Plea to drivers to slow down when passing horses
BBCA stable manager is campaigning to have signs put up along a busy Leeds road warning drivers to slow down for horses.
Charlie Rea Nelson and her clients regularly use Bayton Lane in Horsforth for hacking - riding for exercise - but have experienced a number of incidents involving speeding cars or vans.
The 23-year-old, who runs Whetstone livery yard with her mother, said she had fallen from her horse a number of times as a result of people driving too fast or too close.
Leeds City Council is about to conclude an assessment of existing signage along the route before considering any alterations, but added motorists had a legal duty to pass safely.
Rea Nelson said: "Some drivers are really good, some do slow down.
"But a lot of them, lorries, don't tend to slow down, they tend to come past you flat out.
"I've had a few experiences where I've fallen off on to the road but luckily the horse has stayed next to me.
"There's a golf course across the road and they've got signs up for golfers to cross the road.
"But they (the council) won't put signs up for horses. They say we need more proof of dangerous drivers."
Last year in West Yorkshire, 136 road incidents were reported to the British Horse Society (BHS) including two horses and three riders injured.
In 2025 a total of 59 horses were killed across the country plus another 82 injured along with 86 riders in incidents involving vehicles.
Alison Lowe OBE, deputy mayor for policing and crime, is chair of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Board.
The board has joined with the BHS to encourage all drivers to pass horses safely.
She said: "We're asking all motorists to be aware of how to safely drive near horses.
"As part of our Vision Zero work, to reduce all road deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2040, it's crucial that everyone does their bit.
"Horse riders have the same right as anyone to be on our roads and it just boils down to common courtesy."
Drivers should leave at least a two-metre (6.5ft) gap between them and the animal and keep their speed at 10mph or below, she said.
Councillor Peter Carlill said horses and their riders were among the "most vulnerable people using our roads".
Drivers had a responsibility "to pass them safely and with care".
"In relation to concerns raised about Bayton Lane near Whetstone Stables, we have undertaken traffic surveys and are currently completing an assessment of the existing signage and wider highway environment," he added.
"Once that work has been finalised, the findings and any proposed next steps will be reviewed through our usual processes."
Riders are also being encouraged to capture instances of unsafe driver behaviour and submit them to Op Snap, West Yorkshire Police's dashcam portal.
Rea Nelson said she was considering buying "expensive" body-worn cameras to gather footage, but in the meantime urged drivers to take care.
She said: "Just drive slowly pass us. It only takes a minute out of your day.
"Even if it takes a bit longer it just means that we're all safe.
"Because if a horse lands on your car, it's not just the horse that's going to have problems, we're all going to have problems.
"You'd probably feel guilty if you were that driver as well, and you wouldn't go home having a very good day either."
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