Yard rule for wearing hi viz

[rextherobber]

I agree and always wear hi viz. I wouldn't like to a yard telling me I had to though, tbh it's my business what I wear off their premises.

Anyway, the point I felt inspired to make was that someone I knew who had strong objections to hi viz was older and extremely traditional. They felt it spoiled the country hacking dress code they were accustomed to.

So now I have visions of someone out hacking in beige cord elephant ear jodhpurs, tweed hacking jacket, shirt, tie and a bowler hat...
I started wearing hi-viz when hacking a Welsh D, so the air ambulance could find me easily...

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I also usually wear a bright coat or top at the yard, means I can be seen when doing stuff up the fields on my own..... was very useful about 15 yrs ago as friendly neighbour saw bright red lying on the ground! I'd passed out. V glad she revived me having spotted me.

 

[canteron]

Had a woman with her nervous daughter on dark horses, dressed in dark clothes standing by a dark hedge with the sun in my eyes screaming at me the other day because I didn't see her when driving!!

I did ask the (in my view) quite mad ranty woman whether she was trying to kill her daughter! (I was doing a super speedy 25mph).

Never be too proud to wear hi viz.

 

[Lindylouanne]

As I’m on a private farm there are no rules but if it was mandatory I wouldn’t have an issue with it at all because I always hack out in hi viz. My crash hat has a hi viz silk, my jacket is bright red and my gillet is bright yellow. I also never get on either of my horses without a body protector on, it’s second nature and I feel naked without it.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

It isn't a rule at our yard but every one wears it. Most have hi viz on their horse as well, again not a rule but common sense. I cannot think of any valid reason for not wearing hi viz. There was a pro rider in our area & he never wore hi viz but then again he never wore a hat either, lord knows why.

 

[Auslander]

Interesting...
I always wear hi viz hacking out but honestly would be annoyed if it was a ‘yard rule’, sounds like a very controlling yard owner. What’s it to them?

Because we are the ones who will be called out to pick up the pieces if a driver ploughs into one of the horses in our care because they didn't see it til too late.
If having a rule that no-one hacks from my yard without hi viz makes me controlling, that's fine by me!

 

[LR]

I rode out with hiVis years ago. I think it should be made legal plus helmets for horse riders and cyclists. I’ve seen a few young men wizzing around on those e-scooters the last few months, in the dark, no lights, black clothing. I was out on my black horse one day, hivis on me and him, and a little girl walking with her mum, said ‘Look mummy, there’s a police horse’ 😀

 

[meleeka]

I remember when I was a teenager and wearing a hat was made a rule! A couple of liveries did leave over it and someone else used to take hers off when she got to the end of the Lane. We wouldn’t think it at all a harsh rule these days. Anyone who wasn’t sensible enough to wear hiviz wouldn’t be someone I’d want on my yard anyway.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I always wear a tabbard, I mainly hack. I was horrified when returning from a hack the other day to realise I'd completely forgotten to put it on, I never hack out without it usually!

I don't think it's a yard rule as I've seen a livery hack without it however I think it's YO strong preference you do, however i always wear it so wouldn't know if it was actually a rule.

There's a yard just down from mine where multiple members of it rarely wear hi vis. The yard is somewhat dubiously run though!

 

[Abi90]

So I always firmly (obviously without actually thinking about it) believed that if you had high viz on aircraft would attempt to avoid or rise up if very low.... I happened to say this in conversation to a RAF wife recently, it amused her 🤦‍♀️

Not sure why it amused her. It’s true. I control aircraft for the RAF. They will definitely try to avoid you if they can when they see you

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

As I’m on a private farm there are no rules but if it was mandatory I wouldn’t have an issue with it at all because I always hack out in hi viz. My crash hat has a hi viz silk, my jacket is bright red and my gillet is bright yellow. I also never get on either of my horses without a body protector on, it’s second nature and I feel naked without it.

I'm another who always wears a body protector (and hat!) Each time I ride and feel odd without it on.

I think it should be law cyclists have to wear a hi vis jacket/ tabard etc, especially as there are so many of them now

 

[teapot]

Interesting...
I always wear hi viz hacking out but honestly would be annoyed if it was a ‘yard rule’, sounds like a very controlling yard owner. What’s it to them?

Safety of liveries, reputation of business...

 

[poiuytrewq]

Not sure why it amused her. It’s true. I control aircraft for the RAF. They will definitely try to avoid you if they can when they see you

Ah ok! she did say her husband didn’t have anything to do with helicopters, just planes.
That’s really good to know, I can relax again 😂
I’m under the Brize Norton flight path and close to Fairford so mine are pretty air proof to be fair.

 

[Winters100]

I've never worn it, at our yard many don't even wear hard hats (I do), but if I was moving yard and the one I liked had such a rule for high viz I would happily comply.

 

[ycbm]

So now I have visions of someone out hacking in beige cord elephant ear jodhpurs, tweed hacking jacket, shirt, tie and a bowler hat...

Will you please stop laughing. For those of us who learned fifty years ago, that was the required wear!

