Owner ‘in shock’ after horse killed by taxi

A horse was killed in a collision with a taxi on the roads in Wales earlier this month (6 March).

The horse’s owner is said to be ‘in complete shock and disbelief’, but the driver of the taxi said it was an unavoidable accident.

South Wales Police told H&H it had received reports of a road traffic collision between a horse and a taxi at 6.38am on Bogey Road, Mountain Hare on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil.

“The driver of the taxi was not injured, but sadly the horse died at the scene,” said a police spokesman.

“The incident is currently being investigated. There have been no arrests or charges,” he added.

The driver of the Euro Kabs taxi Ashley Mayne told Wales Online: “It was pitch black when the impact happened. I was driving down the road and the horse came out.”

He said he couldn’t avoid the horse and wasn’t speeding.

“It’s sad for the horse and owner. I was a bit shook up myself. It was a pure accident,” he added.

Euro Kabs described the incident as “a tragic case” on Facebook, but refused to speak to H&H when we tried to contact them.

This is the second horse death on Welsh roads that South Wales police are investigating at the moment.

A 16hh Friesian stallion called Wil was hit by a car while pulling a hearse on the way to Coychurch Crematorium in Bridgend last month. The funeral was for Elizabeth Morris.

The 14-year-old horse, owned by Mark Evans for 11 years, was put down as a result of his injuries.

“He was a great team member and never put a foot wrong,” Mr Evans told H&H.

Following the crash Mr Evans signed the petition launched by Debbie Smith in Cornwall to make it a legal requirement for motorists to slow down for horses and go wide when passing.

The Pass Wide and Slow petition has more than 83,000 signatures and has just been handed to transport minister Andrew Jones.

“We need to make the roads safer for all horse users, whether they are riders, carriage drivers or on a lead-rein pony,” said Mr Evans.

British Horse Society national manager for Wales Jan Roche said safety on the roads in Wales for horse riders “is an ongoing problem.”

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