My love for horses has been a constant in my life. It is deeply disturbing to continually come across news and social media posts depicting the shocking cruelty inflicted on these beautiful animals due to vehicular accidents. I am disheartened to see that it is not a rare exception, but an all-too-common occurrence. In fact, hearing of a recent scene where a vechile hit a horse and left behind a blood smeared road

The New Forest, renowned for its natural beauty and home to a multitude of livestock, is seeing these instances far too often. This is a place where creatures should be able to roam freely, and not live in fear of being struck by a vehicle. Regrettably, the speed limits currently in place do not deter all drivers from speeding as in the new forest it is currently set at 40mph this has consequences for our beloved animals.

Incidents indicate that speed is a factor in some of these accidents, and the need for action is clear. It is a matter of life and death for our livestock, adding an urgency to the situation that cannot be ignored surely?

It is time for the relevant authorities to take meaningful action. We request for introduction of measures to reduce speed on our roads. This could include lowering speed limits, installing speed bumps, and putting speed cameras at critical points around the New Forest. These measures would serve as a deterrent to these tragedies and foster a safer environment for our free-roaming livestock.

I know this can be used as a cut through for work, horse riders have to get out the way of vechiles in particular situations, the forest should be a place of careful driving and respect 

thank you

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