Why i started wearing hi-viz.

[kerilli]

About 12 years ago i was driving in my car in broad daylight on a clear day along a lane near my old place in Northants. I always give horses a very wide, slow berth, btw. I wasn't in a hurry at all, i was trundling along at about 35 mph on a big sweeping right hand bend with a big tall dark hedge along the left hand side.
the next thing i knew, there was a horse about 10 feet ahead of me. a bay horse, ridden by a rider in a Barbour jacket. i swerved hard and missed them both. went on a little way, pulled up and got out to apologize... and i was a good friend of mine. i swear to god, i was so apologetic but i absolutely HAD NOT SEEN HER against the dark hedge. we'd both been frightened almost witless by it, but a dark horse and a dark rider against a dark hedge = perfect camouflage.
from that day on she always wore a yellow sam brown belt, and i always wore a hi-viz workman's waistcoat, usually with "please slow down" or "pass very slowly please" or "slow, young horse" scrawled across it by me.
so, if you don't wear brights, please please think seriously about starting... i would NEVER forgive myself if a horse got hurt or killed under me on the road, and i hadn't given the driver every chance to see me and slow down.
*mini lecture ends*

 

[TGM]

I had a similar experience. I always used to wear hi viz when it was raining or misty but not in bright sunlight. Then one day I was riding a friend's bay horse in bright sunshine with no hi viz on. A friend was driving past and stopped me and said she had only seen me at the last minute, because of the shade cast by the hedges. After that I have always worn hi viz on the roads whatever the weather.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

A similar thing happened to me out in a country lane this lunchtime. I came round a bend & there was a black horse, rider wearing a black jacket & hat & they were in the shadows of the tree lined lane. Not a stitch of hi viz or anything bright on them. I narrowly missed them......why she wasn't wearing at the minimum a hi viz tabard I have no idea....they're only a couple of pounds.

 

[Weezy]

My OH bought me a hi-viz tabard last year after he almost hit a horse and rider because he hadn't seen them

 

[miller]

But there's plenty that don't!

Passed a woman on wed night on the way home from work at 6:50pm (very dusky light), she was on a bay horse in navy jods and a green jackets with OH riding behind on a bike - I saw her (on a straight road) at about 20ft as she's blended in with the hedges - I managed to slow down and pass her ok. As I pulled past, a lorry coming up from behind her obviously didn't see her, jumped on his brakes and I saw the trailer snake (he would have been going 40ish)

This is a B road but a very busy one - utter madness - personally I wouldn't ride out in that light even with hi viz

 

[I_A_P]

i must admit i dont often wear hi-viz but if the weather is normally a bit manky out there im always wearing my musto snug jacket that is literally flouresecnt pink so does the job perfecelty as well as having some v reflective patches of cream as well...its v v birght!

 

[Dottie]

TBH I think people that don't wear Hi Viz when out on the roads are complete idiots. They are risking the life of their horse and theirselfs. Whats the problem with just chucking on a Hi viz jacket or leg bandages for the horse?! It is my absolute pet hate

 

[jumpthemoon]

I've had a few near misses on the roads both on horseback and in the car. The way I see it, there are two scenarios -

1) Rider not wearing high-viz. Driver comes round corner, sees object, thinks 'what's that', realises it's a horse and slows down.
2) Rider wearing high-viz. Driver comes round corner, sees bright thing in road, slams on brakes and realises it's a horse.

The difference between the two can be the difference between the horse being hit by the car or not, IMO. I always wear high-viz, but know loads of people who don't

 

[claireross]

I often see a girl riding out without high-viv stuff on and it's very difficult to see them until the last minute.

If I see anything high-viv I slow down, as your never sure whether its a bike, horse or people working on the road until you get closer. Based on this theory I always wear high-viv in the hope that others do the same

 

[Salcey]

My daughter had a very close shave and she was wearing a high vis tabard. Driver approached a corner v fast as we were going around the corner on the verge in single file, my daughter was behind. The driver saw us, braked, missed the corner and ended in the ditch about a foot behind the pony. It was a sunday afternnon about 2pm - now if she hadn't been wearing high vis..........doesn't bear thinking about.

 

[helenandshadow]

Well said! Completely agree, I always wear hi-viz, I don't understand why people don't.

 

[PeterNatt]

Wearing Hi-Viz will make horse and rider much more visible in most situations but
riding on the roads when there is low bright sunlight is the most dangerous as drivers are dazzled by the sunlight especially if they have dirty windscreens and then sadly even Hi-Viz can be missed. The majority of the people I know of that have been involved in an accident (sadly sometimes fatal) have had the accident in low bright sunlight. Please avoid riding on the roads in this situation.