Touching video of bin man helping horse and rider goes viral
A touching video of a bin man helping a spooked horse in Wales has gone viral on the internet.
Erin Connor was riding her five-year-old horse, Patch, on a country lane in Dyserth, Denbighshire, on 21 February.
A refuse lorry approached and Patch stopped in the road. The lorry then stopped and reversed away from the pair.
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“Patch was still quite nervous,” Erin told H&H. “A man came over and helped me past and I was really thankful.
“Then a bin man came out of the lorry and gave Patch a carrot. It was such a nice thing to do.
“I was so touched that I felt it needed to be shared on social media and I have been overwhelmed by the response”.
Once Patch had passed safely, the lorry continued on its rounds.
The refuse worker who acted so considerately towards Erin and Patch was John Shone.
“We were delighted to have this footage brought to our attention,” said Jim Espley of Denbighshire County Council.
“Our refuse collectors come across all kinds of situations in their day to day duties and are often seen travelling along narrow roads.
“John has shown a real act of kindness in this situation and we are delighted that it has generated such interest on social media”.
Erin, who has owned Patch for a year, was wearing a hat camera that captured the footage.
Patch has been nervous of larger vehicles in the past and Erin said this experience will help him in future.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.