Anyone can report their incidents or near misses to us; you don’t have to be a BHS member.
What is an incident and what is a near miss?
Any unplanned event that has:
- resulted in a rider or handler feeling concerned (e.g. verbal abuse)
- resulted in a horse reacting in an unsettled way (e.g. excessive noise)
- the potential to cause injury to a rider, handler or horse even though it may not have at this time (a near miss)
- already caused injury to a rider, handler or horse (an accident)
What types of incidents can I report to the BHS?
- Road users
- off-road users
- Dogs
- Slippery road surfaces
- Low flying aircraft
- Drones
- Fireworks
If your incident does not fit into one of the above categories, please email safety@bhs.org.uk.
The importance of your reports
- Reporting factual data really can make a difference to equine safety but we need the evidence to show there is an issue.
- We can identify hotspots if you report all types of equine incidents.
- Our database ensures we are a significant partner with all equine safety stakeholders.
- We lobby and advise MP's, road safety partnerships, the police and other safety organisations.
- The statistics from the incident reports are used in government debates and high-profile presentations.
- We can offer support to BHS members in local safety campaigns.
- We can use this data to hold special equine safety events in your area to give greater awareness of these serious issues.
Reporting an incident to the police
As well as reporting an incident to us, you can also report an incident to the police.
Most police forces allow you to submit video footage of a road incident or near miss on their website.
What information will the police need?
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It is helpful to provide as much information to the police as possible.
You will likely be asked the following:
- To provide a full account of the incident
- Did the incident occur in the last 7 days?
- If required, are you willing to provide a full statement?
- If required, are you willing to attend court?
If you have video footage of the incident…
- Are you able to upload video footage that includes 2 minutes before and 2 minutes after the incident?
- Does the video footage clearly show the registration of the other vehicle involved?
If you are submitting video footage to the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advice is that your footage should not be in the public domain (ex. social media) as this may adversely affect any subsequent proceedings.