With Michael still too ill to ride, Budgy led today’s ride to Mamhead. At Dawlish Warren the group played with Budgy’s Aerobie on the beach - and somehow managed to lose it in the sea! Budgy was not amused, as Aerobies do not seem to be easy to come by!

After a shop stop at Dawlish we climbed the hill to Little Haldon. On the track descent to Humber, however, we ran into a problem with a pair of horses. The leading riders passed the horses without problems, but as Richard and Andrew approached, one of the horses got frisky and ran off, throwing the rider to the ground. The injuries were made worse by the fact that the girl got her foot stuck in the stirrup and was dragged along for a short distance before the horse came to a halt. We telephoned immediately for the girl’s mother, who took her to hospital.

When we telephoned the mother a few days later we discovered that she had fractured her leg and had been forced to spend a few days in hospital. Whilst there was agreement on both sides that our cyclists were not responsible for the injuries, members should take note that horses are sometimes easily frightened by cyclists and so we can never take too much care when riding past them. Always make sure the riders know you are there, and give the horses a wide berth.