‘It’s a miracle’: horses and riders avoid serious injury in horrific road accident
The horses and riders involved in a horrific car accident which was caught on film have escaped serious injury, by in what one physiotherapist has described as a “miracle”.
Piebald Patsy was thrown into the air when she and chestnut Fleur were hit by a car in Cambridgeshire last Friday (3 March).
CCTV footage of the incident showed Patsy “doing loop the loop”, while Fleur was also knocked to the ground. Both horses scrambled to their feet but while Patsy stood still, appearing to be in shock, Fleur headed back to nearby Witcham Equestrian Centre, where both horses are kept, which alerted staff to go to the riders’ aid.
Patsy (pictured after the accident, below) suffered “nasty” cuts to her neck and chest, but was otherwise unscathed.
“Patsy looks a bit like a patchwork quilt across her neck and chest where the fabulous vets have sewed all her cuts up, but she’s bright, alert and demanding food,” Jane Hart told H&H on behalf of the equestrian centre.
“She’s loving all the attention she’s been getting, and can’t eat enough bananas, including the skins!”
Patsy is being walked out in hand, and although she “looks like she’s walked through a barbed wire fence”, no other injuries have been found.
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“The vet was gobsmacked,” Jane said. “He searched all over for damage and couldn’t find anything, and the physio called it a miracle.
“She’s such a sweet, beautiful horse, the most gentle-tempered mare you could wish for, and she’s just taking it all in her stride.”
Patsy was being ridden by Jane, one of her sharers, who also escaped relatively unscathed.
“She and Patsy did loop the loop,” said Ms Hart. “But although Jane’s face is black, there’s no fracture, not a broken bone in her body.
“Fleur hasn’t got a scratch on her; she’s a bit stiff, but she is in her mid-20s. Her owner Verity is bruised from where she was trodden on but she had long boots on, which helped protect her.
“They’ve been out for a [ridden] walk since; they’re absolutely fine.”
Patsy is having penicillin every day, and the cuts cleaned twice a day, but there is no reason she should not come back into work, Ms Hart said.
“We were so lucky,” she added. “I could cry just thinking about it.
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“We’re such a close group here, and when something happens to one, it happens to all of us.
“I don’t know how they walked away from that, but this is a happy ending for all of us.”
Cambridgeshire Police is investigating the incident.
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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.