Call for action to protect horses and riders after tragic road accident in Epsom

Tragedy struck in Epsom on Monday when a horse was fatally injured in a road traffic accident during morning work.

Five-year-old mare Gladden, who was trained by Lee Carter, was involved in a collision with a car after getting loose and attempting to gallop back to her stable.

Stephanie Aldridge, secretary at Carter's yard, said: "It's very sad. She was a lovely filly with a lovely temperament. She was owned by one of our longest-standing groups of owners and they'd been very patient with her. It's very sad for the driver as well as it must have been a shock for her."

Camilla Swift, who rides out in the town and also has a horse in training at Epsom, has called for more to be done to make the general public aware they are driving through a busy training centre.

She said: "There are definite improvements that could be made and it's a case of balancing the town and the training grounds. There's not enough signage and I think it's a case of raising awareness with the public that we're there."

Nick Patton, managing director for Jockey Club Estates, which looks after the Epsom training grounds, said: "This was a tragic accident and I'm devastated for Lee and his team. As with any incident that occurs on our training grounds we will thoroughly review it and look at how we can eliminate or reduce risk in any way we can.

"We are working with Surrey County Council to get some improved signage behind what we call the Queen's Stand crossing area."

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