Injured horse rider backs road safety campaign

A rider who suffered internal bleeding after she fell into a ditch with her horse when it was spooked by a van has urged people to consider their speed on rural roads.

Hannah Green, from Melksham, Wiltshire, said she had been riding her racehorse, Winnie, when the vehicle came around a corner "quite fast" leading them to fall.

Green was taken by ambulance to Southmead Hospital in Bristol where it was found she had a laceration on her liver, a displaced rib fracture and hematoma.

"I've had a few near misses before but nothing as bad as this," Green said. "I've had experiences where cars come by fast and she normally just stops and let them go. But this time, the van caught her off guard."

Green has not returned to riding since being injured and admits she is "quite nervous" but really eager to "get back on".

She is now helping Wiltshire Police with its new campaign Operation Close Pass.

The project involves officers speaking with drivers about safely passing horses and their riders - a two-metre passing distance while travelling at no more than 10mph is recommended.

Green joined police officers in Dilton Marsh, near Fairfield College in Westbury, for an operation in which 24 vehicles were stopped, with police offering advice to the drivers.

Julie Allman, of the group Worcestershire Cavalry, helped alert police to vehicles that passed too close. She and her ex-police horse, called Schnapps, help forces with re-enactments to improve safety.

"Most of the drivers were very polite and courteous," she said. "There were a few came by a little too close or a little too fast, but the police spoke to them and told them what they could do a little bit better next time."

Catherine Roper, chief constable of Wiltshire Police, spoke to several drivers as part of the operation.

A rider herself, she has had an experience where her horse "reacted badly" to a car passing too fast which is why she is "passionate" about Operation Close Pass.

She said: "Passing a horse too closely or at speed can have devastating consequences. Horses can react unpredictably when startled, placing riders, drivers and other road users at risk.

"The fact that 24 drivers were stopped and spoken to in a relatively short period demonstrates why this work is so important."

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