GAZETTE & HERALD: Mother Sarah Campbell has called for drivers to show more consideration to horse riders using local roads after her daughter was knocked off her horse only a year after she suffered a similar accident herself.

Nine-year-old Katie was knocked off her pony Harvey after he was hit by a lorry and a car on the Common, leading to Church Road, Kington Langley on April 6.

She escaped injury, but pony Harvey's hind quarters had to be stitched and a drain put in the wound.

Miss Campbell's accident in March 2003 left her with leg, neck and wrist injuries. The friend's horse she was riding had to be put down.

After the first accident in which a people carrier driving behind a lorry collided with the back of the horse on the B3109 towards Hazelbury Woods Miss Campbell, 27 of Priestly Wood Road, Rudloe, made a plea in the Gazette for drivers to take more care of horse riders on roads.

The stable hand and volunteer for the Women's Royal Volunteer Service said she had got back on a horse after her accident because she wanted to show her daughter that riding was not something to fear.

Katie was riding with her aunt, Joanne Bates, 25, on her mum's birthday when her accident happened.

As they reached a narrow section of the road a large lorry with a rattling load came towards them. The noise spooked Harvey and he swung his rear end out into the road.

Mrs Bates, who was riding in front of Katie, said although the lorry driver could see them the vehicle was unable to brake in time.

The lorry struck Harvey on his right side, spinning him round to face the cars behind him. Harvey panicked and tried to squeeze past a car that had pulled over next to a wall. The car's wing mirror cut into Harvey's left hind leg and Katie fell on to the road.

Katie's aunt said: "My blood went cold. It makes you realise how fragile riding is when it goes wrong.

"Katie was screaming and in a lot of pain and I jumped off my horse and called an ambulance. Harvey was very good, he just waited up the road."

Although Katie could not move after the accident and doctors suspected she had broken her elbow, she was discharged from hospital at 2am the next day with no injuries.

Miss Campbell said horse riding was a dangerous sport even without walking on the road. "Lorries use the Kington Langley road as a shortcut to Lyneham and they shouldn't. There are no horse signs up even though so many horses ride through the village.

"It is what I said a year ago. People need to take the time to slow down and give horses a wide berth. It is in the Highway Code. A few extra minutes won't hurt them."

Mrs Bates said: "Please slow down. In this case it was a nine-year-old girl on a pony. If that can't get through to people nothing will."