Hi vis ideas please

Jessey

Jessey

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Dec 20, 2004
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Suffolk, UK
I’m struggling a bit, I need better hi vis for leading Niko out as he blends in the forest a bit too much
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Here’s the challenges;
Yellow is next to useless in the summer (bright sun dappling through the trees means it’s all very yellow).
A lot of the forest has low brush so below the knees isn’t very visible.
He’s not got a saddle and hasn’t been bitted yet so anything needing a saddle/bridle to hold it on doesn’t work.
I’m a skin flint and don’t want to spend £50 on a Walker rug to use for 1 summer only...🤦‍♀️

Hank normally wears an orange hi vis belt, it doesn’t fit around Niko’s girth, and I’ve put it around his neck but it slides up around his ears if he drops his head and I had visions of feet going in it.

Making something is a totally viable option.
 
Ooh yes the do blend in don't they!
Only thing I can think is to cannibalise something you already have - but how - I don't know! So orange would work best? Do you have a roller or anything like a lunge roller? Could you stick it (the orange belt) onto that? Not stitched but using double sided sellotape or something? Sorry - not much help but just a thought. I know if won't go all the way round but if it was at least showing on most of the top part of the roller?
 
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Trewsers said:
Ooh yes the do blend in don't they!
Only thing I can think is to cannibalise something you already have - but how - I don't know! So orange would work best? Do you have a roller or anything like a lunge roller? Could you stick it (the orange belt) onto that? Not stitched but using double sided sellotape or something? Sorry - not much help but just a thought. I know if won't go all the way round but if it was at least showing on most of the top part of the roller?
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Orange is good, pink (I hate wearing pink and don’t want to take him out in public in it 🤣), red even.

I do have a roller, but he has only worn it once and I’m wary taking him out in it just yet in case he snags it on something, but I guess that can happen with anything, I might just have to suck it up and accelerate that practice.
 
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What about a high viz tail streamer? You can even buy them as a mixture of two colours, I think. Orange is good though, as it stands out much better than yellow in summer. I imagine you probably want something else to be seen from the front too. A 2" martingale type high viz neckband (V Bandz and Equisafety make them) would be highly visible, and could be attached to the roller. You could also use it in the future, when you're riding him.
 
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Russet said:
What about a high viz tail streamer? You can even buy them as a mixture of two colours, I think. Orange is good though, as it stands out much better than yellow in summer. I imagine you probably want something else to be seen from the front too. A 2" martingale type high viz neckband (V Bandz and Equisafety make them) would be highly visible, and could be attached to the roller. You could also use it in the future, when you're riding him.
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The tail streamers were out of stock everywhere I looked 🤯
I really would prefer to avoid using the roller if I can.
 
What about getting a small crocodile clip and attaching your orange hi viz belt to his mane with the clip? would be easy to stitch the clip on to the belt I would think.
My friend has been looking for tail streamers and said the same Jessey, none to be had anywhere, although she has managed to source some fabric to make her own.
 
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I've just seen you were hoping to avoid a roller, otherwise I was going to say I attach my quarter sheet to a roller when I walk or pony Pete off another.

V-Bands do two tone high viz though that I find helps. I find yellow blends into.the forest so I use pink and orange mainly, the orange still blends in the Autumn but the pink does stand out!

Can you plait the neck band into his mane using some string or baler twine? I have to do this with Pete's band :D
 
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Kite_Rider said:
What about getting a small crocodile clip and attaching your orange hi viz belt to his mane with the clip? would be easy to stitch the clip on to the belt I would think.
My friend has been looking for tail streamers and said the same Jessey, none to be had anywhere, although she has managed to source some fabric to make her own.
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Doh, yes such a simple solution! Thanks, I’ll have to see if I can get another one for Hank 😁
I guess I could make a streamer from an old vest or something and have that on a clip too 👌
 
PePo said:
I've just seen you were hoping to avoid a roller, otherwise I was going to say I attach my quarter sheet to a roller when I walk or pony Pete off another.

V-Bands do two tone high viz though that I find helps. I find yellow blends into.the forest so I use pink and orange mainly, the orange still blends in the Autumn but the pink does stand out!

Can you plait the neck band into his mane using some string or baler twine? I have to do this with Pete's band :D
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Yeah I normally switch to using yellow in autumn, which I have plenty of, but Jess had her own built in orangeness for summer 😉
Plaiting is definitely possible, I’m just lazy so think the clip will make it more user friendly ☺️
 
What about a hi viz exercise sheet.
What about a carriage sheet, name escapes me currently. Think there called half somethings? Think they attach to the saddle band.

Ive got a flat strap which is long enough to go right round the body. So if i want to bareback i just put a numnah on and the strap over the top. To hold in place. If you can find similar you could get an exercise sheet and hold in place with the strap over the top.

Could you get a flat surcingle. Or some broken rug strap, stitch together for length and put a buckle on the end. To hold a sheet in place.

Get one of those hi viz tabards and cut that up into strips to make tail streamers. Tabards are pretty cheap in some places. I brought a couple of 2nds for £5
You could also cut a couple up, stitch together to make something for his back. Similar to what i did for the carriage. This was one hi viz tabard, ties are the shoulder straps.


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Do you mean a quarter sheet?

I’m really trying to avoid any fixed belly band at this stage, once he’s done a little more in one fine but he’s only worn anything tight around him once in his life and only for a few minutes so I don’t think it’s cracky to go out with it without more exposure first.

Yep I’ve got a vest/tabard I can cut up that I dug out earlier so I’ll whip up a tail streamer at the weekend.
 
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Would an elastic surcingle down up loosely work just for attachments sake of hi viz maybe? Not so fitted and tack like as rollers and no rings and things to get caught in things in the forest.
 
mystiquemalaika said:
Would an elastic surcingle down up loosely work just for attachments sake of hi viz maybe? Not so fitted and tack like as rollers and no rings and things to get caught in things in the forest.
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Possibly but I’d worry if a sheet attached and it snagged it would drag the whole lot backwards. I’m going to look for a hi vis surcingle, or material to make one so there’s nothing extra to snag. I do like to get their off road legs on early 😁
 
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I get lots of comments from people who see Gracie's ears from a long way off. I think it's a combination of the two colours. They're from V-Bandz and will velcro onto a headcollar head strap20210410_104212_copy_800x600.jpg.
 
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Harry Hall and maybe others do a high viz head collar and lead rope.
I am not sure why the high viz if not on a road? At my new yard I wear a high viz for sentimental reasons as it was a present from a YO. But no one else on the yard wears high viz at all.
 
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