THE findings from a national survey carried out on horse road safety were the focal point of a series of meetings that took place between representatives from the Road Safety Authority (RSA), Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) in recent weeks.

These key meetings were initiated and led by equine journalist Siobhán English and ride and road safety examiner Anne O’Connor. Earlier this year the hugely experienced horsewomen ran a survey on horse road safety to get a true picture of the issue in Ireland.

The survey was well received with a total of 1,731 respondents, with 95.44% of those surveyed saying there was a safety issue at present with bringing a horse on the road. A further 84.98% said they had a bad experience (safety issue) as a result of another road user when having a horse on the road.

“Given the regular discussions we see online regarding incidents on the road involving horses and other road users, Anne and I were not altogether surprised with some of the data we received,” commented Siobhán English.

“We felt that if something was to be done with regard to setting up a road safety campaign, the results really needed to be shared with the relevant authorities. We initially invited the RSA to meet with us. In the interim we also approached HRI and HSI to discuss this mutual issue and we were delighted when the RSA agreed to meet us all last month.”

Shock

English said that the main findings of the survey were outlined during the initial meeting. “Some of the figures came as a shock to those present, but it gave a true picture of the problem. This was the public speaking honestly and they needed to be heard.”

The first meeting also gave those present an opportunity to discuss a possible roadmap on horse road safety both from the perspective of the horse owner/rider and other road users. This included updating the ‘Horse Road Safety Booklet’ which is available to download from the RSA website.

“In the past fortnight we have had a second meeting and again this was hugely positive,” Anne O’Connor added. “The RSA was very open to suggestions and eager to listen to everyone as to what could be done by way of education and also a safety campaign.”

This would possibly include new safety videos, as well as a national safety launch later in the summer.

“For Anne and I this is a major step forward and we really appreciate the RSA for taking to time to meet with us,” English said. “We are also grateful to all of those who took part in the survey and those who continue to be active on the ‘Horse Road Safety Ireland’ Facebook group. It is thanks to your input that we have made such progress in the past few weeks.”

Already the RSA has introduced some changes within its own education programme with a team of 10 Road Safety Promotion Officers now highlighting the inclusion of horse riders with the vulnerable road user group when delivering road safety presentations via the nationwide Road Safety Education Service.

A HRI spokesperson said: “Horse Racing Ireland’s Health and Safety division, led by Colin Kehoe, are delighted to be partnering with the RSA and HSI in conjunction with Anne O’Connor and Siobhan English to work through the findings of their survey and take it to the next phase of the project.”