Pony dies and two men seriously injured in road collision
A pony has died and two men were seriously injured in a collision with a car in Cornwall.
Police are appealing for witnesses to and information about the incident involving a vehicle and a driven pony, in Liskeard, last Wednesday (18 October).
“Emergency services were called around 6.55pm on Wednesday, 18 October after the collision involving a blue Mini Cooper and a pony and trap on the A390 close to Twelvewoods roundabout, Dobwalls,” a spokesman for Devon & Cornwall Police said.
“The trap was carrying two men, aged 19 and 28 from north Cornwall; both sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
“Sadly, the pony died after sustaining serious injuries during the incident.”
The road was closed for three and a half hours while police investigated at the scene.
“Officers are carrying out enquiries into the collision and appealing for any witnesses or those with relevant dashcam footage to contact them,” the spokesman said.
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Anyone with information should contact police online or call 101, quoting log number 736 of 18 October.
Road collisions
The British Horse Society’s (BHS) 2022 statistics, which were released in January, show that 68 horses died last year, and 125 riders were injured on the roads.
The figures, described as “shocking” by BHS director of safety Alan Hiscox, show that almost 10 incidents were reported for every day last year – a total of 3,552. This is a 21% overall increase from 2021, when 66 horses were killed. The number of horses injured has decreased slightly, from 129, but the number of riders injured has gone up from 126 to 139.
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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.