Sixteen-year-old Charlotte Wilson was knocked unconscious and dragged almost 10 metres along a country road by her horse.
The ordeal left her with a concussion, pulled tendons in her leg and shoulder and cuts and bruises all over.
But the Devon teen says she had a lucky escape and has issued a plea to drivers to act sensibly around horse riders.
On Friday last week, she was riding near her home when a car sped past her mare Savannah causing her to rear up.
Charlotte was thrown to the ground but her foot became trapped in a stirrup and she was pulled along by her frightened horse, reports Devon Live .
The car did not stop at the scene.
Charlotte, 16, said: "The car came so close to hitting us it almost brushed my stirrup.
"At this point Savanna reared up and spun backwards, throwing me to the ground. My foot got caught awkwardly in the stirrup and I was dragged about seven or eight metres down the hill.
"When I woke up I was surrounded by about seven or eight people.
"They had been driving nearby and seen me on the road and stopped to help."
Emergency services arrived and Charlotte was put into a neck brace and stretchered into an ambulance.
She said: "I have suffered a concussion, pulled tendons in my leg and shoulder and am badly bruised and cut.
"But to be honest I got off lightly, it could have been so much worse."
Due to the concussion, Charlotte - who has been riding horses since the age of five - is not allowed to ride again for another three weeks.
She said: "I took a picture of my riding helmet as it had cracked all the way up the middle, it must have been a big impact and that hat probably saved my life.
"The whole incident was very frightening. I've been riding for 11 years and I have had a few falls, but nothing on public roads."
Charlotte offered some words of advice for motorists.
She said: "Please slow down and be aware when you are driving near horses. They are animals, not machines.
"We always do our best to move aside and wave to drivers who slow down for us, so it's time that drivers did their best for us."
What drivers should do if they approach a horse
- Drivers should slow down to a crawl as they pass horses, reports the Express , and be aware that they might even need to stop altogether.
- Motorists should look out for any signals that might be made by a rider, taking notice of requests to slow down or stop – riders can sometimes see or hear something that a motorist in a car might not be aware of.
- If a rider or horse is inexperienced, they might sometimes have to be two abreast on the road: in these instances, drivers should be patient and only pass when it’s safe to do so.
- There are also often clues to the presence of horses on the road, such as triangular warning signs, the presence of stables and/or riding schools, and fields and gates. Horse manure on the road is another giveaway.
- While most riders will take the time to thank drivers for their considerate driving, they are sometimes busy controlling a horse and might not be able to express any acknowledgement.
