people that don't say thank you/wave to considerate drivers. So short-sighted as next time the driver may not bother. Why don't these people use their brain cells!
 

Tormenta

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I had this argument with my daughter when she turned 13 years old and decided that extra layers were not 'cool'. We live in a rural farming area with miles and miles of quiet bendy lanes where you meet a car or tractor once a week while out hacking but I still made her put her vest and headband on along with the pony's reflective boots. At least, in my mind, if someone had hit her and pony, my conscience would not have been full of 'what ifs' and regrets.
 
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