Chorley horse rider warns reckless drivers are risking lives on roads

Julie-Ann Bowden was speaking after an event she helped organise in which more than a dozen fellow riders took to routes around the borough in an attempt to raise awareness of what the Highway Code says about how to overtake horses.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that while “the majority” of drivers show the beasts the respect they deserve, there are others who refuse to be held up for the short time it takes to pass a horse safely – and then fly into a rage when challenged.

Julie-Ann says such incidents are an increasingly regular occurrence, having recently experienced two in the space of a week, close to the livery stables she uses in Whittle-le-Woods.

Confronted in the first with the sight of a BMW heading towards her horse at high speed, she gave a hand signal to request the driver slow down – but got a very different gesture in response.

“He was coming really fast down Cophurst Lane, [which is] a small country road with parked vehicles, and I shouted and [indicated] for him to slow – but he just did his own hand signals and actually stopped, reversed and hurled a load of abuse at us.

“[Another day], on Town Lane, myself and a friend had gone into a bit of a gap between parked cars to allow a van to come through – and, as he was approaching, my friend on the horse behind me asked that I try to slow him down.

“But he just carried on and as he went past, something in the back of the van made a really loud noise, because of the road surface, and my friend’s horse turned and wanted to run away. That made my horse want to go as well – and it was [only because] we were so experienced that we weren’t unseated.

“We shouted after them [and asked them] to stop and have a conversation. The passenger got out and we got the usual – ‘You shouldn’t be riding your horses on the road if they’re not safe, you should be in a field,’” Julie recalled.

The latter incident – which was reported to the police, complete with camera footage – was a dispiritingly fitting precursor to last weekend’s awareness-raising ride. The procession boasted 18 riders at any one time along the route and was arranged as part of the ‘Pass Wide and Slow’ campaign.

The initiative aims to promote caution and consideration around horses on the road – and, in particular, knowledge of rule 215 of the Highway Code, which advises motorists how to negotiate the animals when they encounter them.

It says that they should “slow down to a maximum of 10 mph” and “when safe to do so, pass wide and slow, allowing at least two metres of space”.

Motorists are further warned: “Be patient [and] do not sound your horn or rev your engine” – and they are also reminded that children are often amongst groups of horse riders on the road.

Julie-Ann says that patience is in short supply amongst the motorists most irritated by the sight of horses on the highway – but appeals to them to think about the many potential consequences of their actions.

“The real danger is that the horse spooks and the rider is thrown…[maybe] into the oncoming traffic or it could be onto the [overtaking] vehicle itself. [That vehicle] may end up with the horse on [its] bonnet, which I’m sure the drivers really don’t want.

“And a loose horse on the highway could obviously cause even more issues if it tried to run off and head for home.

“I just don’t understand why [people] will put themselves and other road users in danger,” Julie added.

HORSE RIDING HORRORS

According to the British Horse Society (BHS), in 2024:

● 3,118 road incidents involving horses were reported;

● 58 horses died;

● 97 horses were injured;

● 80 people were injured.

However, figures from the Pass Wide and Slow survey suggest that these sobering stats are significantly underreported, with only 29 per cent of incidents being logged on the BHS app.