Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

Just read this story and wondered what you thought

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-s...wales-39720754

Re: Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

Of course they have every right. Here on the Wight, horses are all over the place. I alway slow to walking pace and wave. Big smiles all round!!

Re: Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

A horse would go "NEEEEY"

Re: Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

As a horse rider I would rather not ride on the road ideally one would stay on bridle paths and country tracks .
Unfortunately unless you own a large country estate for most people you have to get to those bridle paths and tracks and to do this one has to negotiate a road so I think that horses should be able to go on the road but it's a nightmare even on narrow country road that increasingly huge trucks use .
Many have been widened so there is no verge to use as an escape -There is quite simply no where to go in an emergency .
Cyclists ( and I cycle as well ) are another hazard to horses ( and walkers) they come up too fast and too quietly suddenly they are upon you zooming past often in large groups .
It will be a sad day when you don't see a horse on our roads .

Re: Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

I think they should be allowed if they want but personally I would only go on the road on a horse if it was absolutely necessary . It's just so unsafe for both the rider and horse .

Re: Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

I haven't ridden for some years & the traffic then was horrendous. Not many car, van or lorry drivers know how to cope when they see horses, it should be part of the driving test to educate them as to what to do.
We were lucky & could avoid roads here if we wanted to,. though it is good for horses to get happy in traffic, we had/have direct access to Dartmoor, but many people have roads to negotiate before they get to any open areas free from traffic.
I think the high viz jackets are a good idea, in fact similar jackets have been around for some years. I have never heard of anyone complaining about the uses of them before.They used to read, slow down horses being ridden, pass slow & wide. Possibly drop the polite notice then, but we liked to be polite.
Horses were transport long before any motorized vehicle was invented, of course we are entitled to ride on roads & most of us are insured, not like cyclists.

Re: Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

I can't imagine that anyone would ride a horse on the road through choice, they surely only go short distances so live and let live, it's not that common an occurance so it isn't that big an inconvenience.

Re: Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

Where I live all riders wear hi viz vests many stables make it a rule .They don't have polite on them though . No one is pretending to be the police any more than cyclists who wear yellow vests do .
Anyway who sees policeman about ( mounted or otherwise ) these days ?

Re: Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

The only time I got on a horse the head was on the wrong end

Re: Should horse riders be allowed on roads?

Nothing wrong with horses on the road but with some of the riders it's debatable. The number of riders without Hi-Vis bibs on is a disgrace around here especially when the night begins to fall. No sense than to take a horse out knowing it could be getting dark before they return to the stable. A few reflective bands on the horses themselves wouldn't go amiss either.

Then of course you get the more arrogant rider. Most riders allow for the fact the cars could be sharing the road with them and acknowledge when a car has given them a wide berth or has stopped to allow them to pass when coming in the opposite direction but the more selfish ones ride two abreast so that they can gossip/chat, will not go into single file and sod the driver trying to get past.