| I've always tried to be considerate to horses and their riders, and have always slowed right down for them. I had a skittish horse kick the nearside wing of my car in once, loads of damage and no insurance (the horse rider that is). I wouldn't like to imagine the mess it would make of your leg.
I do have a problem with horses on the road. It seems inconsistent to me that the law makes people wait until they're at least 16 before driving any vehicle, and yet it's perfectly happy to let little Cynthia (aged 8) out onto the public road in charge of an unpredictable animal.
In my view there should be several criteria that need to be satisfied before anyone is allowed out on the road on a horse.
First, there should be the equivalent of an MOT for any horse. I don't see why the horse itself should not be subject to a yearly test of it's behaviour to check that it's quiet, placid and well behaved enough to be safe, not some tempremental highly strung thing that is always going to be a handfull. If neccesary, there could be several MOT ratings for horses, going from an old docile pony that's never going to break out into a trot to a thouroughbred 'sports' option.
Second, there has to be a minimum age for people to ride on the road or a public bridleway. It seems to me that the same age restrictions as motor vehicles should do nicely.
Thirdly, being licensed is a must. Riders should have to take and pass a 'driving test' to show that they're competent to ride a horse safely. If neccesary, this should be graded in the same way that motorcycles bhp is limited to new riders (or like a pilots license). Only riders whove passed the thouroughbred exam should be allowed to ride a horse that has a thoroughbred "MOT" rating. If you've only passed your plodding nag test, then you should only be allowed to ride plodding nags.
Fourth. I don't see why riders should not have to wear some sort of bib or armband with a registration number, or the horse could have a registration mark on a horse blanket or something.
Fifth, the horse and rider should both be insured for third party damage at least and they should be required to carry all the documentation about the horses MOT rating, their rider status, their registration details and insurance documents.
Sixth. They should all wear a helmet (there are plenty that don't)
I'm not anti horse I rode one for the first time in my life whilst on holiday in Connemara this year (well, funnily enough it wasn't a horse, it was a Connemara pony), just on a plod about (it broke into a little trot once or twice), but I loved it. We went up the side of a mountain overlooking the sea, and to me it was a real highlight of the holiday. So I can understand the attraction of riding, but I still think it needs far more rigourous control.  |