Horse dies on road after walkers leave footpath gate open
An equine clinic in Lewes, East Sussex, is urging walkers to take extra care after a horse was killed after it escaped through an open gate.
The cob was hit by a car on Monday (23 November). It had gone through a gate, left open by walkers.
Three horses in total escaped near the A26. The driver was unhurt in the accident.
Cliffe Equine Clinic is calling for walkers to be more aware.
“I would like to issue a word of caution to anyone who uses footpaths through land containing livestock — if you open a gate, CLOSE it behind you,” a post on Facebook read.
“Today, we sadly lost a beautiful cob on the A26 in a road traffic accidents, one of three horses that let themselves out through a footpath gate left open by the last user.
“The car that hit the horse was a complete write-off, but very luckily the driver was uninjured.
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“This was a wholly avoidable tragedy and the owners are devastated.
“Please share to stop this type of tragedy, or worse, happening to anyone else.”
Earlier this year an H&H reader appealed for walkers to take more care when using footpaths in paddocks after her horse was injured on a gate.
Mary Emeny, from Scaynes Hill in West Sussex, was shocked to find her three-year-old filly with a huge wound in her side on 5 June.
The three-year-old home bred, called Midwych Skylla, escaped from her field after walkers left a gate unlatched.
Her side was caught on the gate latch, causing a serious wound, 40cm long and 20cm high.
Do you have footpaths crossing your paddocks? Have you experienced problems with walkers? Tell us your experiences by emailing hhletters@timeinc.com
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.