West horse riders tell of dangers on the roads
WESTCOUNTRY horse riders are being subjected to alarming levels of stress and risk when using the region’s roads, according to a new study.
Commissioned by the British Horse Society (BHS) and funded by the Department for Transport (DfT), it is believed to be the biggest ever equestrian safety survey involving over 7,000 participants nationwide, with nearly 1,000 of those based in the South West.
The findings show that while only 4% of equestrians said they never felt stressed or anxious when using the region’s roads, 39% did so more than half the time. By far, the main contributors to this stress and anxiety were the behaviour of other road users (89%) and the characteristics of the road (65%).
In order to place the perception of risk riders felt when using roads into context, they were asked to express the level of risk they associated with other equestrian activities, ranging from routine handling and care to high-speed activities in open spaces. Riding, carriage driving and in-hand activities on roads were considered “considerably more high risk” in relation to all other activities, including eventing or crosscountry jumping which was considered more of a “moderate” rather than high-risk activity.
Alan Hiscox, director of safety at the BHS, said: “This study has unearthed a number of truly shocking statistics and facts which will hopefully now drive action. Specifically, the extent of under-reporting needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
“We also need more innovation around safety, an increase in the use of cameras, and improvements to highways’ and motoring policies like reduced speed limits, warning signs, more non-slip road surfaces and Highway Code amendments. We also need more safe places to cross and improved off-road riding facilities. And, ultimately, we need behavioural change from anyone currently using the roads who is not following best practice around safety and consideration for other road users.”
A total of 50 South West equestrians (6%) said they had been involved in a road incident in the previous year that resulted in injury to either a person or an animal. By far the majority of these incidents (66%) occurred when they were riding or handling a horse as opposed to using other forms of transport. The majority of South West equestrians agreed that exercise was important to “maintain their horse’s mental and physical health”. Most felt they could not exercise their horse adequately without using roads; 60% felt that having to use or cross certain roads limited their ability to exercise with their horses and between 60-67% thought that they would exercise their horses more frequently and cover greater distances if they felt safer when using roads. Encouragingly, however, the survey reports that 98% of riders in the region are using safety measures such as wearing high visibility clothing and riding helmets when using roads.