Road incidents involving horses spark action call

More needs to be done to protect horses and riders after they were involved in more than 1,500 road incidents in the South East in 10 years, a charity has said.

Alan Hiscox, from the British Horse Society (BHS), said an advisory speed of 10mph (16km/h) for passing horses with 2m (6.6ft) of space was added into The Highway Code in 2022.

However, he said the charity was "disappointed to see that not nearly enough has been done to reinforce these behavioural messages and to make the public aware of the urgent importance of driving carefully around horses".

The Department for Transport (DfT) said the safety of road users was a "top priority" and it was committed to reducing deaths and injuries.

The data, which was collated by the charity, the Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society and the Verderers of the New Forest, showed there were 15 horse deaths across Surrey, Sussex, and Kent since 2016, and 1,507 incidents in total.

Kent recorded the most incidents since 2016 with 524, while Surrey had 457, West Sussex had 313, and East Sussex had 213.

However, the recorded number of incidents was down in the region from 280 in 2024 to 223 in 2025.

Hiscox said: "We continue to be overlooked, which is evident in the recently released road safety strategy where horses are still not included in the targeted measures for vulnerable groups.

"Until this changes, we won't stop pushing for meaningful progress and an approach that combines education, prevention and enforcement of the rules."

The DfT said the government's THINK! campaign continued to raise awareness of safe speeds and distances for passing horse riders and cyclists.

A spokesperson added: "The Highway Code includes the Hierarchy of Road Users, which identifies horse riders among the most vulnerable with strengthened guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse riders."

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