The British Horse Society (BHS) is encouraging equestrians to take part in a survey aimed at helping shape the charity’s future road safety campaign work.
Riders, carriage drivers and individuals who have been involved in handling horses on public roads in the last 12 months are invited to take part in what the BHS is describing as a “major piece of research”.
“Our Dead Slow initiative has significantly raised awareness of the dangers posed to horses and riders on the roads, but we are looking to build on this with more statistics and a greater understanding of the concerns and experiences of as many equestrians as possible,” said a BHS spokesman.
BHS director of safety Alan Hiscox told H&H the society secured £50,000 in funding from the Department for Transport last year.
“The grant is for research into why riders do not report incidents and working on outcomes to encourage more people to report. This also includes an upgraded reporting system and the launch of our new Horse ‘I’ app, launched in March,” he said. The app allows equestrians to quickly and easily submit details of incidents that have negatively affected their safety including problems on the road, slippery road surfaces, dogs or fireworks.
“The project started in June 2020, with a full-time member of staff dedicated to carrying out the research for us. We are nearly at the end of the project and the final survey is to gain insight from the equestrian community.”
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Riders can report any problems with a road or off-road user, slippery road surfaces, dogs, low-flying aircraft, nuisance drones or
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Mr Hiscox added that the society is encouraging as many people as possible to complete the survey.
“This will help us with the final stage of the project,” he said. “Later this year we will be sharing the findings and outcomes, which will help inform and shape our strategy on road safety for horse riders.”
The survey closes on 9 July. Visit www.bhs.org.uk to take the survey.
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