Horse Road Safety.

[Annie]

Yikes! Those incidents sound so scary D:

Some people use the excuse that they can't see us...sure, a lot of riders DON'T wear bright colours and do blend in with the road, especially with black or dark horses. But really, people can't complain they can't see me. These are a few things I wear...

We only wear this sheet in the evenings or in the winter time, the rest is worn all year round and others sometimes wear more than me.







Though, I must say when I did this charity ride, all the drivers were amazing! We didn't have a single problem
I'm riding later today, so we'll see if they can keep up their good behavior!

[PotterYouRotter]

sadly i dont have any of those things but i never ride at night.
this lady i used to know was a little clever about being able to see at night on a trail ride. She got these little head lamps that you can put on a band that goes around your head. and she took the lights and put them on clips that would go onto her horses bridle. and they were flourecent too so they were really really bright and pretty hard to miss even from a distance. so she could see at night and other ppl could see her too

[Annie]

Sorry to dig up an old-ish thread, but I found a poster that I think everyone should read, as it targets drivers AND riders. I know a lot of drivers can feel targeted by us, but we only want what's best for our horses and we always pass on helpful tips on being safer and more polite to other riders.

[PotterYouRotter]

AHH D8 thats a horrible picture. We need this poster where i live. There is so much horse property where I live, but really the majority of the people live in the downtown area and no one knows any horse road safety. Even the people that do live by them. I refuse to take my horse down the roads anymore because I've almost been hit at least once every time. And that's not on busy roads. That's in neighborhood that do have signs saying to slow down because of horse-crossing, and children. people still just blow past us and think its hilarious.

[FlipMode]

I actually think that is a pretty fair poster, I hate it when drivers are specifically targeted, telling us to look out for riders for example, and then letting them run around with no visibility gear at all... I know you are not like that, but there are a lot who are, so I think the message applies both ways.
I mean really, it is not like even if we follow all safety tips, that a cyclist or rider could not do something dumb and get him / herself knocked off anyway, know what I mean?

[Annie]

I agree a lot of riders give us a bad name. I once saw a girl leaning off the side of her horse, laughing and joking, holding up traffic! Lucky for her there was enough room for cars to go past and her horse didnt spook. However, being over polite can be bad too! A man pulled up infront of the horses, who were impatient to cross the road and asked if he was safe to pass. Being almost past us anyway, it was kinda stupid. It gets to me when drivers get angry when we dont have 100% control of a horse. Ned, the main horse I ride is fantastic in traffic, but was spooked by someone flapping a towel and ran forwards. Not trying to blame anyone, but they seem to think horses are machines! I'm sure even a person would run out into traffic if something scared them enough!

[PotterYouRotter]

psh... most people dont even walk INTO traffic, BECAUSE it scares them. and then they get mad that our horses are scared. Ii was walking this green mini horse, and this old couple thought she was so cute they just HAD to stop by in their car and FOLLOW us. So this little horse is rearing and prancing on the spot and they're just driving right next to me saying "awwww how cute! nawww i want her!" while im trying to physically stop her from pushing me into the car, or turn and smack herself into it. so when i asked them to kindly keep moving because they were scaring her, they bolted ahead because they thought i was rude. which of course doesnt make the circumstances any less scary or dangerous for her.

[FlipMode]

If your horse can be freaked out so easily it should not be in the road. I am courteous, I slow down and keep some distance on rare occasion I see one but, you would not take a car with faulty breaks on the road... So think before taking an easily scared horse out in public roads....Just saying we drivers are only as safe as the people on the horse or the horse itself sometimes.

[PotterYouRotter]

i did not take her into a public road. its was in a neighborhood, that is filled with horse property. and the only way to get to the nearest horse trail is on that road. i never blamed you for doing anything, i was only talking about an experience i had. the neighborhood specifically has lanes for horses to walk in on that road, i had full right to have the horse there. she does not spook horribly easy. when a car goes by at normal speed, or even very fast and unsafely, she would be fine. it was the car crawling along right next to her that she wasn't used to, and THEN the car in a sudden moment bolting away very loudly. to a horse, that is TERRIFYING. i had no fault in what i was doing. and just for a note, when you keep standing up for drivers, horses are not in the MIDDLE of the road, where they are in the way. they are purposefully, off to the side, where cars are NOT supposed to be. i will not take blame for drivers who dont care about my own safety, let alone the horse's.

[Annie]

The only way to get a horse used to anything is to make it do it, Flip

Not all drivers are "as safe as the horse" I hate to say it, but that's rubbish. Not saying all drivers are bad and people have to realise this, but people also have to realise how driving centimetres away from a horse, beeping, or revving the engine is going to cause distress in the calmest of horses. To them, it's like a lion roaring right behind them!
Ned is fine in traffic, he doesn't spook when cars come whizzing past at 80MPH down a 60 road, he doesn't mind lorries or tractors, or even bikes! But what does scare him is what I just mentioned and Ned kicks. If you crawl right behind that horse, expect a dented bumper! I do warn drivers and I thank them when they pass us correctly and are polite (I thank too much, I think. I've thanked some right jerks)
But even screaming at the top of your lungs and making big hand gestures for a driver to back off sometimes doesn't work. (Don't worry, the screaming and waving my arms doesn't scare him)
I'm a good horse rider and can keep him under close control, but I shouldn't HAVE to battle with the poor animal, because someone can't keep a good distance. I've only lost him on the road once.

At my stables, when we have to take a youngster out to train it to get used to traffic, we ALWAYS wear a "YOUNG HORSE CAUTION" vest, which most drivers do take notice of. But of course, there's always people who think it's funny to see a terrified horse. Usually younger drivers trying to impress their friends. Those and people on the phone are the worst!


EDIT: Also, I will try and get some more footage on my helmet cam, to show you what roads I ride down and what kind of traffic I contend with.