WELLINGTON COUNTY – Horses are powerful, easily-startled flight-animals that often weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
So when horses share roads with cars, trucks, and motorcycles, its essential for everyone’s safety that motorists and equestrians act carefully.
In 2023, there were seven motor vehicle incidents in Wellington County involving horses, OPP community safety officer Sarah McClinchey told the Advertiser.
This includes an accident in Mapleton in May when five people were sent to hospital, two with serious injuries, after a van crashed into a horse and buggy. Both horses involved had to be euthanized due to their injuries.
Motorists
According to the Highway Traffic Act, motorists must “exercise every reasonable precaution to prevent the frightening of a horse or other animal and to ensure the safety and protection” of anyone riding, driving or leading a horse, or inside a vehicle drawn by a horse.
McClinchey said this means slow down and give horses and carriages a wide berth.
Carriages can be wider than expected, she noted, so drivers should be aware of that while passing, and a wide berth gives the equestrian space to maneuver and reduces the chance of startling the horse.
“A lower speed will give you more time to react, if anything happens,” she added, and will reduce the chance of scaring the horse.”
The Town of Erin has a Road Safety Handbook for Equestrians that states “motorists should understand the needs and vulnerability of riders and horses and behave courteously towards them at all times.
“By learning how to share the road, riders and motorists can work together to prevent tragedies.”
It advises drivers to avoid sudden acceleration or breaking near horses, as this can send gravel flying.
If a horse seems particularly nervous, the handbook advises drivers stop and wait for the rider to move away from the road or signal for them to pass.
“Avoid any loud sounds, or anything that can startle the horse,” McClinchey added, including sounding the horn, unless “absolutely necessary, and in a very gentle manner.
“Use your vehicle lights wisely,” she said. “If driving at night or in low light conditions, use headlights to make sure you can see carriages [or horses], but don’t use high beams as they can obviously startle horses.”
The handbook advises drivers turn down loud radios and refrain from yelling.
McClinchey also recommended anyone on the road be mindful of conditions – “be aware of uneven or slippery road surfaces that could make it harder for horses to maintain footing.”
And always avoid distractions such as cell phones.
“If you are ever involved in an accident, stay at the scene and call 911,” and then wait for police and medics to arrive, she added.
Motorists should also be able to recognize hand signs, which are the same for equestrians as for cyclists the handbook notes. A hand extended out signals a left turn, up signals a right turn, and down signals a stop.
Equestrians
Equestrians are “subject to the rules of the road,” McClinchey noted, so they must obey traffic lights, signs, and speed limits.
All equestrians using roads must ensure both person and horse are adequately trained.
The safety handbook advises equestrians ask the following questions before deciding to take their horse out on the road: “Are you a competent rider, confident and capable of controlling your horse if there’s a problem on the road? Is your horse reliable and road ready? Has your horse been desensitized to the noise and movement of traffic?”
If not, it recommends more training.
Training
“Knowing how to control a horse when it is upset is critical to safety,” it notes.
The handbook recommends training horses to disengage their hindquarters (step over with their hind feet), calling this “crucial” to road safety and comparing it to “knowing how to take your car out of drive.”
Equine Guelph instructor Zoë Thorbergson said road safety is an aspect of the courses she teaches.
She told the Advertiser “the biggest thing to understand is that horses are contextual learners.”
That means when they learn something, they only understand it in the context they were taught – they won’t automatically apply it to other situations.
“Humans generalize very easily,” she said, and while horses are capable of generalizing “a tiny bit,” it takes them a long time to get there, she said.
So to prepare a horse for the road it’s essential to ensure they will apply what they know on the road.
Thorbergson recommends doing this by ensuring they can behave reliably in at least five new or different situations or environments. For example, trailer them somewhere safe such as an equestrian facility they have never been to before.
‘Scan for hazards’
“The horse should be accustomed to traffic and be able to respond calmly to various stimuli,” McClinchey said.
The equestrian should stay calm and controlled, keep the horse calm and controlled, and avoid sudden movements or loud noises that could startle the horse, she added.
“Continuously scan for hazards [such as] pot holes, loose debris, or fast moving vehicles,” she said.
“Asphalt roads can be slippery, especially when wet,” the handbook notes. “Gravel roads with large stones can cause pain for tender footed horses, making them anxious or unwilling to go forward, and loose gravel may cause your horse’s hooves to slip and your horse to stumble.
“Watch for broken glass along the road, culvert pipes and ditches that may be hidden by tall grass, or soft shoulder areas that may be unsafe for a horse to walk on.
Blowing plastic bags, shiny tin cans or barking dogs “can frighten a horse enough to cause it to shy into the road,” the handbook states. “Be ready for a spook, but don’t be nervous, as your nervousness will be transmitted to your horse.
“Cyclists can be particularly frightening because bicycles approach silently and the riders are often hunched over the handlebars, appearing to the horse as a predator like a mountain lion or wolf might do,” the handbook notes. It recommends encouraging cyclists to speak, as “hearing the human voice from the ‘predator’ will help ease your horse’s fear.”
Ready for the road
Plan routes that are best suited for horses or carriages, McClinchey advised, picking better roads and avoiding heavy traffic areas.
According to the handbook, the safest route is one with the widest shoulder, the lowest speed limit, and the least amount of traffic.
Carriages must be in good condition and adequately equipped with functioning breaks, lights, reflective gear, and slow moving vehicle triangle with reflective tape displayed on the back, she noted.
“It helps to have high vis clothing and accessories for yourself as well as the horse, in order to increase visibility,” she added.
This can include reflective vests, leg wraps, brow bands, breast collars, and stirrup bars, the handbook notes, as well as flashing LED lights attached to saddles or clothing.
“These lights were designed for cyclists, but also work great for riders,” the handbook notes. “The intermittent flash of the light attracts a driver’s attention, making you more visible and them more aware.”
The handbook also recommends equestrians warm up before heading out onto the road each time, by lunging or riding the horse at a walk, trot and canter at home, letting it release any pent up energy safely.
This also provides an opportunity to notice how the horse is feeling that day.
“Don’t be afraid to say, ‘you know what, maybe my horse’s level of arousal today is a little high,” and opt not to go out on the road that day, or to turn back early, Thorbergson advises.
“You have to consider your horse’s welfare, because riding on the road is a very dangerous situation and it can go horribly wrong in a split second,” she said.
“You need to know the horse is calm, listening to cues, and feeling well” to be safe taking them out on the road, she said.
Once out on the road, ride single file, keep one horse’s length away from the horses ahead, and yield to pedestrians, the handbook notes.
“A nervous or fresh horse may be more difficult to handle away from familiar surroundings,” the handbook notes, and advises that horses with less experience be accompanied by more experienced riders and equestrians.
“Keep light rein contact at all times: you will be ready to respond to emergencies, and your horse will gain confidence from your guidance,” it notes.
The handbook recommends reporting any dangerous drivers or near misses to police.
It also advises always telling someone “where you will be riding and when you expect to return” before heading out on the road.
And the handbook advises always wearing a helmet while riding a horse – something legally required for riders under 18 years old. Proper footwear is also required.
