A young rider is recovering after her horse was spooked crossing a road and dragged her for several metres. Rosie Buck was leading her six-year-old coloured cob Fred when the incident took place.
She keeps her gelding at a yard in Broadstairs, Kent, and owners must cross Dane Court Road to access turnout. She told Your Horse how she came to lose control of Fred.
“There was a van about a quarter of a mile away so I started to cross, I normally cross the road if vehicles are at this point, but by the time I got to the other side of the road the van was behind Fred and he didn’t like it very much,” she said. “He took off and pulled me onto my knees then stopped, but with the shock he went off again.”
Rosie let go of Fred after being pulled across concrete, but thankfully he ran towards his companions in the field and away from the road.
“As soon as I realised he was loose adrenaline kicked in and I ran after him and was able to catch him,” she said.
Rosie was left with a large area of bruising across her body and Fred was unsound. Both have recovered after rest following the ordeal (19 June) but Rosie said she is still shaken.
“It shook me and my mum up more than Fred,” she said. “Mum witnessed me being dragged across the road, she was walking behind us. Thankfully Fred completely dodged her.”
Rosie was unable to take details of the van to report the incident to police, but she said she would share details with the British Horse Society. She said there are warning signs for horses along the main road, but they are obscured by bushes. Rosie said the road could benefit from a pelican or zebra crossing.
Earlier this week (4 July), Rosie rode across the road for the first time since the incident and thankfully Fred crossed happily. Rosie had owned him for a year and the pair enjoy hacking together.
“He’s very sweet and quite a character, he can be quite bossy!” she added.
