I was taking down 20 safety signs from a 200-yard stretch of road after a very successful 15-mile horse trekking event at Moreton and noticed that a motorist had taken the time to stop and write below the SLOW! HORSES' notice Why, they don't pay road tax and they muck up the roads'.

As he had taken the trouble to ask the question, I thought I'd take the trouble to answer. The simple answer to the very simple question is that if half a ton of horse comes through his windscreen at 60mph, his airbags will not be enough to save him.

A longer answer would include the following points: Every adult rider I know pays road tax, twice if they own a lorry. Those without a licence are children. Only motor vehicles pay tax to go on the roads, but that doesn't mean they own the only right to travel on the road.

If a driver is in such a rush that he takes a risk near a horse, he should consider how much time he will waste, if he survives, appearing in court to answer for the death or injury to the rider or horse and how much his insurance will leap following his actions.

However, may I pay my huge respects to the vast majority of drivers who have reached puberty unaided by the need to be king-of-the-road and who recognise that horses, cycles, push-chairs and pedestrians are all equally entitled to be on the road and entitled to live despite the unofficial sign-writer's self-proclaimed death sentence on all non-drivers.

Looking at the hand-writing on the sign, I suspect that the scribbler will not be able to read this far through my letter but perhaps his mum will read it out to him before he makes another silly decision that will hurt or kill a fellow road user.

Richard Frampton Hobbs, Moreton Stables, Moreton.