Drivers urged to play it safe near horses

Motorists should take more care around horses and riders and give them plenty of space

Drivers on rural roads are being urged to take more care around horses and their riders to prevent accidents.

The message comes from equine enthusiasts in north-east Fife following a number of recent near-misses.

The issue has been highlighted by North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie, who was made aware of some of the problems horse riders have been facing as a result of thoughtless motorists.

Many horse riders stable their horses in the area and exercise them in the evenings and at weekends, but cases of vehicles passing too close, causing the animals to throw the rider or to panic and bolt, appear to have been on the rise.

“It is frightening to be high on the back of a horse on a road when you hear a car roaring towards you at speed,” Mr Rennie said after hearing from riders.

“The risk to both rider and horse is high which is why we need cars to slow right down and give plenty room to horses.

“We slow down for children on the road, we should do the same for horses. Horse riders do everything possible to keep themselves safe but we need this to be a partnership with other road users.”

Mr Rennie was speaking after being contacted by constituent Marilyn Copland, whose daughter has a horse at a livery yard in the Cupar area.

“There’s lots of people who enjoy horse riding and I want north-east Fife roads to be known as horse friendly.”

Mrs Copland said some drivers were unaware of what a horse can do on the road.

“They may look like they are perfectly safe and steady but even a noise from something in the bushes can make a horse jump,” she said.

“We need drivers to slow down and give us enough space, because we find ourselves not really being able to go around on the roads here now.

“There seems to be a real reluctance from some drivers – not all – to slow down.

“We now feel so worried that we have to put the horse in the horse box and go to the beach. It’s disappointing but we just feel that it’s too dangerous.”

Figures from the British Horse Society suggest two people have been killed and 50 riders injured on Scotland’s roads since 2010, while 10 horses have died and 43 were injured in the same period.

The tally sparked the Lose the Blinkers campaign in the Glasgow area earlier this year, with drivers urged to give horses as much room as possible when passing and riders asked to ensure they are clearly visible.

Alan Hiscox, director of safety for the British Horse Society, said: “We want to remind drivers that horses can be unpredictable and even the most well-trained horse can react to its instincts and want to move quickly away from what they consider to be a threat.”

We slow down for children on the road, we should do the same for horses. MSP WILLIE RENNIE

Picture: George McLuskie. MSP Willie Rennie has been made aware of some of the problems facing riders on rural roads.