Dozens of horses and their riders are expected to leave the fields and bridleways behind and hit the roads of the Isle of Wight tomorrow (Sunday) as part of a national day of action.
The ‘Pass Wide & Slow’ campaign is being publicised across the country with more than 70 rideouts organised to take place on Sunday 14th April.
The aim of tomorrow’s local ride is to draw attention to the ever-growing need for all motor vehicle drivers to be well aware of the high number of horses ‘needing’ to be ridden on the Island’s rural and twisty road network.
Organisers say that the ride has been scheduled to take place at 11:00 with groups setting off from Ryde, Newport, Godshill, Wroxall (Cooks Castle – main road), Freshwater and Porchfield. Riders will be using classified roads.
It is possible that motorists will face delays on the road network on what is set to be another glorious Spring day due to the groups of horses together, as well as the pedestrians following behind sporting promotional banners.
Marian Perrott, organiser of the local event, has said:
”On the Island the vast majority of drivers are kind, patient and courteous towards equestrian traffic. We appreciate their thoughtfulness immensely and hope their courtesy is always clearly acknowledged by equestrians.
”Unfortunately though, a small minority of drivers can be unnecessarily impatient and reckless in passing horses too fast and too close. This can result in horse and rider injuries and death far more easily than those drivers may imagine, so it is those drivers that we hope to reach out to via the awareness rides”.
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Well I hope these delays don’t cost lives through ambulances being delayed. I’m on an emergency vehicle all day tomorrow, and an animal lover.
If we motorists took to driving through fields regularly I’m sure we’d get moaned at ! There is more fields and bridle ways on the island than roads so keep th e horses on them !!
Fields are private property so cannot be ridden through without permission (it would be same if I rode through your garden) and unfortunately the bridleways are not linked, we need to use the roads to get between them. I assure you most riders use the roads as little as possible because of the unnecessary behaviour of drivers that use them and attitudes like this one
As a dog owner I hope the riders are going to clean up after there horse’s.
If my horses poo contained a parasite that had the potential to blind someone that your dog’s faeces Carrie’s then I would agree.
You could pick it up in a plastic bag and hang it on a tree lol
It’s horses crapping all over the road that cause accidents for motorcycle riders when you come round the corner and there is holes crap all over it I’ve known a number of friends and police officers that have had accidents due to things like this horses should be eaten
Have no problem with horses being ridden on the road, however I think it should become compulsory that horse riders should clear up after their horse when the horse poops on the road, same as responsible dog owners do. Horse poop leaves a mess for ages being squashed by vehicles and if it rains becomes a slippery danger to motorcyclists. You want to ride on the roads, clean up after your horse.
Dog poo contains a parasite that can blind people, hence the legislation for clearing it up. Horse poo is harmless
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/councils-get-power-fine-riders-failing-pick-horse-poo-roads-682814
I always drive slowly and an curtuous to all horses and their riders, as I feel sorry for the horses……I think they must be terrified by traffic behind them, and although horses were hear before cars, in this modern age I feel that they should be kept off roads as much as possible for their own safety.
Once trained to ignore traffic horses accept most vehicles as fellow ‘herd members’, but as herd animals horses use “collective intelligence”. This means that if they jump away from something that moves suddenly, they also naturally expect the ‘neighbour’ in the herd to do the same (like a flock of birds turning in flight) but, of course, cars do not use collective intelligence. That is why it’s so important to give them plenty of room when passing. We really do only use roads to connect the ever dwindling bridleway network, and I completely agree with you that roads are not safe places for horses. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and kindness.
No most owners spend hours training their horse to be good in traffic. It’s motor vehicles that do not drive properly around them that can cause them to panic. For their own safety vehicles should stay well back and then pass Wide and Slow and be prepare to stop at the request of a rider. The same for approaching cars slow down and pass wide. It’s in the Highway Code. Why is there so much debate over this. If there wasn’t a great nationwide problem with motorists no one would be holding any sort of rides to raise awareness. A lot of the comments on here highlight the lack of knowledge in the wider community.
