Courtesy to other Road Users
Mutual courtesy and care between motorists and riders is important to prevent intolerance and improve safety. Always acknowledge courtesy with a wave or thank you, if your hands are full controlling your horse. a nod and a smile will be appreciated.
Obey the Road Rules
Strictly speaking you are allowed to ride on the road because horses are classed as vehicles, so you are expected to obey the same road rules as other vehicles. Since riders are concerned about both their own and their horse's safety, this is rarely a problem.
Riding on the road remember:
- to ride on the left (rather than against the traffic which does sometime feel safer), and keep as far left as possible (like any other slow traffic)
- never ride more than two abreast
- keep any lead horse, or inexperienced horse on your left (experienced horse nearest the traffic)
- Signal any turns
- Ride around roundabouts, not through them
- carriages should have lights and reflectors for low light levels
Ride Sensibly
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Youngsters should be introduced to traffic slowly, from the paddock, from the leadrope and then with a more experienced horse on quiet roads first.
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Remember your horse's vision limitations. Keeping a deathgrip on the reins will not only make your horse more nervous, but will stop him from taking a proper look at many things. Let your horse use his binocular vision to see what objects are (without getting obsessed with them). Let him raise or lower his head to focus. More Injury and Safety Information...
Courtesy to Land Owners
Although berms are usually public (local Council) land, do use the roads instead of ploughing up people's berms in wet conditions, if it is safe to do do.
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Always wear a standards approved safety helmet when riding; particularly on the roads.
- Wear hi-viz - fluorescent and reflective clothing to make sure you are easily seen at a distance. Fluorescent clothiing is highly visible in good light, but reflective clothing is needed for dim light or darkness. Hi-viz vests and jackets have reflective strips for dim or night light vision, flourescent clothing works well in good light but is not sufficient for low light conditions. Hi viz vests and clothing is available from a variety of places, and even the "$2 shop" has lightweight vests with reflective strips.
Did you know?
That up to 10% of men are colour blind in some form or another? Most commonly red\green blindness, but there are also other forms which affect colour perception including (rarely) blue\yellow blindness.
When choosing hi-viz gear you may be best to include a range of colours to ensure that colour blind drivers can see you.
In low light conditions, or at night reflective strips are essential. If you are riding at night, it is the law to have lights on your horse!
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ICE - In Case of EmergencyTake a phone with you when you ride; put it on silent if an unexpected phone ring will surprise your horse.
Have your own emergency contact information in your phone - a contact named "ICE" will help emergency services if you have an accident.
Tell someone where you are going, and importantly when you expect to get back if you are riding alone.
The police provide two options for reporting poor driver behaviour.
- Use this form (or the online version) to report a bad driver. This results in the driver receiving a warning letter.
- Report the driver to your local police station.
Dog Control
If you ride with a dog(or dogs), they should be under your control at all times. Being on a horse does not relieve you of your responsibilities as a dog owner. This means:
- beside your horse\you, not off wandering around annoying others, at all times (not just when you can be bothered to think about him\her)
- on the left of the road, with you, not running on the road being a traffic hazard.
- Your dog should not be entering other's private property
If you cannot control your dog completely while you ride, then you may be charged under either the dog control act, or more seriously by the police with traffic offences.
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Ċ ď Vivien Dostine, Mar 7, 2010 4:43 PM Ċ ď Vivien Dostine, Jul 30, 2008 6:48 PM Ċ ď Vivien Dostine, Jul 30, 2008 6:54 PM
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