CYCLISTS are being urged to warn horse riders of their approach, following an incident near Llangoedmor.

As Johanna Jones rode her bay mare Tiger Lily along the country lane between Penparc and Llangoedmor, her horse was startled by a cyclist coming up behind her, and Johanna fell off.

A competent rider, Johanna, who has been hacking her horses for nearly 20 years along the roads, lanes and bridle paths, says that cyclists need to know what to do if they come across horses being ridden on the road.

“If you meet a horse then you need to let it know you are there by shouting hello or something, as a horse has a blind spot each side so it can’t see directly behind it," said Johanna, who has only just gone back to work following her accident. "Cyclists can be so silent. I didn’t know he was there, and neither did my horse.

“The cyclist probably didn’t realise that horses do spook, but if he’d let us know he was behind us, it would have prevented my fall."

She added: “The cyclist must have come out of the blue and was completely quiet. We were walking down the hill towards the main road when my mare shot forward. She shot forward again and I knew I was coming off. I grabbed some mane and then the next thing I knew I was on the floor with a cyclist looking down at me.”

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