A Hack 1,000 Miles rider recently had a “ride from hell” when her horse became stuck in sheep fencing while on a hack and the fire brigade was called to free her.
Rebecca Middleton was hacking her cob mare Angel with two friends, Emily and Tilly, when the incident occurred. The trio were riding along a bridlepath that runs adjacent to a pig farm, a route that Rebecca and Angel were familiar with.
“Angel loves the pigs, she likes to watch them and calls to them,” says Rebecca, 21, who works at a doggy day care centre. “There’s a cut back to leave the bridlepath so she can see them. She likes to stand on the bank to have a chat, then we usually turn around and go back on the bridlepath.
Despite her ordeal, Angel was uninjured. Photos by Rebecca Middleton
“That day Angel went a bit further in, and my friend’s horse ended up blocking us so we couldn’t turn around.
“Both my friends stayed on the bridlepath and I decided to ride along the other side of the hedge to the next exit.”
‘She fell to her knees’
One of Rebecca’s friends was riding a young horse, who became unsettled with 10-year-old Angel being on the other side of the hedge and started trotting.
“He set Angel off, and we missed the exit. When I tried to turn her around to go back, she spotted the other horses over the brambles and wanted to go to them.
“There was a small gap with a broken fence post sticking out of the ground, and fallen sheep wire hidden in the brambles. When I tried to stop and turn her she shot straight into the fencing, got herself stuck and fell to her knees,” says Rebecca.
The mare got back up and Rebecca was able to safely dismount and check her over for injuries.
“Her legs were stuck in the wire, and we tried to untangle her but she wouldn’t stand so we called the fire brigade,” explains Rebecca. “I was a complete mess.”
‘She dragged me with her’
Tilly held the other two horses while Emily went to the road to guide the fire engine in.
“When Angel saw the blue lights, she tried to look at them and panicked because she realised she was stuck again,” recalls Rebecca.
“She threw herself backwards, and then tried to jump forwards over the wire. Somehow she managed to untangle herself and walked away fine, but she dragged me over the broken fencing and brambles with her.”
The West Midlands fire brigade helped to calm Rebecca down and check over Angel, who was uninjured despite being stuck for around 20 minutes.
“I walked her in-hand on the way home, and checked her over again at the yard. She was walking fine and had no cuts, so I put her in the field,” says Rebecca, who has owned the mare for four months.
“She had a few days off to make sure she didn’t have any muscular injuries. She’s now back in work and happy as ever.”
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