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Introduction
If
you ride your horse or pony regularly, the chances are
that you will have to hack out on the roads, even if it
is only for a short distance in order to get to off-road
riding.
Riding on the roads can be very dangerous as cars whiz
past at top speed in many instances, but is it always the
car driver who is to blame when there are accidents on
the roads ?
Now, I'm sure there will be many readers that will say
yes, but this is simply not always the case.
Sometimes it is the fault of careless and/or
inconsiderate riders who are not familiar with the
highway code or still thinks it is OK to ride out at dusk/in
poor light dressed in dark clothing and not wear anything
reflective or use stirrup lights, just as it is of
careless and inconsiderate drivers.
Did you know that just as car drivers are expected to use
lights before/after a certain time of day, so are riders
?
Do you know the hand signals which tell a driver what you
are doing ?
Do
you know what road signs and road markings mean ?
Do you know the correct way to turn off the road or turn
right at a junction ?
If you don't then you are putting yourself and your horse/pony
at risk.
So before you take to the roads with your four footed
friend, make sure you read our road safety guide
carefully !
Road
Signals
Always let drivers know what
your next move will be by using hand signals. Here are
the ones you should know.
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Turning right.
Check
for traffic by looking
over your shoulder, then raise
your right arm out straight at
shoulder level.
For more on how to perform a
right turn see the section below.
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Turing left.
Check
for traffic by looking
over your shoulder, then raise
your left arm out straight at
shoulder level.
Check for pedestrians that
may be crossing your path
before turning.
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Slowing down.
If
you want to ask the car
behind to slow down, look
over your shoulder, hold out
your right arm with the palm
facing downwards and wave it
up and down slowly.
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Stopping.
To ask drivers to stop that
are behind you, look over
your shoulder and raise your palm
towards them (as shown).
To ask drivers coming towards
you to stop, look over your shoulder
to check traffic behind and raise
your palm towards the oncoming
driver. |
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Dealing With Obstacles
Take
care when passing "spooky" objects or a parked
car and always signal your intentions to other road users.
You also never know with cars just when the person inside
is going to drive off or open the door so always give
them plenty of room.
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1.
Walk on the left side of the
road until you are a few feet
away from the objector car.
Then
look behind you and ahead
of you to see if other road users
are approaching.
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2.
Take the reins into your left hand and signal
with your right hand your
intentions to move around the object. Then, if the
road is clear ahead and behind, take hold of the
reins again with both hands and move out around
the object. |
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3.
When passing the object or car,
don't get too close. You don't want to upset your
horse or toe hit if the car driver or passenger
opens a door. Once you have passed the object, take
your place again on the left side of the road.
Also, don't forget to thank any other
road users that waited for you to finish moving
around the object.
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4.
Also, don't forget to thank any other road users
that waited for you to finish moving around the
object. |
Turning Right
When turning right at a road junction or to actually cross
the road, don't just barge across without thinking. You
could get hurt! Follow the instructions below and think
"keep to the left".
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1.
Approach the junction/turning you require by
walking on the left side of the road. Look behind
you to make sure there is no traffic approaching.
If there is, let it pass, then check
behind you again, give the right arm
signal and halt when you reach the
junction/turning.
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2.
Once you are quite sure that there
is no traffic approaching from either direction
or that it has stopped to enable you to cross,
turn and walk straight ahead across the road. |
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3.
Once you are across, continue on walking close to
the left side of the road again.
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More Safety Tips:-
Never ride on the roads without a BSI approved riding hat
or jockey skull cap - no matter how safe you think your
horse might be. Even the best of horses and ponies can be
unpredictable - they are not machines !
Always ride on the left side of the road.
Always say thank you and be courteous to other bridleway
users.
Always
be courteous and wave or smile and nod a thank you to
other road users, even if they don't slow down or give
you as much room as you would have liked. Don't ignore
them, it could make a big difference to how they treat
you and others next time.
Let your horse/pony know a car or cyclist is coming up
behind him by turning his head slightly to the inside (right).
He will be able to see them then and will not be taken by
surprise when it pulls up next to him.
It is OK to ride on grass verges (unless it's somebody's
front lawn !) but stick to walk. If you go any faster you
might miss holes or litter which could injure your horse/pony.
Remember, in some instances it may be wiser to stay
riding on the road rather then have drivers whiz pass
thinking, that because you are on the verge, it is safe
to do so.
Don't ride on footpaths - even if they look wide enough
to ride on, unless absolutely necessary!
It is illegal to
do so unless specific permission has been granted.
For example, on blind bends where a bridleway crossing
point has been granted access or bridleway crossings over
main roads.
If you do have to get off and lead a horse/pony on the
road, make sure that you are leading from the off-side (right).
You should put yourself between you horse/pony and the
traffic.
Do buy yourself a copy of the highway code and/or a copy
of the BHS booklet "Riding Safely On The Roads"
. As a road user, it is important that you understand
exactly what road signs mean, especially those indicating
road priorities and understand how vehicles such as
lorries turn at junctions etc.
Do take your Riding & Road Safety Test. To find out
more about the test, contact the road safety office at
the BHS or visit their website - http://www.bhs.org.uk
Safe Riding and remember -
Be Safe, Be Seen,
Be Considerate....And Save A Life
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