A concerned citizen asked if a person is operating a motor vehicle on the road and encounters a horse and buggy or just a person riding a horse, what are the laws that apply to this situation. The reader is concerned due to cars not slowing down and moving over to pass the horses, while other drivers are beeping their horns.

Growing up in a rural area, I was taught to give way to horses with riders or even horse-drawn buggies as not to potentially scare the horse and cause harm to the rider or buggy driver or myself by getting into an accident. However, based on this reader’s question, not everyone has been taught this.

According to the Michigan Vehicle Code, MCL 257.604 it discusses, “Riding animal or driving animal-drawn vehicle on roadway.” Within this statue is states, “A person riding an animal or driving an animal-drawn vehicle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all the duties, criminal penalties, and civil sanctions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except those provisions of this chapter which by their very nature may not have application.”

With that said, here in Michigan, when a rider is on the horse, or a buggy is attached to a horse on the roadway, they are considered a vehicle and must obey the laws as they apply to horses operating as a vehicle. Obviously, horses are not equipped with headlights or seat belts, but the rider should know how to signal appropriately for turns and stopping.

Some ways for horse riders/horse-drawn buggies to minimize their chance of danger are to:

∫ Always ride your horse in the same direction as traffic.

∫ Stay as close to the shoulder of the road as possible.

∫ Since there is no legal age limit for riding a horse on the roadway, novice riders should never go on roads without a more experienced companion or an adult who is accustom to riding in that area.

∫ If there is more than one horse, ride single-file rather than two abreast. If riding abreast, always put the more experienced horse on the side closest to traffic.

∫ Do not ride at dawn, dusk, or at night if at all possible.

∫ If you need to cross the road, wait for a comfortable gap in traffic and signal your intentions clearly to any vehicle that might be in the vicinity.

∫ If your horse is agitated, dismount and walk it, to avoid being potentially thrown from the horse and causing an additional accident.

As for motorists who encounter horses on the roadway:

∫ Slow down if you see someone on a horse; wait to see if the rider is comfortably in control of the animal before passing.

∫ Watch for signals of stopping or turning.

∫ Pass slowly and give the animal or buggy enough room to be comfortable as your vehicle passes.

When you move on to the topic of horse drawn buggies, they are considered a slow moving vehicle and should be equipped with the orange triangle designating them as slow moving. MCL 257.676b states, “A person, without authority, shall not block, obstruct, impede, or otherwise interfere with the normal flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic upon a public street or highway in this state, by means of a barricade, object, or device, or with his or her person.” This section of law is used with discretion by officers, but in general, if there is a line of traffic behind the buggy, the driver might be guilty of a civil infraction.

Motorist should have the same respect for those who are on horseback or in a buggy as they do for other motorists. Do not be in a rush to get past them. Use caution as you are dealing with an animal that has a mind of its own no matter how much the rider or driver tries to control it.

Ashley Simpson is a Community Service Trooper for the MSP Alpena Post. If you have a question for Trooper Simpson, you can email her at asktroopersimpson@gmail.com or mail them to Ask A Trooper, Michigan State Police – Alpena Post, 3283 W. Washington Ave, Alpena, MI 49707.