Boxborough Police Department Offers Residents some “Horse Sense”

For Immediate Release

Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003

“Horse Sense” from the Boxborough Police Department

BOXBOROUGH — Police Chief Warren B. Ryder is mindful that one of the true joys of living in and visiting Boxborough is the town’s rural character. In addition to the 5,500 human residents, there are approximately 44 horses who call Boxborough home.

“The mission of the Boxborough Police Department is to provide for the safety of people and animals alike,” Chief Ryder said.

With that in mind, here is some ‘Horse Sense’ for you to consider:

According to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 90, Section 7, “Every horse-drawn vehicle….traveling on a public way during day or night shall display a distinctive slow moving vehicle emblem on the rear of the vehicle.” If you are driving your car and see a trailer displaying the emblem (usually triangular in shape and reddish-orange in color) you’ll need to slow down and proceed with caution.

If you are driving along and see a horse that appears to be frightened you have to stop your car and allow the horse to pass if it is heading in the opposite direction. You may pass with reasonable caution after you’ve come to a complete stop, if your car and the horse are traveling in the same direction.

Sleigh bells are a delightful sound of the holiday season and of winter. If you are drawing your sleigh by horse, the law says you need to have “at least three” bells attached to the harness.

For those of you that are learning to handle your first horse or just enjoy leaning over the fence watching, learning a few safety precautions will prevent accidents and injuries. The calmest horse or smallest pony has the potential to hurt someone if it is startled or scared. The web site http://horses.about.com offers these tips:

If you stop to observe the horses here are a few important tips.

• Be calm and quiet. Sudden moves can cause a horse to shy (jump sideways) or kick out.
• The safest place to stand is beside a horse’s shoulder where you can see each other, or about 10 or more feet away.

Enjoy Boxborough and all it has to offer, including our equine friends!

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