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Ashford horse rider says selfish drivers are failing to slow down on roads

A disgruntled horse rider says 75% of drivers passed her at “unacceptably high” speeds.

Natalie Miller has bought a GoPro camera and says she won’t be taking her horse out again without it, so at least she will have video evidence of any incidents.

Natalie Miller took her horse Cali at 6am to beat the heat and the traffic but was met with speeding motorists
Natalie Miller took her horse Cali at 6am to beat the heat and the traffic but was met with speeding motorists

The 29-year-old, who has had horses for almost her whole life, is calling on riders to invest in the technology, which would allow video footage to be passed to police.

Last month, Miss Miller and a friend left Honeywood Lane in Bilsington, near Ashford, at 6am one day to beat the traffic and the heat.

They headed towards Bonnington with no problems until they reached the main B2067 road.

“Every single car that passed us on the main road was travelling at speed,” she said.

“It was definitely the worst experience I’ve ever had in over 20 years of riding.

Natalie Miller said she shouldn't have to invest in a Go-Pro to feel safe on the roads
Natalie Miller said she shouldn't have to invest in a Go-Pro to feel safe on the roads

“We asked them to slow down but we got ignored.

“I could understand if it was the odd one or two drivers being ignorant but unfortunately it wasn’t. Out of about 50 cars, maybe five or six slowed down to an acceptable speed.”

Miss Miller added that her horse Cali is recovering from surgery so needs riding most days as part of her rehab plan.

“Cali had kissing spine surgery and has gastric ulcers caused by stress so this ride could definitely have caused another flare up if my horse got spooked,” she said.

“This would cause her to become incredibly sore, irritable, and go off her food.”

“This could have caused a horrendous accident...”

She added that her horse is well road trained but she was unsettled for the whole ride after all the cars went past at such high speeds.

After asking one driver that went past at speed to slow down, Miss Miller said the motorist held their hand on the horn.

“This could have caused a horrendous accident,” she said.

“We often get told that we shouldn’t be on the road with our horses if they are easily spooked or dangerous, but horses were on the roads long before cars, and even the most traffic-proof horses would be spooked by cars travelling so fast.”

Miss Miller, from Hythe, says she had no confidence any of the drivers who passed her during the ride would have stopped to help her had there been an accident.

Miss Miller's horse is recovering from surgery so needs riding every day, but she said she won't be going out again until she gets a Go-Pro
Miss Miller's horse is recovering from surgery so needs riding every day, but she said she won't be going out again until she gets a Go-Pro

She said: “If the worst was to have happened and there was an accident, not one of those cars would have glanced back or stopped to help.”

Miss Miller’s friend’s horse is already nervous of bigger vehicles because of a previous bad experience with cars going too fast past them.

She added she is shocked that motorists think that going more than 10mph is safe.

“Drivers should be judging the road and either passing us at 10mph if safe to do so, or just hang back and wait for us to find a gateway to pull into for them to pass,” she said.

“There needs to be more education for drivers and fines from the police.

“I would say to all riders to invest in a camera to use while riding.

“The roads aren’t as safe as they used to be.”

Other horse riders in the county have also encountered dangerous rides on the roads, including one young rider who was dragged along the road in Broadstairs.

The incident happened in June when a van sped past her horse, causing it to bolt. The teenager was left with injuries after her horse dragged her 30ft through a bush and along a path. as she tried to cling on to his lead.

In Baldesmere, another rider fell victim to a hit and run in 2021 when out on the roads with her horse.

It was reported that the driver of a pick-up truck did not stop after knocking the child off her horse. The girl was left with a hand injury but did not need hospital treatment.

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