To most people this is an obvious choice. You want to be safe and you want to be seen. Yet some horse riders sadly have not made the sensible decision to wear high visibility clothing and/or accessories. At Print My Words, we will always recommend wearing hi-viz clothing when riding out, on or off the road, but we realise it is a matter of personal choice. Some people tend to think that it is only needed when you are riding in low level light but this is not the case. Hi-viz should be worn at all times regardless of the time of day, season or weather conditions.
Wearing hi-viz gives drivers an extra three seconds of reaction time that could save the life of both you and your horse. There is no law that states riders must wear hi-viz but it is in their best interests to do so. You should also consider the safety of your horse. It is very easy for a horse or pony to become camouflaged against a hedge. Reflective boots and sheets are great for keeping your horse as visible as possible.
It is also worth being aware of what sort of colours are in the backdrop you are riding against when choosing what colour to wear. At certain times of the year, you might find yourself blending into the background or hedgerow wearing orange in autumn or green in summer. If you ride near yellow fields of rape, you should consider pink as yellow will blend into the background. If you are a hi-viz fan and are always glowing bright - we salute you! and we hope you always have a safe and successful ride. If you are not someone who usually pops on a high visibility tabard, we hope we have changed your mind. You never know, it might save the lives of you are your horse one day. For our range of hi-viz vests please visit our high visibility page.