Hey all! So I board at a farm way out in the country side with fairly quiet roads and decent shoulders/visibility along most of the way. I would love to ride along side the road for conditioning work as the only other places I have to ride are the pastures and hay field which can become monotonous. I have already filled a fanny pack with my ICE info, pepper spray, and my phone and attached a luggage tag with Crown’s ICE info to my breastplate in case we become separated. My only worry is visibility out on the roads. I would love to invest in a full body orange reflective sheet like horze sells BUT I think that that would get way too hot and cumbersome. I would not be riding in low light, mostly in the middle of the day. I thought about maybe figuring out a way to attach flashing light to the back of my saddle and the front of my breastplate like some bicycles have as I heard that flashing light attracts more attention. As for myself I would like to get a vest (no matter how dorky). Has anyone taken steps to become more visible on the road? If so, what did you do? Also if anyone has any more tips on riding by the road it would be greatly appreciated! 
Thank you!
Here you go; https://ear-me-now-fly-bonnets-for-equine.myshopify.com/products/hunter-safety-collars
There’s othersafety things on the drop down list.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/b/10073
https://www.walmart.com/c/ep/safety-vests
I don’t think lights would be very effective in daylight.
[QUOTE=Equibrit;8910685]
Here you go; https://ear-me-now-fly-bonnets-for-equine.myshopify.com/products/hunter-safety-collars
There’s othersafety things on the drop down list.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/b/10073
https://www.walmart.com/c/ep/safety-vests
I don’t think lights would be very effective in daylight.[/QUOTE]
I disagree, lights, particularly a blinking light of the LED variety are still effective. I have definitely noticed blinking lights on cyclists, and thus use them myself. Most running shops have them that clip easily onto the back of your shirt or hi viz vest.
My very dark horses sport neon orange tack, saddlebags, pads, you name it. I wear a screaming orange ‘da brim’ on my helmet, and dayglo orange or green shirts and/or a vest. This is during deer gun season, which lasts from mid Oct to mid Jan here. That’s my insurance against getting shot, but I still try to dress me and horse in bright colors when I road-ride the rest of the year. The orange helmet and saddlebags are the bare minimum. Ain’t nobody gonna convince law enforcement or a jury that we weren’t visible.
Both my horses are pretty immune to traffic but I ALWAYS make sure I have a way to get the hell away from the pavement on the paved road, ditto an escape route into the woods on the dirt roads, because people WILL be jerks and not bother to slow down, or they’ll toss stuff out the window, honk the horn, hit the bass on the stereo, use the jake brake, or worst, slow waaaay down and not pass at all, leading to traffic backing up behind them.
If you are going to ride on the road you have to be able to accept the fact that you may run into anything and everything…ask me about the steamroller that came around the corner. Use anything that helps drivers see you and don’t be afraid to use hand signals to ask them to slow down or stop because some drivers seems to think if they speed by you the horse won’t see them. Most will try to be cooperative but there are the others…I don’t ride at dusk or if it’s really foggy.
Worst road booger my horse ever saw was a fellow walking down the opposite side, carrying a couple of 8 foot pieces of vinyl siding. He steadfastly refused to stop and speak to us (I was with a buddy and her equally horrified horse.) We begged and pleaded with him to say something, anything, to give our horses a clue that he was human, instead of the bouncy, wriggling insectoid hybrid he resembled. Nope, he kept truckin’ while we struggled to get the horses to focus on something else.
Then there was the time my gelding had a meltdown over some dead kudzu. He was easier to handle with a train roaring past a few yards away.
[QUOTE=Sparrowette;8910612]
The Right Tool, for the Right Job.
http://tail-lights.com/home[/QUOTE]
Concur that this is a good choice.
To the OP:
I’d add a wearable strobe light (Google this for multiple options). The strobe attracts attention but doesn’t “hold” the eye, particularly in dusky conditions. It also works very well in bright sunlight. Attach it to your back or to the cantle on the saddle. Check it as you ride and carry a spare battery!!!
Most folks are respectful of horses but there is a percentage that is not. Train yourself and your horse to deal with them.
Good luck in your choice!!!
G.
I used to ride on roads, sometimes at night. At night I wore a reflective vest and had a blinking red light on the back of the saddle. It seems we were highly visible as cars gave us a wide berth. The blinking red lights for cyclists are the best. Best of luck.
Also, a safety vest/reflective vest from stores such as home depot or lower will likely be a lot cheaper (and in some cases better) than the ones I looked at on equine websites.
They also sell reflective ankle straps for cyclists that could be put around each pastern (and/or on your ankles). Or you could affix reflective tape to horse boots.
Re post 11: Lower is not a store, I meant Lowe’s. It’s too hard to edit posts anymore 
A vehicle tends to go were the driver is looking, that is why so many vehicles on the road shoulder are struck by passing traffic.
What are the speed limits on the roads you will be riding?
Be sure to watch for litter like bottles and cans that could injure your horse if stepped on.
LLBean has a lot of high visibility and brightly colored clothing. I have a nice, bright orange, jacket from them that I wear riding. It is such a nice jacket that I wear it other times, as well.
I won’t ride alongside roads anymore, though I did it for years. Even on my remote country roads I’ve had ill-intentioned cretins deliberately aim their vehicles at me, at high speeds. I finally decided it wasn’t fair to my perfectly well-behaved horse to expose him to that sort of risk.
If I were going to ride along roads I’d be more inclined to put on camouflage than hi-viz
why?
Why do they aim for me? I have no clue. I like to think they don’t realize the potential consequences. But maybe it’s just some weird form of road rage at my audacity in getting out on the road with my animal.
Or why do I want camouflage? So they can’t find me so easily!
.I don’t ride at dusk or if it’s really foggy.
might add the setting sun or rising sun as it could blind drivers
but there are various state regulations regarding riding on right-of-ways, here is web link that has access to all the state regulations
