'Let There Be Lights': Riders Are Encouraged To Be More Visible

Research suggests riders should wear LEDs to keep safe on the roads, as well as highvis gear on both human and horse

- Rachael Turner

A RECOMMENDATION for riders to wear LED lights while hacking was among those in a road safety report conducted for the British Horse Society (BHS).

The charity behind the Dead or Dead Slow road safety campaign commissioned the analysis due to a lack of evidence-based research on what riders should wear to help protect themselves on the roads.

Last year there was a 29% increase in accidents involving horses on UK roads, compared to the previous year, resulting in the death of one person and 21 horses.

Three main recommendations were made in the report.

Riders are advised to wear LED lights, ideally in a pattern highlighting width of horse and rider, and high-vis and reflective clothing. The suggested pattern is two red LEDs on the rider’s shoulders, and one on each of the horse’s flanks, facing backwards, and white LEDs facing forwards in a similar pattern.