Horse Fall Could Have Been Fatal

Horse-lover Nikki Langley is lucky to be alive.

The Redcliffe and Bayside Herald has reported that the 20-year-old’s horse was spooked and fell on her after a motorist honked while she was riding along Boundary Rd at Deception Bay, Queensland on January 19.

"I was taking him for a nice, gentle ride when some moron tooted their horn at us,’’ she said.

"Nellie reared up, lost his balance and fell on me."

The Redcliffe Paceway strapper’s back was fractured in three places and she was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

The thoroughbred was uninjured.

"The doctors said I was lucky to be alive ... they said I definitely shouldn’t have been able to walk out of the hospital and that I should be in a wheelchair,’’ she said.

Ms Langley, of Petrie, said she was thankful an off-duty nurse saw what happened and stopped to help.

"I don’t know who she was ... I really want to thank her because she could have kept driving and I could have been there for hours without anyone noticing,’’ she said.

Six weeks on, Ms Langley remains in a body brace, which she wears under loosely fitting shirts, but she was able to return to light duties at work on Monday.

She said it was important motorists slowed down and took care if they saw a horse being ridden roadside.

"We’re not motorbike riders that have absolute control of what we are riding,’’ she said.

"I really want people to realise that horses can be unpredictable ... drivers shouldn’t make unnecessary noises when passing like revving their engine, yelling or honking their horn."

"The next person this happens to might not be as lucky as me."

Ms Langley said she would be contacting Queensland Transport to ask why there were no references to horse etiquette in the learner driver handbook so people knew what to do.

story: redcliffe-and-bayside-herald