In Ballymena many horses are seen on the roads. Motorist and horses have to use the roads safely together and on narrow country road it is important that drivers know what to do when they meet a horse.
Photo Credit: Perry; Creative Commons
Here is some advice shared by nidirect about horses and motorists;
Motorists and horse riders both have a right to use the road. They also share a responsibility to consider each others needs
As a motorist you should:
- look out for horses being led or ridden on the road
- at left hand bends and on narrow country roads – take extra care and keep your speed down
- when you see a horse rider on the road – slow down
- when behind a horse rider – give them plenty of room and be ready to stop
- do not sound your horn or rev your engine – horses are powerful but vulnerable animals easily scared by noise and may
- panic around fast moving vehicles
- when overtaking pass wide and slow
- horse riders are often children – so take extra care
- watch out for horse riders’ signals and heed a request to slow down or stop
In this blog post we have focused on motorists but if you are a horse rider then we advise you to read this leaflet which you can use to check that you are doing all you can to keep your horse, yourself and other road users safe.
