Horse riders travelled through two Hampshire villages recently to raise awareness of speeding on country roads.
The Pass Wide and Slow Awareness Ride was held on Saturday, September 16 and saw scores of riders travel through North Houghton and Stockbridge.
The group hope to improve safety for all on the back of statistics from the British Horse Society which show nearly two horses are killed each week on UK roads, with 81 per cent of incidents in 2019/20 due to cars passing too closely, with 40 per cent also passing too quickly.
Organiser Sarah Moulton said: “Our ride 178 from Tiebridge Livery in North Houghton joined other local riders to raise awareness of the speed limit and distance in which to pass horses safely on our roads.
“This ride took place all over the country all weekend with local sponsors jumping on board and money being raised for charity. We rode through Stockbridge High Street where we received a very warm welcome and lots of waves and cheers.”
The Pass Wide and Slow movement started in September 2015 when Debbie Smith created a petition due to an accident with a car. To date, this petition has raised more than 148,000 signatures.
At the same time, with the help of Christine and John Brindle, the group set up a Facebook campaign group called Pass Wide & Slow to encourage other horse owners to sign and share the petition.
John created Pass Wide & Slow educational videos, parts of which are now used in the British Horse Society Dead Slow Campaign.
In February 2016, with the support of MP Derek Thomas, the group handed the petition over at a meeting with the Transport Minister, and the issue was debated that summer in Parliament
To raise more awareness in local areas, rides/drives were launched across the country, encouraging riders to wear hi-viz and hat cameras.
They also raise awareness about passing horse riders safely, on foot, bike or in a car, as well as providing support and education.
They also encourage riders to report any incidents to police.
For more details about the campaign, visit passwideandslow1.wixsite.com/website.
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