Road safety is important, whether you’re on a bike, in a car or riding a horse. It’s particularly important when horse riding, purely because horses can be unpredictable.
It’s vital to follow the rules of the road when riding or leading your horse, even if it’s just to reach an off-road route or connect to another bridleway.
As drivers pose the highest risk to horse riders, there are certain aspects and tips that you can follow to help keep you and your horse safe while riding on the road.
Follow the Highway Code
It’s sensible if you’re planning to ride on the road at any point to familiarise yourself with the Highway Code. The Highway Code lays down specific requirements for riders that can significantly reduce the risk of collisions and casualties.
By familiarising yourself with the rules, it will ensure that you are aware of the guidance and how you should and need to behave on the road to stay safe.
Be alert
Whilst on the road, make sure you’re aware of your surroundings and your route and be alert at all times. Make sure to thank drivers that make the effort to accommodate your and treat others how you would like to be treated.
Horses are also considered ‘flight’ animals. This means that they can become scared easily and act unpredictably. A horse can be spooked by a speeding car and can then become difficult to control as they will instinctively run away from the source of the noise. Make sure you’re alert of your surroundings to help reduce the chance of this happening.
It’s highly recommended that you wear a high-vis and reflective jacket as well as any other reflective equipment to help others see you more clearly. Reflective leg bands for your horse are also recommended.
Report dangerous driving
In the event that you encounter an incident of dangerous or irresponsible driving whilst riding on the road, it’s important to report this to the police as well as the British Horse Society.
By reporting any incidents to BHS, they can use the information to form statistics that can identify hotspots for dangerous driving and provide greater awareness in specific areas. All this information that’s collated by the BHS is lobbied and used directly by MPs, police and other road safety organisations to help create a safer environment.
However, while reporting incidents can help make a difference in creating better awareness, evidence still is required to show that there really is an issue. Footage provided by a horse riding camera is more than sufficient.
Use the right equipment
A helmet camera is a vital piece of equipment for riding safely on a road. By using a camera while horse riding, it can provide you the opportunity to record your rides while also providing valuable footage if you were to encounter any acts of dangerous driving.
As well as reflective clothing, a helmet camera can help make you stand out while riding and there’s plenty of options available on the market too. A lot of riders lately have been using cycling cameras attached to their helmets as the quality is unrivalled.
Equestrian helmet cameras, like those found at Techalogic.com can make the difference in making your area safer as well as providing valuable evidence when reporting any encounters to the police.
When it comes to riding your horse safely on the road, there’s a number of steps that you can take to help.
However, as you will be sharing the road with other users, it’s best to make sure that you are always alert and keep yourself safe and visible. By utilising a horse riding camera, whether that camera is on your helmet or elsewhere, it will provide valuable evidence in the event of an incident.
