We'd like to tell you the statistics regarding accidents with horses on the highway to emphasize our point about the need to work at staying safe. But statistics about accidents with horses on the highway are sadly lacking. There is no central reporting agency to report vehicle accidents with horses. Still, if you talk with any group of horse people, you'll hear plenty of stories of accidents or near misses.
In a perfect world, our perfect horse property would border a national forest or major trails system. We'd never have to set a hoof on asphalt. Unfortunately, in the real world, many of us have to cross or ride along a road to get off our property, whether to ride to a friend's or to connect with a trail. And even a short journey on a quiet road can entail significant risk.
Lifelong horseman Dwayne Russell found out firsthand. He is a competent rider, having grown up riding ranch roads. But years of experience and a well-broke horse didn't prevent him from getting hit by a dualie truck on a road in California.
The truck was going 50 miles per hour, and the driver was on a cell phone. He drifted too close to Dwayne and his horse. The truck mirror hit Dwayne's leg, tossing his leg over his horse's neck. Fortunately, the mirror crumpled and didn't snag the stirrup, which would have dragged the horse off his feet.
Neither Dwayne nor his horse was seriously hurt, but he did learn some lessons that day.
"I was wearing my normal clothes-a dark shirt and jeans-and riding a bay horse. I realized that increasing my visibility might have bought us some extra space." (That scary experience led Dwayne to develop the Saddlelights company, with products to help horses and riders be more easily seen by drivers.)
Most drivers have no idea how quickly an accident can happen with a horse, or how quickly a horse can get out of control. So educating drivers is important, as we'll talk about later on. But riders have to realize that some drivers, no matter how educated, are going to act irresponsibly.
What do you think the driver who hit Dwayne did? Did he stop to see if Dwayne or his horse was hurt? No way. He kept going down the road, crumpled mirror and all.
Anyone who rides the roads regularly can tell you stories of careless or rude drivers, and while it's not the norm for every ride, you have to realize it's a real possibility.
