Rider falls on car after masked quad-bikers cause pony to bolt
A young rider who fell on to a car bonnet when masked quad bike riders revved their engines and drove at her says she is too frightened to go back on the roads.
Abigail Jones, 17, was returning to the livery yard at which she keeps her 14.2hh part-bred Connemara Barney, in Wigan, when she saw the quad bikes approaching, on 11 April.
“The bikes were loud and coming towards me quite fast,” she told H&H. “The drivers were wearing masks, had no helmets and the bikes didn’t have registration plates.
“I signalled to the drivers and asked them to slow down but they revved their engines and spread out across the road, coming towards me.”
Abigail, who had been riding with her cousin Ellissa, said Barney spooked, spun round and bolted causing her to fall off.
“The bikes drove off and as I fell I landed on the bonnet of a car that had been coming behind them,” she said.
“A passer-by caught Barney and brought him back to me. He wasn’t injured but was really shaken.”
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An ambulance took Abigail to hospital.
“I couldn’t move my hip and it was suspected I’d broken my elbow but it turned out to be bad bruising,” she said.
“I’m more worried about Barney, I’ve owned him for four years and it’s taken a long time to get him as confident as he is on the road.”
Abigail reported the incident to the police.
“I’m too frightened to go back on the road until the drivers are caught,” she said.
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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.