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Worlingworth mum campaigns for better awareness for horse riders




A mother is campaigning for better safety and understanding for horse riders in her village after her daughter was nearly hit by a car.

Louise Love, from Worlingworth, wants to see more signage placed around the village and increased awareness of the law around passing horses.

This follows an incident on one of the village’s roads about a month ago.

Louise and Belle Love with Muggle-Wump. Picture: Mark Bullimore
Louise and Belle Love with Muggle-Wump. Picture: Mark Bullimore

“My 11-year-old daughter, Belle, who has been riding for a few years, and I were riding along a single-file road and I could hear a car coming around one of the bends,” she said.

“I said to her to tuck herself in against the bushes as best she could, so we did.

“This car came around the bend and, as they saw us in our high-viz tops, slammed on their brakes, skidded on the gravel and it was luck rather than judgment that they did not hit us. It was terrifying.

“That was when I said ‘enough is enough’. I wanted to get the message out about passing horses safely on our roads as this kind of incident is happening all too often.”

The Highway Code, which changed in January 2022, states that drivers should not pass horse riders, or horse-driven vehicles, any faster than 10mph and give at least two metres of space.

“I am passionate about this as we have a village that is very saturated with horses – we have around 80 here,” said Mrs Love.

“I was gobsmacked at just how many people I have spoken to who did not know the rule. This is not just a case of drivers speeding and not keeping their distance when they pass riders; it is also a lack of awareness of passing horses.”

After the near miss, the rider spoke to the parish council about the issue and about getting more signage up.

Mrs Love also put a notice in the parish magazine, but wants to spread her message as far as she can.

She said: “I really have the bit between my teeth about this as our village has become a hotspot for this.

“What worries me is that before anything gets done, or there is more awareness, there could be a tragedy here and no one wants that.”

Mrs Love has organised a meeting in Worlingworth Community Centre, on Monday at 6pm, in the hope of educating more people.

“This is a growing issue, with more horses are on our roads,” she added.

“We will have the community policing team coming along to our meeting, as well as parish councillors and a representative from the British Horse Society to help people understand the law and what they need to do to help keep riders safe.

“Riding around here at the moment feels like playing Russian roulette with our lives, as I am sure it is for many horse riders who use our roads around the country, so I just want to get the message out there to help avoid a nasty accident.”

Mrs Love knows there will be some that disagree with what she is doing, but she feels something has to been done.

“You always get those that say horses should not be on the roads, but to get to the few bridleways, you have no option but to use the road. We should not fear for our lives every time we do that.”



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