WINTER draws on and with it darker mornings and early evenings as the days of autumn shorten, bringing with them extra dangers for riders.

The majority of horse owners work full-time to be able to afford their animals and so have to exercise them either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. With autumn bringing shorter days this means riding out in the half-light and riding a dark coloured horse in dark coloured clothing is courting disaster.

Of course, if you can afford it, a mechanised horsewalker can be the answer and then the animals need not leave the premises. But its expense means this is only really a viable solution if the cost can be shared between several users and this, in itself, can create all sorts of problems.

So for the person with only one or two horses at home, who needs to keep them winter fit for hunting, indoor showjumping or for any other reason, taking to the roads and tracks is the only way.

This is probably OK at the weekend, when there is the chance of daytime riding, but trying to juggle work and riding on weekdays inevitably means dicing with the dark.

To help combat the problem, the British Horse Society is relaunching its Be Seen - Be Safe campaign with a poster that can be downloaded from its website, encouraging horse riders and carriage drivers to wear high visibilty gear when out on the roads.

Wearing high visibilty gear, which is luminous and fluorescent, can give vehicle drivers a valuable extra three seconds "reaction time" that could save the lives of riders, carriage drivers and their horses. The poster can be downloaded and displayed in local shops, tack rooms, feed merchants, riding schools and livery yards and will provide tips on safer riding including the wearing the right gear.

There are numerous high visibilty products on the market, for horse riders, carriages and the horses themselves, and they can save lives.

At the very least, a high visibilty tabard should be worn - but other products include leg wraps, exercise sheets, martingale and bridle covers for horses, hat covers, mitts and flashing stirrup lights for riders and banners across the back of a carriage will all contribute to ensuring horses can be seen in plenty of time.

BHS head of safety Sheila Hardy said: "We are often asked for posters to illustrate advice issued by the BHS and we hope that this idea will prove popular."

Just to concentrate yor mind, more than half of all accidents to horses occur on minor roads and in 2002, the year the BHS first launched its Be Seen-Be Safe campaign, 11 riders were killed in 117 accidents reported voluntarily to the BHS.

In the same report, 33 horses were killed or destroyed and 29 others were injured.

It pays to be seen while out riding.