IRELAND is renowned for producing world-class horses and riders and is highly regarded in the area of equine tourism – historically this has incorporated bringing horses on the road on a daily basis.
Horses and riders have every right to be on our roads, but sadly the dangers involved in recent years has severely impacted some businesses, resulting in medical, veterinary and insurance costs as well as riders literally being ‘frightened off’ the road.
A recent survey has revealed that 1,471 people admitted to having a bad experience as a result of another road user when having their horse on the road. This accounted for almost 85% of those surveyed.
In fact 95.44% of those surveyed agreed that there was a safety issue at present with bringing a horse on the road.
In relation to those incidents reported in the survey, 185 of the respondents said either they or their horse, or both, were injured.
Several horses were said to have been killed, with a number of riders suffering serious injuries, such as broken legs.
Others admitted to being terrified of riding on the road ever since, with a number of horses being severely traumatized and now deemed unsafe to ride on the road.
Of the 215 respondents who said they reported the incident to the Gardaí, just 80 found them to be helpful.
There were cases where riders stated that they went to the Gardaí as a result of an incident and were told that it was ‘civil matter’ as they were not injured.
Another rider outlined how a vehicle came so close that the stirrup broke the wing mirror and even though the rider went to the Gardaí with no outcome, the vehicle owner took a case against the rider for damage to their vehicle.
Grim reading
The findings do make for grim reading, but they will come as little surprise to the thousands of other Irish horse owners, riders, handlers and trainers in both the racing and sport horse sectors who find themselves in similar situations on our Irish roads every day.
Excessive speed, failure to give a wide berth, and ignoring hand signals to slow down were some of the other issues the respondents encountered from other road users.
“So many drivers just don’t understand what can happen if a horse is frightened. The results can be catastrophic. When I signal to some of them to slow down they actually think I am waving at them,” commented Ryan McBride, owner and operator of Gordons Bay Equestrian in Carrigart, Co Donegal.
Taking into account the vast numbers of vehicles on the roads every day, the people surveyed said that cars and jeeps accounted for 73.40% (1,057) of the incidents outlined. A further 29.72% (428) involved lorries/agri-machinery, while 28.82% (415) were said to involve cyclists.
The area of the responsibility of employers to ensure that their drivers drive safely was raised with incidents involving company vehicles – riders that managed to get the name and registration number did contact the companies involved.
The age profile of road user involved varied, but there was an emphasis on young drivers of agri-machinery.
In relation to cyclists, one respondent said: “Cyclists don’t realise that sometimes the horse cannot hear them. I also worry they will get kicked as they pass too close and too quietly.”
A large number of respondents admitted to being verbally abused, with many being told that ‘horses shouldn’t be on the road’ and ‘you don’t pay road tax’.
The Road Safety Authority clearly states that ‘horses and riders have every right to be on our roads. However, they must follow the Rules of the Road. It is vital that every rider has a clear understanding of the Rules of the Road before taking a horse onto a public road.’
In 2015, the RSA issued the booklet Horse Road Safety for both drivers and horse riders. However, as this booklet appears to be only available online it has gathered a limited audience from both parties.
In November 2020, Anne O’Connor heard an advertisement on the radio regarding the RSA seeking submissions for their ‘Road Safety Strategic Plan 2021-2030’.
Anne said: “I thought it was an opportunity for horse road safety and I contacted Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) and Horse Racing (HRI) who both in turn made submissions.”
One area of concern was the amount of respondents (67.36%) who said they always wore fluorescent and reflective clothing when on the road with a horse.
The importance of using fluorescent and reflective clothing at any time of day cannot be over emphasised as it gives other road users an extra three seconds reaction time to reduce speed.
A major issue raised by respondents was in relation to speed limits on various roads. They said that while drivers may not have been going over the speed limit while passing their horses, common sense did not prevail.
Speed concerns
The highest percentage of incidents involved approaching/passing horses at high speed or increasing their speed to pass out. This included road users driving without due care and consideration for the calibre of road and the road conditions – drivers appeared to be using the speed limit as a target.
The recommended speed when passing horses and riders is 25km/h (15mph) but a large number of respondents said that vehicles passing their horses were well above this limit.
Data released by the RSA at the end of last year showed that the numbers of speeding offences in Ireland were up a staggering 26% on those for 2019, despite the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Horse owner Dani Murphy, who recently set up the Leisure Equestrian Association of Ireland (LEAI), said that the issue of the closure of many routes and woodlands is escalating by the day. “Approximately 80 hacking routes have been highlighted to us that in recent times have been closed off to horses. This forces equestrians onto roads that are increasingly more dangerous.”
Education on both sides will be the key to making the roads safer for everyone to enjoy. As well as introducing some measures for other road users, those in charge of horses also need to be aware of the rules of the road and show due care.
Children, especially, should be equipped with the skills to deal with situations that could arise when riding on the road as they do not see the same dangers as adults.
Anne O’Connor explains: “There are training and assessments in relation to riding and road safety as part of the educational sections of the Irish Pony Club and the British Horse Society (Ireland) for children and adults. In teaching safety when riding on the road from an early age, children are given life skills that have the potential to save their lives.
“Within this training subjects such as road position, good observation, courtesy, communication with road users through eye contact and clear signals are covered, as well as an awareness of dealing with unpredictable/unsafe situations. It raises the question if road safety training should be more widespread.”
One of the most disturbing aspects of incidents on the road is when the veterinary surgeon has to be called to deal with the injured horse, as leading equine veterinary surgeon Marie Harty, who is based on the Curragh, is all too aware. She said: “I have seen the aftermath of incidents involving ridden horses and road vehicles. Injuries have ranged from minor abrasions to death – thankfully none that I was involved with were fatal for the rider. All road users must respect each other – drivers must make allowances for animals by passing slowly and wide and riders must be visible and have their mounts under control.”
In conclusion, this survey has been a worthwhile project with a lot of issues raised and valid points made and Anne O’Connor says: “The information extracted will form the basis for us to continue our work and bring the issue of horse road safety to the necessary bodies, where it is hoped that the concerns and suggestions from the equine industry will be addressed.
“We are still looking for support and are happy for people to contact us via email. A Facebook group Horse Road Safety Ireland has also been set up, where members can be kept up to date on road safety issues.”
Email: horseandroadsafetyireland@gmail.com