Horse riders in the Wiltshire and other areas are set to benefit as the MoD and British Horse Society announce they are to give away 400 sets of high visibility clothing as part of a joint campaign to encourage riders to be seen by low flying helicopters.

Low flying aircraft on Salisbury Plain can often spook horses, particularly if unaccustomed to the noise.

Under Secretary of State for Defence, Tom Watson said: "We recognise that there is the potential for our training in the UK to cause disturbance to members of the public, particularly the riding community. We have reduced our training requirements to the minimum necessary to produce fully-trained forces but we are committed to taking forward safety issues wherever possible."

An MOD trial, which was conducted in 2005, using helicopter crews from RAF Benson, found that the largest single factor that offered an improvement to rider safety would be the increased use of high visibility clothing.

As a result of the review, the MOD made improvements to its free-phone low flying helpline, which can provide horse riders with useful information on low flying activity before going riding. They also launched a joint campaign with the British Horse Society to encourage riders to use high visibility equipment, which has included the distribution of leaflets, posters and other publicity. The helpline number is 0800 51 55 44.

The high visibility sets of rider tabards and horse exercise sheets will be distributed to the first riders to apply. Applications should be made by emailing modviz@bhs.org.uk