Horse and rider road safety

That this House notes with concern that in 2024 over 3,000 road incidents involving horses were recorded by the British Horse Society; further notes with concern that 81% of those incidents occurred because a driver passed a horse too closely or at excessive speed; calls on the Government to review driver education and training in relation to horses, horse riders and carriage drivers, including improving understanding of horses as flight animals and exploring opportunities for drivers to experience, as part of driver education, the impact of vehicles passing too closely to a horse and rider; urges the Government to work collaboratively with local authorities and relevant stakeholders to ensure the proper maintenance of bridleways across the country, enabling greater use by horse riders and reducing the number of horses and carriages required to use roads; and further calls on the Government to review the wording of Rules 214 and 215 of the Highway Code with a view to strengthening protections for vulnerable road users and increasing public awareness of the changes made to the Highway Code in 2022 relating to vulnerable road users.