Please spread these facts that despite what anyones opinions are:
HORSES ARE LEGALLY ENTITLED TO BE ON THE ROAD. ASK THE POLICE
THEY SHOULD BE PASSED WIDE AND SLOW. SEE HIGHWAY CODE
NO ONE UNLESS YOU ARE VERY OLD HAS EVER PAID ROAD TAX. GOOGLE IT.
MOST SENSIBLE RIDERS HAVE MORE THAN ADEQUATE INSURANCE. SOME 30 MILLION POUNDS WORTH. SEE BHS GOLD INSURANCE.
DOG POO CAN CAUSE BLINDNESS IN HUMANS AND CAUSE ABORTION IN CATTLE AND SHEEP. WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO PICK UP THE BAG OF DOG POO LEFT ON MY LAND? MANY ANIMALS HAVE ALSO DIED SWALLOWING THESE BAGS.
ASK THE MOUNTED POLICE TO PICK UP THEIR HORSES POO.
Can we never ever see anyone mention car tax again please. It’s so boring.
Land and field owners won’t let you just ride through private property, and bridleways have to be ridden to on a road. It’s not a case of wanting to ride on roads. With the hunting ban farmers have now no reason to let you exercise your horse through their land. .
make them pay tax and ins
Wow Linda belcher you’ve not a clue!!pay tax and insurance!!
Most horse owners riders have insurance!
If you want to go down that road let’s make all motorised disabled buggies pay as they seem to be on all roads too.
Next time think on Linda before making silly remarks………..
Linda. Do you realize how many cars on the road are not taxed, insured or have insurance.
motorised disabled buggies are supposed to have insurance let’s make horses pay tax and have an MOT or pay for the damage they do to the roads why should I pay £190 a year when a horse rexha road within minutes they should all be eaten
Buy a cheaper car or a low emission car.
And I’m laughing my socks off on the MOT comment….. Your just clue less on the subject.
Unless you owned a vehicle prior to 1937 you have never paid road tax. Horse have as much legal right to use the road as motorists.
We do pay tax and insurance
They do pay insurance and why should they pay Vehicle excise duty like cars, they are not vehicles and do not have air polluting emissions. If you mean for road maintenance then that comes out of the council tax that everyone pays.
What tax? Road tax was scrapped a very long time ago and Vehicle Emmission Tax clearly doesn’t apply?
As for insurance, you will probably find our animals are better insured than the rest of our possessions!
Vehicle road tax was abolished a long time ago could you please tell me what I’m paying for every year on all of my vehicles or horses should be eaten
Although you may not realise it, they already pay the same road maintenance contributions and emission taxes as everyone else.
I actually pay £450 every year for public liability insurance so I can drive my horse & carriage on our roads
Unless you owned a vehicle prior to 1937 you have never paid road tax.
Horses are fine on the road!
Keep the bloody arrogant cyclists clad in Lykra Probably having a midlife crisis of the road.
As for horses poo it’s only grass!
Lets hope they have the good manners to get off the road, where convenient, and let the inevitable queue pass by.
Those of us with good manners do our best to be civil and courteous. However, we do pay as much as drivers to be on there, with it being a necessity, and most certainly not a choice. All we ask is for people to respect our vulnerability to being hit by a vehicle being driven too fast and too close. Everybody on the roads needs a margin for error, equestrians included, so a minute more on your journey could save a life that you might otherwise snuff out.
Just give them time to find a safe place and they will.
Good, and apologies if anyone thought I was suggesting riders were ill-mannered; I’m sure that is not the case, bad choice of words.
Whilst I do take care when horses are on the road I feel that ALL horse riders should wear high vis clothing as should cyclists, walkers , runners and motor cyclists. A lot tend to wear dark clothing that blends into the hedgerows etc.
Good Luck to them, we are lucky enough to live in a rural community, seeing horses being ridden on the road is one of the many pleasures associated with that.
