Horse dies following road accident
Police are still looking for witnesses to a crash in which a horse suffered fatal injuries.
The collision happened at around 3.50pm on 3 August on the A710 at the entrance to Ardwall Mains, New Abbey, Dumfries.
It involved a silver Peugot 306 and a horse and rider.
The rider was thrown from the horse and suffered minor scrapes and bruising.
However, the horse had a serious leg injury and had to be put down.
Constable Allister Queen, of Police Scotland in Dumfries, said: “We are appealing for anyone who may have been using the A701 near to Ardwall Mains to call us if they either witnessed the collision or indeed saw either the horse or the car prior to the crash.”
H&H has reported on a number of recent incidents where horses or riders have been injured in road accidents.
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Last week (Thursday 6 August), a man died and five others were injured when a horse and cart and a van collided near South Milford in North Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire Police are also appealing for information over the accident.
In 2011-12, Hospital Episode Statistics Online (HES) recorded 4,199 riding or driving “injured in transport accidents” that required hospital treatment.
In May, riders took part in a march through Wokingham in Berkshire to call for more safe, off-road hacking.
Forty riders marched or rode through the town to promote the “Routes for All” petition.
The petition calls for off-road access to be increased to 30% of the rights of way network.
Currently it is around 22%.
The petition to the UK Government has currently received more than 5,500 signatures.
To contact North Yorkshire Police or Police Scotland with information on either incident, call 101.
The British Horse Society also asks riders who have been involved in accidents to report them at www.horseaccidents.org.uk
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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.