Horse riding on the roads – when accidents happen

There are always two sides to every issue, as we were reminded when a member of the public contacted the Camps office in relation to our 2nd March blog entry about accidents caused by animals straying onto public roads.  In that piece we concentrated on the issue from a motorists point of view, but as it was pointed out to us, other users of the road are also at risk of being involved in accidents that are not their fault, and one such group are the many thousands of horse riders who ride their horses on UK roads.

Horse riding is a pastime enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people in the UK every year.  Whilst many of these riders will enjoy their passion in open country, or in fields, many riders take to the road.  Riding a horse on the road can be an exciting and enjoyable experience, but there are risks, and unfortunately, there are also accidents.  Every year in the UK there are around 10 fatal accidents involving horse riders, and many more riders are left seriously injured.  A significant portion of these horse riding accidents take place on the roads.

Safety is of great importance to all horse riders; however the unpredictable nature of animals and horse riders’ exposed position and height from the ground can make them vulnerable to accidents involving vehicular traffic.  Car drivers may be unused to passing horses, or unaware of the proper manoeuvres to make, especially in confined spaces on narrow country lanes or in heavy traffic.  In these circumstances, accidents can and do happen, and in the vast majority of collisions between a horse and rider and a motor vehicle, it is the horse and rider who come off worse.

When making a claim for compensation after a horse riding accident, there are several things your solicitors will ask you to consider.  As with all potentially dangerous activities, you should have been wearing the appropriate safety equipment, such as a high visibility jacket and a riding helmet.  If you were an inexperienced rider, you should have been supervised by a more experienced rider, and you should also have been obeying all the relevant sections of the Highway Code that apply to horse riding.  In any compensation claim, evidence is vitally important to the eventual outcome, so if it is safe to do so, you should collect the details of any witnesses to your accident, and if you have a camera or camera phone, take photos of the accident scene.

If you are a horse rider and you have been injured in an accident on the road that was not your fault, call Camps Solicitors today for a free initial consultation to find out if you have the grounds to claim compensation for your injuries.  Our Freephone number is 0800 092 8586.