It is increasingly dangerous for horse riders on the roads mainly due to the ever increasing volumes of traffic. There was an incident reported in the local News over the weekend where a horse was killed and a young rider critically injured. Unfortunately accidents regularly occur between road vehicles and horses and in most occasions a fatality occurs - either the horse, the rider or the person in the vehicle.

Horses are flight animals that are constantly on the look out for danger and their natural reaction is to run away from load noises such as airbrakes and unfamiliar objects/unexpected movements such as plastic bags in hedgerows. Most horses can be made traffic-proof with training but most have some specific dislikes for which horse riders need to be aware eg tractors, high-sided vehicles, water spray in bad weather, etc. It is up to the rider to be looking for potentially dangerous situations but it is also up to the car drivers to slow down and allow plenty of room for the horse and rider. Most car drivers seem unaware that a horse can move extremely quickly sideways. I carry a long whip in my hand next to the traffic as this can assist in keeping the horse straight rather than going sideways into traffic.

Wear a protective helmet and I always wear a light-reflective jacket. This will give the car driver the earliest sight possible of the horse and rider. I am always amazed by horse (and bicycle) riders at dawn/disk or in bad weather in dark clothing. Extra care should be taken in high winds, rain and in icy conditions.

I used to ride near the edge of the road but this seemed to encourage traffic to squeeze through between myself and the oncoming vehicle and not slow down. I now find it safer to ride several feet from the edge of the road as cars are more likely to see you, wait for oncoming traffic before overtaking and give you a wider berth. I understand motorcycles riders are similarly trained in terms of positioning in the road.

In the UK horses are ridden in the same direction as the traffic and the rider needs to listen for approaching vehicles and their speed. If this sounds to be too fast I will use arm signals to try to slow the traffic down and then acknowledge them if they do slow down and pass carefully. If the vehicle sounds large or noisy, I will quite often stop or move to a grass verge to give the vehicle more room. Similarly you need to be watching out for vehicles heading towards you.

For young horses, I think it is very helpful if they are kept in a field next to traffic so they become accustomed to the noise before being ridden on the roads. Horses and ponies should initially be ridden out with an older, traffic proof horse which should be positioned between the young horse and the traffic. However care should be taken as this will take up one lane of the road and it is suggested that this be done at quieter times of the day when traffic is lighter.

I would be very careful about allowing children to ride on any horse or pony on the roads as they are often not as experienced in riding or have much traffic awareness. If they cannot be kept off the roads, this should be kept to a minimum and very closely supervised. I ride on the roads as little as possible these days. It’s much more enjoyable and safer to ride on trails and in fields, where you still have to be careful for unexpected sights and sounds but you do not have the added concern of constant traffic.