Safety campaign for horse riders

The police want to promote responsible riding

Thames Valley Police have launched a campaign to reduce the number of horse rider deaths on Oxfordshire's roads.

Five people die each year in accidents involving horses on the roads, but in the first seven months of this year there have already been five fatalities.

The rise has been blamed on the closure of bridleways due to foot-and-mouth disease.

PC Vicky Booth said drivers, as well as riders, needed to be educated on how to react.

It is just really being courteous, slowing down and giving the horse and the rider plenty of room

PC Vicky Booth

"There are some drivers that will not slow down or don't know how to approach horses more than anything.

"These animals are completely unpredictable so you really have to be completely aware when you are coming up behind horses.

"It is just really being courteous, slowing down and giving the horse and the rider plenty of room."

Thames Valley Police, with the help of the British Horse Society, hope to promote responsible riding, as well as to educate motorists in how to react to horses on the highways.

They want to make sure riders wear high-visibility clothing, which can give motorists an extra three seconds notice that a horse and rider are ahead.

Part of the campaign is aimed at land owners, warning them of the importance of keeping fields and fences properly maintained to prevent loose horses from escaping.