New Forest riders 'safer' thanks to Highway Code changes

NEW Forest horse riders have welcomed changes to the Highway Code aiming to give them greater protection on the roads.

Local equestrian Sarah Cobb, one of many riding in the area, was among those happy about the new rules, having previously invested in a head camera because of dangerous encounters with motorists.

Ms Cobb, from Milford, says that the updated regulations “hopefully will make us, horses and riders, safer”.

Under the new rules drivers now have to pass horses at speeds under 10mph and at a minimum of two metres. Previously the advice was just to pass "slowly and widely".

The code also warns motorists not to cut across a horse rider going ahead when "turning into or out of a junction or changing lane, just as you would not turn across the path of another motor vehicle”.

It also says that you should not approach them at high speed, "particularly from behind", nor overtake them on their left.

Finally, the code advises drivers to wait behind the horse rider and not overtake “if it is unsafe, or not possible to meet these clearances”.

Ms Cobb said she was “absolutely delighted” by the changes, saying: “I really hope that they are brought to drivers’ attention as few drivers actually slow down when passing horses."

She recently bought a hat-cam – similar to a car dashcam – after several incidents involving impatient drivers.

She said: “He sat revving his truck engine continually behind me and a friend. Another motorist pulled alongside me and just lay on his horn while one driver cut so close in front of me that if my horse had stretched out his neck, he would have been hit.

“I do wonder what people expect to see on the roads when they live in the countryside. I wear hi-vis, as do my horses. I also use flashing led lights on their tails and on my helmet, so we are very visible.

“We normally ride two abreast on the roads as advised by the British Horse Society to slow cars down as they approach and deter them from trying to squeeze past through a small gap. A spooked horse can be dangerous.

“But most drivers pass too near or too fast. I just think some just don’t understand or don’t care about horses on the road.”

The director of safety for the British Horse Society Alan Hiscox said the new rules are “really a major step for the safety of horses on the roads".