🤣

 

[sport horse]

I have ony just missed horse riders and cyclists recenlty. No Hi Viz and the current fashion for wearing black and/grey means they are invisilble against the bright sunshine along country roads with hedges. Before you make your decision please go out driving at 3 or 4 pm and see what I mean.

 

[Muddywellies]

Nope never come across that. Tho I think it should be a rule.

 

[chaps89]

Always wear hi-vis on me and the horse so it wouldn't bother me.
Did view one yard where the rule was you always had to wear knee boots to hack out, after a horse had gone down on its knees out hacking once.
Seemed a bit OTT to me but at least I was told up front.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I have ony just missed horse riders and cyclists recenlty. No Hi Viz and the current fashion for wearing black and/grey means they are invisilble against the bright sunshine along country roads with hedges. Before you make your decision please go out driving at 3 or 4 pm and see what I mean.

Or even earlier in the day. This was a lovely, sunny bright winter’s day. The lead rider was wearing a hi viz tabard. They were concealed by the very dark shadow of the hedge. I spotted the shadows of the horses on the road before I saw the horses themselves.

 

[Auslander]

Or even earlier in the day. This was a lovely, sunny bright winter’s day. The lead rider was wearing a hi viz tabard. They were concealed by the very dark shadow of the hedge. I spotted the shadows of the horses on the road before I saw the horses themselves.

These pics are why I like roadworkers hi viz, rather than equestrian! My orange polo shits/fleece bodywarmer have socking great reflective strips all over them, which catch the sunlight, so you can see it, even when the sun is bright!

 

[humblepie]

No. I wear loads. Others none.

 

[Pippity]

These pics are why I like roadworkers hi viz, rather than equestrian! My orange polo shits/fleece bodywarmer have socking great reflective strips all over them, which catch the sunlight, so you can see it, even when the sun is bright!

Added bonus - they cost pennies compared to equestrian stuff! I have a wide range of t-shirts/polo shirts/long-sleeved t-shirts that cost around £3 each.

 

[Cowpony]

These pics are why I like roadworkers hi viz, rather than equestrian! My orange polo shits/fleece bodywarmer have socking great reflective strips all over them, which catch the sunlight, so you can see it, even when the sun is bright!

I go one better - my construction hi viz has red lights at the back and white lights at the front. Only cost £20 too 😁. The cycling version by the same company costs £80!!

 

[Antw23uk]

I think it should be a yard rule for every single yard out there. Image and reputation for yard and yard owner plus added safety for riders hacking out.

I stop people now, I know its rude (im not rude to them) but i have been known to lie and gasp out (proper melodramatics, i should have been an actor) that i just didnt see them, and oh my god, im shaking im so sorry for nearly running you over, i didnt see you without high viz ... and on i go acting for the next BAFTA award (even if i did see them) ... more often than not I see them out again wearing high viz and i always slow down and thank them and say how lovely and easy it was to see them this time.

I dont care, im rather shameless like that anyway. Couldnt give a rats ar*s about the rider but do your horse a favour and be seen!

 

[Abi90]

Ah ok! she did say her husband didn’t have anything to do with helicopters, just planes.
That’s really good to know, I can relax again 😂
I’m under the Brize Norton flight path and close to Fairford so mine are pretty air proof to be fair.

Unfortunately there are very many “WAGS” who think they know everything about everything from snippets of information

 

[Kat]

It was a rule that you had to wear a hi Viz tabbard when hacking and a hat whenever mounted when I liveried on a yard that had a riding school on site. I complied, I hadn't had Hi Viz before, previous yard there was no roadwork just direct access on to a bridle path (and not the sort where you would ever need to be spotted at a distance by the air ambulance) prior to that I had ridden on the roads but before hiviz was really a thing.

 

[Skib]

RS Staff wore hi viz and I was kindly given yard issue hi viz by the YO because I hacked there so often. I have worn the same hi viz regardless of yard or share. Sentimental attachment.

 

[tallyho!]

Perhaps there's a clause in the insurance (if this is a registered yard paying rates to council) about prevention of injury/accidents to all reasonable extents if they have duty-of-care in the particulars especially to minors.

It's quite sad people think they don't have to wear hi-viz though... just put some on. If not for you, think of the horse.

I witnessed a horrible near-miss in a nearby village and the girl couldn't have been any older than 15 - a slip of a thing on a dark grey horse on a foggy day. I didn't see them until the other driver narrowly misses another car to avoid them - obviously only spotting them at the last minute. She was oblivious. I think even if she had pink or green on somewhere I'd have seen her immediately behind the cars.

 

[Rosietaz]

A lot of equine insurance companies require the use of hi vis now don’t they? I don’t see why people wouldn’t wear it. As Tallyho just said, I wonder whether there’s an insurance thing involved.

 

[tallyho!]

Interesting...
I always wear hi viz hacking out but honestly would be annoyed if it was a ‘yard rule’, sounds like a very controlling yard owner. What’s it to them?

There may more to it, could be the conditions of the licence.

Some insurance companies also now put in words such as "reasonable care" and in a dispute this wording may make the difference in the court of law especially if you have horrible people to fight against.