BHS Ride Safe Guide: Your Guide to Riding Safely in All Environments

Ride Safe offers a modern and comprehensive approach to riding safely in all environments, featuring an array of useful tips and tricks on how to stay safe while riding on the road, along bridleways or even while warming up at competitions, making it the perfect riding companion for equestrians of both a recreational and competitive nature.

It covers everything from the steps you should take before you leave the yard, to setting off, how to approach sharing routes with other riders, potential hazards, terrain-specific safety advice and more.

Ride Safe provides a comprehensive understanding with practical examples, tips and guidance towards the British Horse Society Ride Safe Award assessment; ideal for all riders from occasional recreational riders to elite equestrians.

2022 Amendment to the Ride Safe Guide:

Please see below latest guidance for England, Wales and Scotland that has been updated due to the 2022 Highway Code, we always recommend you read the latest version of the Highway Code in conjunction with this booklet.

Chapter 9 Ride Safe Award- We are no longer running a formal assessment for the Ride Safe Award. You can now take the Ride Safe Award through our Challenge Awards. You can work through this award with your Ride Safe Trainer, who must be an Accredited professional Coach or a Coach at a BHS Approved Centre. To get signed up, please contact your local Ride Safe Trainer, details can be found on our website.

In the Highway Code section there has been numerous updates following on from the review that happened in 2022. We are also pleased that the Highway Code now endorses the Ride Safe Award.

Rules 215 and 163 have been included for car drivers to ensure they know how and when to pass horses and riders. Drivers are now advised when you see a horse on a road, you should slow down to a maximum of 10 mph. Be patient, do not sound your horn or rev your engine. When safe to do so, pass wide and slow, allowing at least 2 meters of space.

You can find all the latest updates to the Highway Code on the www.gov.uk website.

The British Horse Society education system is one of the best and most widely-respected in the world. The BHS Career Pathway gives each student the opportunity to gain qualifications and awards in their chosen profession. They have been specially developed, through extensive consultation with the equine industry, to combine the latest research and thinking with current practices and friendly assessment methods.