Road Safety Update:

...another letter to The Editor...

Dear Jo,

Thank goodness Spring is coming! I can't cope with any more mud!!

Yet another letter appearing in a HORSE magazine by a motorist that provokes me to write. I am beginning to wonder whether you do it on purpose!

And, not unusually, I'm cross…again.

What kind of people need recognition and praise before doing the right thing? the safe thing? and operating within the guidelines of the law?

Furthermore, what has a perceived attitude, deciphered in a few seconds by watching riders, to do with driving safety?
The riders that ride 2 abreast do so for safety. It's quite terrifying being the rider on the outside I can tell you, but when you’ve got a young or inexperienced rider or horse, its the correct thing to do.  It's how we all learn. Monkey see, monkey do.

In all likelihood young riders, not old enough to drive will have little appreciation of drivers, they wont twig their needs, and  because they're trying to stay alive on the roads, they're quite busy with their own problems 'selfishly', riding on the roads is terrifying.

My Mum and Dad, enrolled me into the Pony Club road safety course before they were happy for me to take to the roads with my pony Brandy.  And a great service they did too. The Pony Club is how we all learn, at least that was how it was years ago.

Give riders a break, and don't take any risks with other peoples life just because you don’t get a thank-you, a cup of tea and a bun!

We're not at school any more, grow-up!


 

a Letter to the Editor

Dear Jo,
An e-mail I wrote to Jo Browne at HORSE Magazine after the 'GreavesleyGate' scandal.

I think it’s important that everyone remembers horses are creatures with their own ideas about what is safe and what isn’t, and they can’t be ‘fixed’ , ’once and for all’.

A horse is perfect for what he is: a fast, fit, flighty creature who considers safety his primary focus in life, above all other considerations. The reason we love them so much is that despite all these things, they choose to be with us, to let us touch them, ride them and ultimately ask them to be ok in unfamiliar and scary situations – I might add we’d NEVER force ourselves to face our fears...so why is it ok to make our horses do it? The fact that they do trust us, that most horses with sensitive training out on the roads alongside road users who are kind and thoughtful, a horse can become comfortable with traffic, but it only takes one scare to put all that work back to the beginning, and some horses will never recover from a fright, and neither might the rider.

I feel so cross and saddened that there are people we share our planet with that have so little empathy for their fellow creatures that they’d be willing to risk the safety of all concerned..who are these people?

I think I must be very lucky indeed, because iIhave the nicest drivers in my village...cyclists on the other hand.....are a bit better at slowing down!

Thanks for reading my rant,

Shelley