AN animal-lover is calling for motorists to slow down, after her horse was struck by a car on a South Tyneside road.
Sarah Wilson was left horrified when she found out her horse, Mac, had been hit as he crossed Tileshed Lane in East Boldon.
The 10-year-old cob collided with a Mini Cooper, smashing his head on its windscreen and denting the driver’s side of the car.
Mrs Wilson, from the Parkway Estate in South Shields, dashed to his stables at Curly Crooks Farm and called a vet.
She said: “I went straight there as soon as my friend called to explain what had happened.
“Mac is so lucky to be alive – I think it’s his sheer size which has helped him.
“If he was smaller, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“His head came down on the car’s windscreen, and I got such a shock when I saw the state of the car.
“Mac has swelling to his chest and front legs, and his nose is all scraped, he needed steroid injections and will have to see the vet again, but he’s doing OK.”
It’s unclear what spooked Mac, as he was being led by a friend of Mrs Wilson’s from the grazing field to his stables, which are on the opposite side of Tileshed Lane.
But Mrs Wilson, a mum of three, is now calling for the speed limit on the road to be lowered from 30mph to 20mph to give drivers a better chance to react to animals crossing.
Mrs Wilson, 39, said: “In general, cars come by so quickly they don’t have a chance to slow down, let alone stop.
“Ideally, I would like to see the speed limit reduced, or perhaps speed bumps put in place, just to get people to slow down.
“I have been in touch with the Highways Agency, and I will be attending a meeting later this month.” It’s not the first time a horse has been hit in the area. In February 2007, Benson, a chestnut, was put down after being struck by a van on nearby Cleadon Lane.
Mac is expected to make a full recovery after his accident, which happened at about 6.30pm on Saturday, and Mrs Wilson is thankful no one was seriously injured.
She said: “It could have been a lot worse, and the lady who was driving the car has been in touch.
“She’s been lovely – her car is rather battered, though.
“Mac is a bit stiff and sore at the moment, but he will be fine.”
Twitter: @ShieldsGazVez
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