The launch of a new professional eLearning course focused on equestrian road safety is very welcome news, particularly for those using rural roads where encounters between horses and motor vehicles are common.
The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) has launched Horse Riders as Road Users, a new course designed to improve understanding of horse riders as vulnerable road users and encourage safer, more inclusive transport planning.
The course provides transport planners, highway engineers, policymakers and active travel professionals with practical information on equestrian road safety, infrastructure design, stakeholder engagement and the legal position of horse riders. It includes five interactive modules and real-world case studies.
The initiative is particularly timely given the number of incidents involving horses on UK roads. Between 2016 and 2025, almost 20,000 road incidents involving horses were reported, with eight people killed, almost 1,000 injured and an average of 56 horses killed on the roads each year.
There is also a clear need for greater public understanding. Horse riders are recognised as vulnerable road users in the Highway Code, yet there are still misconceptions about how horses and riders should use the road and how other road users should behave when encountering them.
This is particularly important in rural areas, where riders regularly use narrow roads, bends and roads with limited visibility. Better understanding among motorists can help reduce dangerous situations caused by excessive speed, close passing or inappropriate overtaking.
The course also highlights the lack of research and consideration given to equestrians compared with other vulnerable road users. Despite an estimated 1.5 million people riding horses on UK roads regularly, equestrian safety has received relatively little attention in transport planning and infrastructure design.
Overall, Horse Riders as Road Users is a positive and much-needed development. Improving professional knowledge while encouraging greater awareness of equestrian road safety among road users can only help make our roads safer and more inclusive for everyone.