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Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Original poster

Do you wear fluorescent gear when riding?

30 replies

Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 10/02/2011 13:49

I've just been sworn at by a rider on a local lane. She was riding a bay horse, wearing black and navy. It's raining and dingy out, and she had pulled into the verge so she was against the hedge. She was practically invisible. I was doing all of 25 mph, and I stopped as soon as I saw her.
Now, we have ponies, and DD doesn't leave the yard without a fluorescent vest, martingale, tail wrap, leg wraps and bridle. I know I'm a bit excessive, but this matters! fluorescent gear means that an average, drivers see you three seconds earlier, When someone is doing forty, that is one hell of an advantage! If you ride in high flight areas near military bases, as we do, it means the difference between a twin rotor chinook flying low overhead, or diverting round you. According to a report I read, horses are unable to distinguish fluorescent stuff, and there really isn't an excuse! It's not about you or your horse, it's about drivers, being able to see you!

OP posts:
SpiderObsession · 10/02/2011 17:00

Yes. In Summer I do tend to be slack and wear the vest only. In Winter it's the works, boots, noseband, reins, martingale, hat.

Seems daft not to tbh.

ohnelly · 10/02/2011 17:44

Yes but only the vest too but I always wear it

LovePinkBitsOfMyHorse · 10/02/2011 18:11

I do now, both horse and pony have hivis exercise sheets and I wear a yellow thing over my silly pink jacket. Is even more important in summer, on dark brown horse on a bright day we are invisible in shade.

HerMajestiesSecretCervix · 10/02/2011 18:13

Horse has a fluorescent cape and I wear a vest. In summer it's just the vest. Over here it's not only cars I worry about but also hunters. I don't want to get shot!

Pixel · 10/02/2011 18:41

I've got a flourescent jacket and the sleeves unzip so I can wear it as a waistcoat in the summer. Ds has a waistcoat and a hat band. We always wear something even in summer because it is very easy to blend in with the trees at the side of the road.

Pixel · 10/02/2011 18:43

Actually, years ago before you could get hi-viz I went out and bought the brightest riding coat I could find, it was bright orange. This was after a lady I know came off her horse on the Downs and it took the helicopter ages to find her because she was wearing a green waxed coat and they just didn't see her. I suppose nowadays they would have the thermal imaging equipment but even so, every little helps.

olderyetwider · 10/02/2011 19:35

Always wear full hi-vis, even out on the off road bridle paths in case we need to be found, and also so that tractors etc can see us

ManateeEquineOhara · 10/02/2011 20:18

Yes, always. I get really annoyed with people who don't, they are putting themselves and their horse in such unnecessary danger.

I wear a vest kinda thing as a minimum, and if it is dull weather of I am riding on a busy road then various combinations of boots, exercise sheet, nose band, hat silk and I even have some pretty hideous luminous full chaps, but I would rather look a prat than get hit by a car :)

Original poster
Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 10/02/2011 20:24

I'm so pleased! It's one of my hobby horses! There's an eventing yard right near my old house, and I'd always meet the horses on the lanes. When I suggested that they wear fluorescent, I was told that they were frightfully highly strung animals and they were spooked by the hi viz!
Amazing really when horses can't actually see the hi viz part!

OP posts:
HerMajestiesSecretCervix · 10/02/2011 20:33

I am regularly laughed at over here. Someone at my yard has suggested that it is overkill that I wear hat, body protector and hi viz gear. I pointed out that if anything happens to me two young children lose a mother. It shuts them up.

A guy at my yard lost a horse to an RTA. Awful.

ManateeEquineOhara · 10/02/2011 20:35

That is total bollocks about horses being spooked by reflectives! I could understand that some horses might object to an exercise rug, but really, that is no excuse for NO hi viz. And only an idiot would want to make up excuses for not wanting to wear any.

marge2 · 10/02/2011 21:24

Oh dear - seems I am a dangerous person then. I only wear the high viz vest when it's a gloomy day and I am going to be on the road. Luckily we have tons of off road hacking here. Better start to wear it more.

Original poster
Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 10/02/2011 22:32

Apparently, many horse related accidents happen in the summer in shady lanes and under trees. It doesn't have to be grotty weather!

OP posts:
MotherMountainGoat · 10/02/2011 22:40

At my daughters' stables reflective vests are compulsory in winter - anyone who turns up without one doesn't ride, it's that simple. I've also bought them boot reflectors and flashing bike lights for their arms. The horses are trained to accept vests and lights.

The only time I've ever seen horses spooked by reflectives was when it was a reflective vest on a dog, which bounded up to the horses in the pitch dark and they couldn't work out what it was. It spooked one temperamental horse, who freaked and spooked the rest. Luckily it was off-road, but my younger daughter was a beginner at the time and fell off her Shetland. No harm done, thank goodness.

The older girls at the stables wear this cloth Santa hat over their hard hats in December with flashing red lights - very cute and very safe - you can see it from 200 metres away.

marge2 · 11/02/2011 11:50

Are you all in particularly busy areas then? I am surprised, as hardly anyone wears high viz around here. But it's very quiet and off-roady.

Original poster
Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 11/02/2011 12:24

I'm in the heart of constable country! Lots of rich people in BMWs who think they own the road! Also fairly near to a couple of RAF bases so lots of helis flying over! The thing is, you might be off road, but if you came off, hi viz makes you much easier to find!

OP posts:
BlueChampagne · 11/02/2011 12:59

Yep - riding and cycling. Horse didn't give a whatnot, though she did look askance at some council employees planting trees by the road in their high-viz kit once.

marge2 · 11/02/2011 13:28

OK - You've convinced me! I'll be good!

Pixel · 11/02/2011 15:21

We come straight out of our field gate onto a suburban road which is a bus route and also a blind corner so we do have to be careful. Tbh though, I find country roads much more hair-raising as idiots drive so fast on them. I've had some nasty near-misses on country roads but most drivers round here are very considerate (as long as they can see you of course!). Can't say the same for the cyclists unfortunately.Angry

ohnelly · 11/02/2011 21:23

No im in the middle of nowhere! apart from crossing a main road I rode up the forestry for an hour and didnt see a soul! I hope you all carry a mobile too?? I do (on silent!)

SupersonicDave · 11/02/2011 21:27

It is bollocks about horses being spooked by hi viz, in Newmarket, all the strings have vests on for first lot.

Butkin · 14/02/2011 11:04

I've not bothered in recent years as we only ride in daylight and mostly on tracks but you've got me thinking so for the last few days I've been wearing my hiz-viz waistcoat not only for riding but leading to and from the field (sometimes after dark).

LovePinkBitsOfMyHorse · 14/02/2011 11:37

when someone had an accident last week she was only spotted because people in a house across the field saw her bright yellow tabard and thought 'what's that?' - she would not have been visible otherwise

obviously she would have been found eventually but it's horrible enough that she was lying on the cold ground for as long as she was

LovePinkBitsOfMyHorse · 14/02/2011 11:38

(this wasn't even a fall either, this was leading a pony to a field at about 10am)

LovePinkBitsOfMyHorse · 14/02/2011 11:42

importance of all this was reinforced for me this morning too, driving to yard, slightly overcast and had to brake sharply because I didn't see the dun horse with rider in earthy green jacket on board as early as I had seen the group in full hi-vis a few minutes before - you just blend into the landscape sometimes