Comox Valley residents Meg Watts and Melodie O鈥橬eill love nothing more than saddling up their horses, Allez and Hawk, and heading down the road to hit the riding trails in Tsolum Spirit Park.
As members of the Vancouver Island Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen of British Columbia, the pair is very aware of the potential dangers of riding on roads shared with vehicular traffic. To ensure their safety, and to educate drivers, they always wear bright yellow vests that sport a written warning to motorists: Pass Slow & Wide.
鈥淲e had the funniest thing happen to us last summer, while riding down Tsolum Road,鈥� recalls Watts. 鈥淎 man in a car slowed down and pulled wide to pass. As we turned to smile and give a small wave of appreciation, he rolled down the passenger window and said with a big grin, 鈥榃hich one of you is Slow? And which one is Wide?鈥�
鈥淲e had a great laugh! It made our day 鈥� and is proof that wearing the safety vest makes a difference!鈥�
While this incident brightened their day, most days they 鈥� and countless other horses and riders who must travel on busy roads to access local parks and pathways 鈥� are not so lucky.
Many motorists speed past horses and riders, giving no consideration to the fact that horses and mules are 鈥渇light animals鈥� and their first instinct to a perceived danger is to run. If they can鈥檛 run, they will fight.
A horse or mule that is spooked by a speeding motorist can leap sideways, buck, rear or go from a walk to full speed in a split second 鈥� forwards, backwards or sideways!
Motorists who don鈥檛 understand this and don鈥檛 respect horse owners鈥� right to share the road put horses, riders, themselves and other motorists at risk of serious injury, even death.
John King, a retired veterinarian, avid horse enthusiast and chair of the local chapter of Back Country Horsemen (BCHBC), says that with the days getting longer and warmer, we can expect to see more and more horses on local roads.
鈥淭here are several multi-use parks in the Comox Valley that local horse owners ride along roads to access or trailer their horses to,鈥� explains King. 鈥淭his includes Seal Bay, Williams Beach, Wildwood and Tsolum Spirit parks, One Spot Trail, as well as the side roads around the Lake Trail and Royston areas. Whether the horses are on or near the road, being ridden, led or loaded into trailers, we urge all motorists to please, slow down, share the road and think safety first!鈥�
King adds that some responsibility for safe road access also falls upon equestrians. The Three Cs of Trail Riding Etiquette: Common Sense, Courtesy and Communication should also be practised on roadways. Riders are urged to be aware of their surroundings, control their speed and look ahead, especially on corners and hills.
In most cases, riders should travel in the same direction as the traffic because, according to traffic laws, they are considered to be no different than a vehicle or bike. Motorists, however, should recognize that in some cases this is not possible. Steep ditches, narrow shoulders, slippery footing or an object or activity on one side of the road 鈥� such as a barking dog or construction work 鈥� may require the rider to guide his or her mount to the opposite side of the road to ensure their safety.
Cyclists and joggers who use roads and trails shared with horses should also be aware that, because you move quickly and relatively silently, a horse may perceive you as a predator. If you are approaching a horse and rider from any direction, slow down and call out a greeting so that the horse recognizes you as a human being. If the horse starts to act up, stop, dismount from your bike, and move aside 鈥� but be sure to stay within sight of the horse. (If you slink off into the bushes, you are perceived as a threat.) Avoid sudden movements or making loud noises, and wait until the horse has moved on or the rider has it back under control before you proceed.
Local horse owners interested in learning more about riding etiquette and connecting with other trail-riding enthusiasts are welcome to contact the local chapter of Back Country Horsemen of B.C. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month (September to June) at Grantham Hall.
For more information on BCHBC, call Sharon Pickthorne (250-337-1818) or John King (250-338-6789) or visit www.bchorsemen.org. Riders interested in purchasing safety vests should contact the Horse Council of B.C., www.hcbc.org.