P.S. dog pooh causes nasty illnesses, horse pooh does not.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Reading the comments so far no one has something supportive to say, horses should not have to be on the road in this day and age but the Bridleways do not all link so we have to get to them via roads, and regarding dog poo versus horse poo, horses do not eat meat products so it breaks down rapidly. We are just asking for some patience and space to be as safe as possible, is that too much to ask?? Support the cause and lessen the danger. Thank you.
I agree horse poo is not dangerous to your health and there is no law stating it must be picked up, however if horses are to be used on a public highway then there must be a duty of care to other road users (cyclists, motorcyclists) also, surely if riding a horse on the highway, then the horse rider should obey the highway code and the rules of the road, so yesterday whilst driving through Freshwater a solo female rode up Heathfield road on her horse whilst talking on her mobile phone and was totally oblivious to all around her, not looking at vehicles, no acknowledgement for the vehicles slowing, surely if you can
t drive a car and use a mobile, then you shouldnt ride a horse and use a mobile.And keep well back whilst waiting to pass
It’s the lycra cyclists that are more of a problem, horse riders are aware of other traffic and their animal and ride carefully, a lot of the cyclists block the road riding in groups making it extremely difficult to pass them.
Curious comments – what difference does it make if a cyclist wears lycra or baggy shorts?
Horse riders and car drivers have always seemed to hold a mutual respect for each other on the Island – horses will only usually be on the roads for a short time if the rider is trying to get from one bridleway or field to another.
Getting held up by horses / cyclists / tractors / classic cars doing 20mph is all part of country living folks! Far better than sitting in traffic in a inner city ♂️
Well said.
As stated we are a rural community and meeting horses on the roads is a fairly normal occurrence, usually sensibly and politely addressed by all concerned.
However setting out ‘en masse’ to deliberately disrupt road traffic, for many of whom Sunday is still a working day, is hardly a responsible act and is more likely to reduce tolerance than promote it.
Do you seriously believe that ‘raising awareness’ means ‘deliberate disruption’? Or do you think we’re lying about the reason for the 2hrs, 1 day a year rides? You don’t think it leaves you vulnerable to being accused of intolerance and petty mindedness, do you?
A large group of riders and banner carrying pedestrians who would not normally be on that section of road and are not travelling to or from their preferred bridalways, yes that’s deliberately disruptive and that two hours twice a year will still disrupt somebody’s journey to or from work, hospital, maternity unit or any one of a hundred other legitimate or important jouneys.
I don’t think it’s me being intolerant and your protestations merely give more credibility to claims of irresponsible riding.
Presumably your hobby is sailing. No one is trying to suggest that you shouldn’t carry out your hobby which clutters up the seas, results in huge amounts of human waste, plastic and genderbending antifoul polluting our water supplies. Sounds intolerant? Then so are you when trying to suggest that horse riders shouldn’t be allowed to carry out their hobby. Don’t bother calling Mayday on Channel 16 if I’m passing; you can drown as far as I am concerned
Don’t get me wrong I’m an animal lover myself Im owed by two cats and I always pass horses slow and wide. However the concept of horses on the road is old and dated. I’ve had several near misses in my life when I’ve considerately come up behind a horse that’s all over the road with a rider struggling to control it, this is not just a danger to the rider and horse but to motorists and vehicles too. If a horse bolts and damages a car driven or parked who pays for it? (That’s a genuine question I actually don’t know the answer) but as a driver I’ve sometimes been scared to pass a misbehaving horse. As for the comments about horse poo nobody said it’s a health hazard but I noticed none of you horse people have answered the comment made that it is a danger to motorcycles and is generally not a nice thing to have laying around is it?. I find it interesting that the article said sometimes horses “needed” to be on the road. Surly that’s like saying I need to drive an unsafe car because I haven’t got a trailer, reality check news reporter there is such a thing called a horse box so there is never a need for a horse to be on a road. If I was too drive a dangerous car on the road I would (and rightfully so) get ripped apart on here but if I ride a dangerous horse that seems to be acceptable. As I say I love animals and I have nothing against horses so stop risking their safety and the safety of others by making them walk on a road which by the way (in this day and age) is an area specifically designed for vehicles. Horse boy the comment about cyclists? Really? Can I point out a bicycle does not have its own brain, and does not get scared although I will agree nobody wants to see all that Lycra
