Naked man injured after attempting bareback ride on unbroken horse
The owner of a family-run equestrian centre has spoken of his surprise at finding a naked man in one of the fields.
At about 11pm on 24 June, Patsy King saw an ambulance pass his house in Castlewellan, Co. Down.
His son Declan, who lives next door, shouted to him to get the key for the paddock gate.
Patsy, of Mount Pleasant Riding and Pony Trekking Centre, went down to the field to find out what was going on.
He said: “One young guy pointed down and said ‘that’s his clothes’.
“I said ‘what in the name of God do you mean his clothes’?”
Patsy was told that a naked man had tried to ride one of the horses in the field.
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“I said that would be impossible. That particular horse, Jack, is unbroken,” he told H&H.
“At this point I was extremely worried.”
Patsy, who has run the trekking centre for almost 50 years, said he saw the man was being attended to by a female ambulance crew and female police officers.
“He was well surrounded by females!” he added.
The following day, Patsy called the police to check if the man was alright.
The man, who is not known to them, had dislocated his shoulder and broken his arm.
“We have been in business coming up to 50 years and this is a first for us,” said Patsy.
“Thankfully we can see the funny side now.”
He added that at their centre, you must at all times wear a proper riding helmet when on a horse – and preferably clothes.
A spokeswoman for Northern Ireland Police confirmed to H&H that they were called to a male with an arm injury in the Bannonstown Road Area of Castlewellan.
She added he was taken to hospital for treatment.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.