Horse riders head onto Knaresborough roads to raise awareness of Pass Wide and Slow Campaign
Over 200 rides are taking place across the country, including one in Knaresborough
Horse riders in Knaresborough are taking part in a campaign to promote safety on the roads.
Over 200 Pass Wide and Slow rides set off across the country this morning in hopes of encouraging drivers to give plenty of space when overtaking horses.
Over a dozen riders are setting off from Hay-a-Park to Hazel Bank to raise awareness.
“Horses are flight animals,” said Julie Hamilton, the organiser, adding that the slower cars drive past and the more distance they give, the safer it is for everyone.
She said: "When you've got parked cars there and a driver tries to squeeze between that and a horse, they don't realise how much room a horse rider needs.
"It can be the smallest thing to spook a horse because they need that space and if they are scared then you're probably going to collide which is really dangerous."
The average horse weighs about half a ton and can cause serious damage to a vehicle.
Julie, added: "They're frightened and will run away or kick out and in some cases could land on the bonnet of your car. So then the rider is in danger, the horse is and so is the driver.
"Having half a ton of horse falling through your windscreen is not something that anybody would relish the thought of."
Julie is urging drivers not to beep their horn or sit directly behind a horse within kicking distance either, and to instead wait for hand signals from a rider to see if it's safe to pass.
She said: "Just those few seconds that some people just can't wait for and then you're penned in and the horse becomes distressed. You say to people 'can you just hang fire for two seconds' and you get a small minority of people who shout back saying we shouldn't be on the roads but we pay insurance, we have every right to be on the road and want to make it as safe as possible for us and drivers."
To find out more about the Pass Wide and Slow Campaign visit the official Facebook Page.