Ok ,so I load my horse in a horsebox and off I go to ride around the fields through the bridleways, Oh hang on ,I’ve had to leave my horsebox in a narrow crountry lane and now Im,blocking that lane
1) The concept of horses on the road dates back to time immemorial and will last indefinitely because it is entrenched in Common Law. 2) If you are blameless and a horse damages your car the horse owner is liable for the cost of repair. 3) Something that is a danger to other road users most definitely IS a health hazard. However, horse poo can be steered around easily by cyclists and motorcyclists who are paying attention and riding according to conditions and speed limits. Hence it is not a road hazard for which legislation is deemed necessary – brain engagement is all that is deemed necessary. 4) ‘Needing’ to be on the road is a reality until we find a way to produce winged horses that can fly from one bridleway to the next or otherwise reinstate the bridleway network. If nobody had systematically tarmac’d over the bridleways to make them more convenient for use with wheeled vehicles over the past century or so they’d still link up and drivers wouldn’t speed and there would be no need for awareness rides. Do your tolerance levels perhaps need revisiting?
Are the “tarmac’d over bridleways” still technically bridleways? if so horses have more right than vehicles to be ridden on them.
I’ve only ever visited the Isle of Wight once before, and that was by yacht. Having now read the article and some of the comments following I feel very sorry for the horse owners on the island, who are obviously surrounded by people of very low intellect.
Unfortunately, today has come about due to the rising number of horse riders & horse deaths on the road due to a minority of inconsiderate & reckless drivers. Horse riders do not want to ride on roads, they want tracks, bridleways & fields. But that is not always available & normally to get from one to the other, roads have to be used. Instead of seeing them as a nuisance, see them as someone who is enjoying their past time, of which costs them a lot of time, money & takes 110% commitment. That rider is someone’s daughter, son, mother…..That horse they are riding is part of their family !
Absolutely right Emma. We often come upon horses and their riders in a very narrow road called Southford Lane, but we slow right down and usually the horse will pull off the road to allow vehicles to pass. Horses and their riders are always very considerate, unlike the lycra louts on their bikes, riding 2&3 abreast, ignoring traffic lights, riding on pavements etc. Give me horses any day!
It’s simple, animals and motor viecals don’t mix, we’re not going back to the horse and cart.
If you love horse riding then please use the correct transport for your animals to be moved to a safer place.
Clare..
Simple. Yes…..
REMEMBER – Horses have been on the roads for years and years, long before motors, and should be treated with caution and respect.
Having been a horse owner in the past I think I can safely say no horse rider wants to ride on the road because of the minority of reckless inconsiderate drivers but unfortunately to get to bridleways there is no other choice . Maybe before people pass their driving test they should be made to ride a horse down a busy road and see how scary it can actually be then maybe there would be a bit more consideration to other road users .
That’s because horses, buggies, carts have as much right to use the roads as cars, vans, lorries, motorcycle, push bike, pedestrian and dogs. We all need to be aware of other road users. This campaign will have served a purpose if one life is saved, who ever it is.
They dont pay tax so actually no they dont have as much right
What tax is that exactly? Road tax was abolished in 1937 and vehicles are taxed on the emissions produced (some vehicles pay no emissions tax at all). The building of roads is paid for from general taxation and maintenance by local councils paid from Council tax. So we all pay for the roads and have equal rights. The only roads that vehicles have the exclusive right to use are motorways.
Here we go…….. horses have as much right as vehicles on the road. See the answer to tax question below. I hate this old chestnut that’s posted every time there’s a horse related topic. Cyclisst also have a game that sees them watching comments on posts for the tax word. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.