A horse has been put to sleep, and the rider is in hospital due to a serious collision in County Durham on Sunday, January 15th 2023.
The incident happened during the morning on the A167, a major road in Coatham Mundeville, where officers were called to the site close to the Foresters Arms pub. The road was closed while emergency services attended the scene, involving two cars and the horse and rider.
The rider was taken to a hospital nearby with a serious leg injury.
Unfortunately, the horse was put to sleep at the scene due to significant injuries sustained during the incident.
A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: “Officers were called shortly before 11am to a collision near the Foresters Arms, at Coatham Mundeville, involving a horse and rider and two vehicles.
“The female rider of the horse has been taken to hospital with a leg injury.
“Tragically, the horse suffered significant injuries and was euthanised at the scene to prevent further suffering. The road was closed while officers worked at the scene but has since reopened.”
Road traffic accidents involving horses and riders sadly continue to rise, despite movements such as the BHS Dead Slow Campaign working to educate on risk and raise awareness on how to approach and maneuver around horses safely on the road.
The ongoing work of organisations such as the British Horse Society is vital to establish statistics of such incidents to help work towards a safer future for all road users. You can report your road traffic incident involving horses, whether it be ridden, carriage, driving, in hand, loose, or cart on the BHS website here.
You can read more horse and rider news with Everything Horse here.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.