New product that could save lives on the road, plus other things the horse world is talking about

1. Hopes new product will save lives on the road

The creators of a new product designed for hacking out say it will “save lives”, of horses and riders. The VisiWhip is a reflective flag that hangs on the end of a whip, “ensuring riders have protected space and maximum visual impact with other road users”. A spokesman for the product said: “VisiWhip is an equine safety product, designed to assist horse riders in clearly occupying and protecting the road space that they need, and signal their unequivocal presence to other road users.”

Find out more about this new product

2. Dealer gives horse to customer

The mother of a child whose pony was put down with a broken leg just before her birthday has credited the “astonishing” generosity of the dealer, who gave her a horse and would not take any money for him. Rebecca Dickie told H&H she and her 12-year-old daughter Rosie were devastated when Rosie’s pony Madge suffered the fatal injury in the field. They had owned Madge since August, having bought her from Natalie Vincent, of Niart Stud.

Read the full story

3. Loss of a great horseman

James Darlington, who has died aged 67, was one of Somerset’s widely known and much-loved characters, best described as a countryman and skilled horseman. He was an amateur rider, professional jump jockey and then farrier. Throughout his life he loved his driving horses and horse-drawn vehicles.

Read James Darlington’s obituary

You might also be interested in:

Be safer on the roads: introduce your horse to traffic with this five-point plan

‘We are making the roads safer’: hundreds take part in Pass Wide and Slow rides

Horse owner speaks up after ‘the kindness of strangers saved my best friend’

Mystery Bunting Fairy spreads happiness among Welsh pony and cob enthusiasts

The customised bunting is always accompanied by the same note

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Sarah Jenkins

H&H editor-in-chief

Sarah has more than 20 years experience as an equestrian journalist and editor. She has reported from major championships including the Europeans and the World Equestrian Games. She has co-written books on equestrianism including The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horses & Ponies. Sarah has ridden since childhood, owned horses and ponies for over 25 years, and worked for and trained with Olympic gold medallist event rider Leslie Law prior to going to university.