A teenager who shattered her ankle and was found lying unconscious in the road after her horse was spooked by dirt bikers says she is lucky not to be more seriously hurt.
Megan Hill also suffered severe cuts and bruises when she came off her horse Sox, who crossed a dual carriageway while galloping home loose after her fall.
Megan and her friend Fay were hacking on a familiar off-road route in Shiremoor, Newcastle, on the afternoon of 28 December, when they heard the bikes.
“We thought we’d get out of their way but then they came flying past us,” Megan told H&H.
“I said to Faye, ‘be careful’. My horse doesn’t normally mind but they came right up by us and both horses spun round and cantered away a few strides.”
The girls quickly regained control and decided to turn back to avoid the bikes.
“But they came back,” Megan said. “They came up behind us and that’s when both horses just bolted. They galloped off and I can’t really remember much after that, other than just coming towards a road.”
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Megan, whose left stirrup iron and leather are still missing, suffered concussion and a badly cut back when she was dragged into the road.
“I remember lots of people around, putting blankets on, but the next thing I remember is being in the ambulance and someone trying to take my boot off, and I screamed,” she said.
“The outside of my ankle was snapped in half and the inside was completely shattered; so they’ve had to put metal plates in but I was so lucky, when you think what could have happened.
“My horse carried on across the dual carriageway to get home and I can’t believe he made it without being hit. But he’s absolutely fine and so is Faye, she managed to stay on and she’s just shaken up.”
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Megan said she believes the bikers rode towards the two horses deliberately.
“I’d just like them to know how dangerous it was, what they did,” she said.
“I was very lucky that day; the next person might not be.”
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Northumbria Police on 101, quoting reference 769 281217.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
