A WOMAN and her young horse had a lucky escape on Saturday after falling into the road after being spooked by a "dangerously driven" truck.

The incident occurred on the busy Hog’s Back at Tongham, leaving 26-year-old rider Katy Hogg with "massive bruises" as she and her six-year-old horse Dolly fell to the ground.

Both horse and rider managed to "walk away" after the scare.

Katy told the Herald that they were just 120 metres from returning to Ipsley Lodge Stables when a truck approached them in the opposite direction. She said it had a “winch-type mechanism" that was rattling and scared Dolly.

She said: “My friend shouted at him to slow down and the horses settled. Then the truck turned around and came up behin us revving (its engine). It spooked the horse.”

Both Katy and Dolly “fell into the middle of the road” but, luckily for Katy, the “sweet-natured horse” didn’t fall on top of her.

She added: “The truck sped off and wasn’t bothered about us at all.”

Katy has been horse riding for 19 years and has ridden solo on the roads for the past eight years. But shesaid that she has “never had anything this bad happen”.

She said: “It was frightening for everyone. It makes you scared to leave the yard. It’s such a shame because it’s a beautiful area to ride.”

Katy is now asking witnesses to come forward and has appealed to Surrey County Council for a change in speed limit from 60mph to 40mph on the Hog’s Back at Seale.

A Surrey Police spokesman said: “The rider was out with a number of other horse riders near The Street around midday when the car drove past them at speed. The car then turned around and drove past them again in the opposite direction, spooking one of the horses which resulted in both the horse and the rider being thrown onto the grass verge.”

Anyone with information should call the police on 101, quoting incident reference PR/P18246618.

The incident comes after Karen Higgins, 36, from Orchard Close, Normandy, was found guilty of driving without due care on October 15, following a collision on November 26 last year.

On that occasion the incident, which happened on Westwood Lane, Normandy, left two horse riders injured and the horses they were riding had to be put down. Higgins received five points on her licence and a £600 fine. She was also ordered to pay costs.