Legendary Olympic rider Andrew Hoy has shared road safety advice for hacking riders and motorists via the British Horse Society’s (BHS) Dead Slow campaign, which is now approaching its 10th year.
The Australian eventer stressed that respect and space on the road matters not just for horses, but for everyone, and reminded road users that small actions can have a big impact.
“As an equestrian and a road user as well, road safety is important to all of us,” he said. “I am delighted to support the BHS in the road safety campaign.”
Andrew said that it was important for riders to be respectful, as “to be respected you have to be respectful”.
He outlined the clear rules for motor vehicle drivers passing horses: There must be a minimum of two meters between a horse and a vehicle and they must not be travelling at more than 10 miles an hour.
He also highlighted hand gestures riders can use to guide motorists, such as slow down (with an up and down arm motion), or stop for if you’re on an inexperienced horse.
“Most importantly, you must always thank drivers,” Andrew said. “It is really, really key that you thank drivers who have shown you good respect.”
‘Essential pieces of work’
BHS Safety Team Leader, Des Payne, said he was delighted to have Andrew’s support and reflected on the legacy of the Dead Slow campaign, which was launched almost 10 years ago.
“It’s been an important collaborative initiative to inform and involve road users on how to pass horses safely on the road,” he told Your Horse.
“In this time, we’ve had significant success including the introduction of our Dead Slow behavioural messages in The Highway Code and, most recently, a Dead Slow awareness ride with Project EDWARD led to a presentation Bill being introduced to parliament.
“These are essential pieces of work to increase the safety of equestrians and their horses, and we continue to work hard to make sure such initiatives drive even greater change.”
For the future, the focus of the campaign will remain on educating all road users about the importance of passing horses safely and the guidance in place in The Highway Code.
This includes working with the Driving Instructor Association, police forces, companies with a large base of employed drivers, as well as other organisations to deliver the behavioural messages directly to the public.
Presentations in schools
The BHS also plans to roll out more Henry the Horse presentations across the UK. This programme is delivered in primary schools, with the aim of educating children on equine road safety.
“We’ve found that the presentations have been a great way to communicate with an engaging audience who can take this insight away and share it with their parents or caregiver,” said Mr Payne.
“We await the second reading of the Road Traffic (horse and rider safety) Bill, introduced by MP Lee Dillon. Ahead of this, we want to support the industry to come together collectively to urge our MPs to support this matter.
“Our focus continues to be on helping our members to write to their MP to address the Bill, as well as communicating with Lee Dillon to help drive this forward.
“Bringing equestrian voices to parliament will be a critical way to make sure the proper tools are in place to protect horses and riders from dangerous driving – this is a key focus for us.
“Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our volunteers, key stakeholders and the equestrian community. We’re so pleased to be collaborating with Andrew Hoy, along with other key figures across the industry, to really get the message out there.
“The support of powerful case studies also continues to help us really highlight the challenges horses face on our roads every day, which is critical when communicating with those who are not connected to the equine world.”
Lead image by Charlie Gooders Photography
