MOTORISTS have been urged to take more care when passing horse riders after a Newton Abbot teenager fell into a roadside ditch from her spooked mare.
Bethany Stoneman, 16, was trekking along the Bovey Bends when a passing coach caused her horse Fern to rear up.
Both ended up in a ditch with the horse crushing its shocked rider who scrambled free with cuts and bruises.
The frightening ordeal prompted her to call on drivers to exercise more caution when passing riders and their horses on the highway.
She said the accident could have been avoided if the coachman had slowed down as most considerate motorists do when passing.