Rider airlifted to hospital after horse spooked by vehicle
A rider has urged drivers to be more aware of how horses can react after her horse was spooked by a passing vehicle causing her to fall on to the road.
Jade Edwards, 20, was hacking her four-year-old 17.2hh Irish sports horse Finn on Digby Road, Walcott on Friday (9 November), with a friend when Finn spooked at a passing flat-bed truck carrying pallets and plastic.
Jade told H&H: “I’ve owned Finn since he was five months old, he is a gent and usually really good with traffic. Because of his age we usually just do hacking and keep things fun for him.
“We were just a few minutes from the yard. There was plastic flapping as the van approached and Finn started to spook and dance on the road. It’s a single track road, if a car had been coming the van would have had to stop, but the driver kept going past us.
“Finn jumped into a ditch and was bucking and leaping – he was terrified. My friend was riding in front and hadn’t realised what was happening, Finn kept leaping and I fell off in to the road.”
Jade said the van carried on driving after she had fallen.
“The driver saw Finn spooking as he passed us and I saw him drive off into the distance while I was on the concrete. Finn cantered off and my friend managed to catch him. There was a house owned by a doctor up ahead so she put the horses in a field by the house and got help from the doctor,” said Jade.
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A driver who was behind Jade saw the incident and called 999.
“The driver stayed with me while my friend dealt with Finn. A first responder arrived and gave me pain relief but the ambulance got diverted to another call where someone had stopped breathing so I was on the ground for an hour and a half. It was the most pain I’ve ever felt – the doctor thought I had fractured my pelvis, I thought I wouldn’t walk again. The medic team were amazing and kept me calm,” said Jade.
Jade was airlifted to hospital and underwent a CT scan and X-rays.
“Thankfully the scan and x-rays showed I just have heavy bruising, and I have a broken toe. I’m still in agony walking and have been given crutches to help. I’ve been very lucky, I’ll need to replace my hat but my head wasn’t injured,” said Jade.
Jade said Finn has been anxious since the incident. She has since returned to the scene and taken him for an in-hand walk, but Jade said it’s made her nervous of hacking.
“A tractor approached us when I was walking him, I was terrified of what might happen but I think I was more worried than Finn. The tractor stopped for us and Finn was absolutely fine, he’s such a brave horse – he’s my best friend.
“I don’t think some drivers understand, they’re naïve to horses and what can happen. Some of my friends are shocked by what’s happened and said it’s made them more aware that you don’t know a horse will do,” said Jade.
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The police were informed of the incident and Jade hopes the driver of the van is spoken to.
“I just want him to be warned and if he doesn’t do it again that would be great. If he had just taken a couple of more minutes, instead of being in such a hurry to get to his destination,” said Jade.
A spokesman for Lincoln Police said: “At 12.47pm on November 9 we received a call that a female horse rider had fallen from her horse. The woman was taken to hospital. The extent of her injuries are unclear.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.