Natural Horsemanship - Bridless riders warned about dangers of road riding!

Natural Horsemanship is always a beautiful sight to see, whatever style of riding you come from. A trusting horse that can be ridden without a bridle, in a relaxed way seems a millions miles from traditional English riding at times, but have you ever wondered about the implications if something went wrong?

Bridless riders are being warned of the different situations between riding at home and riding out on the roads. The Highway Code, rule 52 states “Never ride a horse without a saddle and bridle.” and if you fail to observe these rules, this could potentially lead to a road traffic offence. However, what if an accident happened which affected another driver? Would you be covered under your insurance company?

For example, terms of insurance usually state that people can be insured fully if they do not undertake dangerous behavior. However, if other road users are affected, this could lead to legal proceedings.

An associate director of the popular equestrian insurance company SEIB, David Buckton said that reasonable precautions should always be taken to avoid a claim.

“However, the terms of personal accident insurances arranged by SEIB make no stipulations about the use or otherwise of bridles or saddlery,” said Buckton.

“Riders should always be open with insurers, disclosing activities they are likely to undertake, and ensuring they’re in control of their horses, taking into account their normal riding activity, personal experience and the horse’s level of training."

The Natural Horsemanship society does offer a policy that protects riders while using natural horsemanship riding equipment such as rope halters through an association called Fidelius Insurance Solutions.