Royal recognition for safety campaign set up to reduce horse deaths on the roads

A major royal award given to the British Horse Society (BHS) is a “pivotal moment for equestrian safety”, it is hoped.

The charity was highly commended at the 2025 Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards in November, in recognition of its Dead Slow road safety campaign. The awards are presented to organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to improving road safety.

“In awarding BHS’s Dead Slow campaign, Prince Michael recognised its success over a 10-year period as it continues to develop across the UK to deliver enhanced safety for all horse owners and carers,” a BHS spokesperson said. “This acknowledgement is a pivotal moment for equestrian safety, reinforcing the significant importance of working collaboratively to reduce the number of incidents and injuries involving our horses and riders on the road.”

BHS director of safety Alan Hiscox said it was a huge honour to be given the award for the campaign, which is 10 years old next year.

“It’s been an important collaborative initiative to inform and involve road users on how to pass horses safely on the road,” he said.

“We’re pleased that HRH and the judges recognised our contribution and were impressed by the consistent effort, sustained over a long period. In this time, we’ve had significant successes including the notable introduction of our Dead Slow behavioural messages in the Highway Code, and, most recently, a Dead Slow awareness ride with Project EDWARD that led to a presentation bill being introduced to parliament. Both are essential pieces of work to increase the safety of equestrians and their horses on our roads.”

Mr Hiscox said none of the campaign’s achievements would have been possible without the “brilliant support” of BHS volunteers, stakeholders and the equestrian community.

“Together, we continue to drive real change, and this award is a testament to all that hard work,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be recognised amongst many other organisations who work incredibly hard to shape the future of road safety and look forward to another 10 years of Dead Slow.”

The most recent statistics, released by the BHS last January, show 58 horses were killed on Britain’s roads last year, and 3,118 incidents were reported to the BHS in total. Riders are irged to report all incidents and near misses to police, and to the BHS via its Horsei app or online, as the statistics are crucial in helping bring about change.

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