A vehicle startled an 11-year-old girl’s horse and nearly threw her off. Dashcam film shows a horse in Wanborough, Wiltshire, spinning as it hears screaming tires.
A silver BMW suddenly appeared and veered left, flinging dust into the air. Izzy Wykeham-Martin was riding Sully, her 8-year-old daughter, while Niamh walked.
Matthew Lane, 23, followed in his car. Several cars slowed to pass them when tires screeched behind them.
Sully startled at the sound before the silver BMW whizzed by, missing the horse and girls. Niamh calmed the frightened horse when Izzy clung to it. The almost-lost-control motorist drove up the cliff to avoid them.
After Sully cooled down, Matthew stopped the other driver. Matthew told the Swindon Advertiser he looked back and saw a silver BMW with smoking tyres.
‘The other motorist didn’t care. At least 80 mph.
After the event, Niamh and Izzy were emotional. Nobody was wounded, just shaken. Izzy is scared about hacking but pleased with Sully’s response.
Niamh: ‘It was nerve-wracking, but I wasn’t scared until everything cooled down.
‘Sully heard the squeal before he saw anything, and when he saw the automobile, his immediate inclination was to run.
My sister was so shaken that she had to get off her horse and into the automobile. It takes her an hour to calm down when she’s frightened.
Matthew said more must be done to protect pedestrians and bikers on country roads.
Eight cars passed the horse before my tire screamed and all I saw was smoke. He said, ‘It looks like an F1 car’
The Highway Code mandates automobiles to ‘pass freely and slowly’ while encountering horses, as many are temperamental and have young riders.
The September 22 incident was recently captured on camera. Wiltshire Police is investigating.
In a statement, the force added, ‘We learned about the incident on Wanborough Road around 6pm on September 22.
We’re researching and will provide updates.
‘We wanted to inform people that rural roads and lanes feature many slow-moving vehicles, including animals.
We must all share and respect the road. This involves thinking about vulnerable persons and adjusting your pace.
In the year to February, the British Horse Association reported over 1,000 horse-related road incidents. 130 people were injured, and 46 horses died. Speeding causes 43% of accidents.
