CALLS are being made for drivers to take more care when passing horses on roads in Dwyfor and Meirionnydd.

Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP has tabled a motion in Parliament, supported by The British Horse Society, calling on the government to work to raise public awareness of driving safely around horses and ensure that driving safely around horses is included within the driving test.

Around 75 per cent of accidents involving horses occur because drivers attempt to pass without allowing enough space for the horse and rider.

Mrs Saville Roberts, who owns three horses at her home in Morfa Nefyn, is calling on drivers to slow down when passing horse riders on rural roads.

She said: “Horse riders in rural Wales often have little choice but to take their horses out on the road. I’ve seen some frightening accidents when fast-travelling motorists don’t appreciate how vulnerable horses and their riders can be.

“Motorists now seem less tolerant and impatient and when asked to slow down we often receive verbal abuse. This is much worse during the tourist season and narrow winding back lanes become particularly hazardous as motorists drive much too fast.”

Denise, who is the founder and vice-chair of Minediad Ceffylau Gogledd Cymru, a bridleways group formed to improve off road access for equestrians, said more needs to be done to improve access for horse riders.

She added: “More horse and rider safety signs are also needed where we use the roads.”

See this Thursday’s Meirionnydd and Arfon/Dwyfor editions of the Cambrian News for the full story