Horse riders make their way along a rural road during a National Ride for Road Safety.
Horse riders make their way along a rural road during a National Ride for Road Safety.
Central Hawke’s Bay horse riders have no shortage of stories of close calls with other road users.
Wendy Rattray says she can probably count on one hand the number of people who bother to slow down or move over for her horse and carriage.
“I drive my horse on the road every day, but I’m ever so grateful that my horse thinks better than human beings,” she said.
“She keeps me out of trouble more by good luck than good management.”
As a competitive carriage driver, there are limited places for her to practice or take her horse to train, and often, the rural road is the only place that doesn’t require going through a gate.
Rattray recalled at least three incidents in the past week where cars had come too close or not bothered to slow down for her and her horse.
She said that in one incident, a parked truck released its air brakes, causing her horse to shy on to the roadway and turn a carriage 45 degrees.
“Who do you expect to pay when something like a horse carriage runs into your car? It won’t be my fault. I’ll be sticking to as close or as far over as I can to the white line.”
Ann Tod of the Hawkes Bay Horse Trails Advocacy Group hopes to spread awareness during a nationwide Pass Wide and Slow campaign for horse riders. Photo / Supplied
Other riders tell of cars and motorcycles passing them at speed, drivers honking horns or passengers yelling or throwing items.
“These people - townies I guess - seem to think it’s funny to scare the horses,” says one rider who declined to be named. “They don’t realise it’s actually-life threatening to the horse and rider if the rider gets thrown off in traffic. It’s not a good outcome to people in a vehicle either, if they hit half a tonne of panicked horse. They tend to come through the windscreen.
“People have lost their common sense when it comes to driving around horses.”
To raise awareness, riders and carriage drivers New Zealand-wide are joining in a worldwide “Pass Wise and Slow” initiative on September 14 and 15.
There are 35 rides planned in New Zealand - two in Central Hawke’s Bay and one in Havelock North - as well as an online petition by the New Zealand Equestrian Advocacy Network requesting vulnerable road user status for New Zealand horse riders.
The petition requests that the House of Representatives “hold an inquiry into road user behaviour towards vulnerable road users, including people riding horses, recognise that horse riders are vulnerable road users and amend the Land Transport Act and associated Rules to include safe provision for horse riders in legislation”.
The petition is being supported by groups including the NZ Equestrial Advocacy Network, Te Hapori Hōiho - the National Māori Horse Association, Aotea Trust, Equestrian Sports NZ, NZ Riding for the Disabled and NZ Pony Clubs.
The message is also supported by the New Zealand Police, the trucking transport sector and the Automobile Association.
Ann Tod of the Hawke’s Bay Horse Trails Advocacy Group said that a common theme in the experiences of local horse riders and carriage drivers’ experiences on the roads is that many vehicle drivers do not slow down.
Some even speEd up deliberately when passing, and many do not give horses a safe space.
“Even horses who are confident and used to traffic can unexpectedly spook and end up on the road and [move] into the path of vehicles. Some drivers use their horns, which can be frightening for horses and riders.”
According to the NZ Equestrian Advocacy Network, equestrians sit on the fringe of transport legislation, with little to no targeted road safety education.
There was also concern over the driver licensing system, as it does not include any theory or practical testing on approaching and passing a horse and rider.
“Many of us who used to be able to ride safely on our road verges no longer do so as there is more traffic, especially big trucks, travelling at higher speeds,” Tod said.
“Road verges are much narrower, and there’s a general lack of driver knowledge about road safety around horses on roads. So, it’s a lottery with not much margin for error.”
Central Hawke’s Bay riders are doing the world wide awareness ride on Saturday, September 14. One ride leaves from Higgins carpark at the Waipukurau end of Lindsay Rd at 11am and riding along the bridle path towards the Waipawa River. The second ride leaves from the same venue at 1pm and goes upstream to Ōtaia Lindsay Bush. Riders are asked to wear high-vis attire.
