Pass Wide & Slow 2026 - promoting road safety for horses and their riders

You can tell the summer months are on their last legs when the rain clouds gather and the time comes for the annual Pass Wide & Slow event. This year's campaign was organised by Denise Richardson and was hosted again by Glenn and Leisa at South Blackhall Farm on the Coast Road in Blackhall Rocks.

Once again there was a fantastic turnout by local riders and their horses who came together yesterday morning to take part in both short and long rides along organised routes in Blackhall Colliery, Blackhall Rocks and High Hesleden. The Blackhall event was just one of several similar rides taking part across the country, and the aims of the campaign are to highlight to drivers the risks to horses and their riders when drivers overtake at excessive speed or fail to allow sufficient safe space between their vehicle and horses. Full details can be found on the British Horse Society's website: Dead Slow | The British Horse Society 

Since last year's event I've been working with Denise and members of the regional BHS to improve access for horses and their riders, mainly along the coastal route and other countryside locations. The process is unnecessarily complicated, and the timescales at the moment aren't particularly helpful, but the campaign will continue for as long as it takes until access is granted for horses and their riders to long-established historic routes.

I would like to thank Denise for inviting me again to this year's event, to the many riders who came along to support the local campaign and of course to Glenn and Leisa for hosting us all. Thanks also to officers from Durham Constabulary who came along again to support the event and to make sure everyone stayed safe.

It was a pleasure to meet up again with local riders and play just a small part in their campaign to improve conditions on the highway for horses and their riders.