A loose horse has been brought to safety after escaping onto a dual carriageway in Surrey.
The spotted horse found his way onto the A3 southbound between Wisley and Burpham last Wednesday (3 November) at around 7am.
Quick-thinking driving instructor Mike of EP Training blocked the road with his van and helped secure the horse, named Rado.
“Unbelievably, some drivers were still trying to overtake it, so I felt I had to do something,” he said.
Peter Bound, a telehandler driver for the Environment Agency, also assisted.
“Everyone else was zooming past and it was frightening for everyone,” he told BBC Radio Surrey.
Surrey Police officers arrived at the scene and helped coax Rado into the BP service station, where he was offered apples before his owner retrieved him.
“We’re sorry for the delays to your commute, but we had to ‘rein’ Rado in safely, and we would like to thank the members of the public who assisted us,” a spokesman for the force said.
“Rado’s owner was given words of advice.”
A three-vehicle collision occurred separately on the A3 around the time of Rado’s rescue, and one person was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
EP Training praised their colleague for his support in the operation.
“Shout out to our instructor Mike for his quick-thinking in blocking the road and securing the horse,” they said.
“Thankfully the police arrived fairly quickly and the understandably scared horse was led to safety.”
Earlier this year, an equine vets urged horse owners to check their fencing after a spate of horses straying onto roads. At the time, wet weather had caused damage to fencing and this coupled with poor winter grazing had led horses to escape.
The British Horse Society recommends that fencing is inspected daily.
“When selecting any fencing ensure it is safe and sufficiently strong,” their website states.
“It is important to note that if your horse escapes from their pasture because of inadequate or unsafe field boundaries you may be liable for any damage caused.
“Be cautious where hedgerows are used as the sole boundary as they can become weak and require reinforcement.”
Lead image by Surrey Police
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