New BHS website to record horse accidents
The British Horse Society (BHS) has launched a website to record incidents involving horses.
The society says there are no specific records of accidents relating to horses by road authorities and emergency services. So it has set up a website to collate data centrally.
The site, www.horseaccidents.org.uk, was launched on 13 November for the public to record everything from dog attacks and road traffic accidents to incidents involving low-flying aircraft.
The data will be used to lobby for better riding conditions.
“Without hard evidence, it is impossible to lobby the government to make changes,” said the BHS’s Sheila Hardy.
Within three days of the launch, more than 30 incidents were reported.
Over the coming months the BHS will add its own archived records to compare the number, location and type of incidents each year.
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Previously the BHS received around two reports a week.
Keith Evans, dog legislation officer for the West Midlands police, welcomed the site.
“This will enable us to collect evidence to see if the legislation regarding dangerous dogs needs amending,” he said.
There is little data currently available on road incidents.
“Many road accidents go unrecorded,” said BHS spokesman Alison Coleman.
A Highways Agency spokesman said no records on horse incidents are kept.
Lucy Killingbeck’s show hunter, Devil’s Advocate, was killed on the road in 2006.
“If data can be used for education, all the better. Knowledge is the best way to stay safe,” she said.
This article was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound, 25 November ’10
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