A heartwarming road encounter
At about 9:30am I decided to put the brave pants on and take Max down to the Industrial Estate in Ashburton for a gander. Not far from home and, bonus, the huge empty sections had just been mowed – about 20-30 acres to meander gracefully across.Tad windy but had me brave pants on so exited stage left out of driveway....
October 25, 2025A life changed in an instant
On December 13, 2024 my life changed and the aftermath of it all meant a long personal recovery for me, and experiencing first hand a system that is broken for horse riders. I don’t say that lightly but the facts speak for themselves.On late Friday afternoon my friend and I were riding our horses on a stretch of road we ride regularly. It’s a rural road in Timaru and part of a block we exercise our horses on. We were walking single file when a combine harvester came around the corner. It was...
October 25, 2025Jim and Sass: a story of loss
Jim was in and out of consciousness and his horse was put down from horrific injuriesJim and his two nephews set off on October 7, 2024 in the morning with the aim to help out a friend in locating a colt that had jumped out of its paddock the day before. It was missing and Jim felt his tracking skills could be of use. He is re-known for working with horses, breaking them in or putting mileage on them on behalf of riders in his community....
October 25, 2025Your stories
They are illustrative of the common themes in road user behaviour and decision making that are putting lives at risk on New Zealand roads. Please remember, for every near miss, there is always the realisation that it could have been a lot worse. These stories were shared with Julia McLean in 2024 over a period of a week, and it’s what led to the understanding that there is an untold amount of suffering happening within New Zealand’s recreational horse riding community. “My best frie...
October 25, 2025Cycling, walking, and riding for independence
My name is Halina and I am a vulnerable road user every time I leave my rural area on the city fringe of New Plymouth. Road safety is important to me on so many levels. ...
October 25, 2025Poor judgement, big consequences
15-year old Ereti and her two friends had to shift their horses into a new paddock. The paddocks weren’t very far apart. It was late in January 2025 and her Pāpā was waiting for her as she got the job done. She saddled her friend’s horse and they all headed out single file down the quiet road. It wasn’t long before they heard a 4WD ute approach from behind, revving its engine. They recognised the young driver, and at first no-one thought too much of it. The vehicle passed. But a s...
October 25, 2025Keeping your pets safe while travelling
Brake heavily with an unrestrained dog in the back of your car, and a canine missile will be projected into you, your passenger, or through the windscreen. This is not good for the pet or the passengers.We strap children into child car seats, but often leave our pets without any restraint at all.A dog can be transported in the boot of a station wagon if there’s an appropriate cargo barrier that fits between the top of the rear seats and the roof. This doesn’t completely protect the dog from ...
October 25, 2025The road code and sharing the road
Just over 50% of people in New Zealand live in one of the seven major cities. The chance of coming across a horse on the road in the city is fairly slim - in my 30+ years of living here, it’s only happened once for me (on Waiheke Island which, while technically part of Auckland, is an anomaly). However, when I have driven out of Auckland, it has happened more times.Are we preparing our drivers in cities for dealing with horses on the road? Are we taught much about sharing the road with horses ...
October 25, 2025When a safe crossing isn’t enough
Not many horses hit by a car live to tell the tale. We thought it would be one of the safest intersections in Auckland – beside Meadowbank Pony Club at the top of St Heliers Bay Road. But a driver in a sports car who ran a red light proved us wrong. He said he didn't see the large 16.1hh grey horse being ridden on a controlled pedestrian crossing in broad daylight.Thank goodness my horse is a solid boy and the crash caused more of a dent in the sports car bonnet than it did in him. But it stil...
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