The intermediate ride on 27th Feb had an awful experience with horses and their riders. The group was cycling towards Cornish Hall End on a tiny road and two huge horses (16/17 hands high) were side by side slowly walking towards them. The ride only saw them at around 50 metres as they were rounding a bend. One of our riders at the front shouted loudly. This, and the effect of seeing a large bunch of bright colours heading towards them spooked the horses, who reared up and turned to flee. One of the riders was thrown off – a middle aged lady – and she lay on the ground for a few minutes suffering concussion. The other rider managed to calm her horse and returned to the scene in tears, the horse still being very nervous.
The lady was taken to A&E by a motorist near the scene. No blame was apportioned; it was one of those accidents which was just very unfortunate.
The message here is, be very mindful that small country roads are frequented by horses and they can so easily be frightened, especially if they’re young or highly strung. Sudden movements or loud noises can be very frightening to horses. Groups need to slow down near horses, stay calm and ensure others in the group are aware the group is slowing. Shouting in a proportionate manner sufficient for everyone to hear but not so as to cause alarm to the animals is a matter of judgement when the situation arises.
