Plymouth grandma's mission to make roads safer for horse riders
A Plymouth grandmother with a disease that makes her more likely to break bones is campaigning to make the roads a safer place to ride a horse.
Sara Dixon, 50, who lives in King's Tamerton, says riding became her "only freedom" after being diagnosed with a nerve disorder which mimics MS, as well as osteoporosis, which weakens bones, making them fragile.
She was diagnosed after her granddaughter fell into a swamp at an adventure park. Sara managed to rescue her, but the trauma brought on the centralised nerve disorder seven years ago.
An accident in recent months when Sara was riding her horse, Beauty, has now sparked the animal lover to campaign for change.
"Horse riders are not the only vulnerable people on the road," Sara explained.
"Some people are very anti-horse, and I understand that," she added. "But because of my disability it is my only freedom for 20 minutes to half an hour every day.
"It's the only thing I've got left. I struggle to walk and I have got trapped nerves on the right side of my body. I have a really bad twitch and the trapped nerves make simple day-to-day tasks difficult."
Sara says she fears for her and other horse riders' safety on Devon's roads.
"If I break a bone, that's it," she said. "Beauty is very good on the roads, but falling off a horse is dangerous to anybody, not just to myself."
Sara will be joining other campaigners up and down the country by staging her own 'Pass Wide and Slow' ride. The national campaign aims to reduce the number of accidents involving horses, cyclists and motorcyclists, by raising awareness on how to pass these vulnerable road users wide and slow.
Sara, who recently invested in a £200 helmet camera to catch dangerous drivers in the act, said: "Drivers seem to think horse riders can ride through fields and arrive straight on the moors, but this is not the case.
"We've got to hit some sort of road and horses are fight or flight animals. I've only had my horse Beauty for seven months and I've already had one major accident."
Only recently Sara says a speeding motorcyclist stopped in front of her, turned around and did a wheelie while revving the engine. "It sets your heart racing," she said. "People need to take more responsibility."
Road safety group Pass Wide and Slow (PWAS) is aiming for 300 awareness rides up and down the country this year. PWAS is urging as many people as possible to take part in a local ride, and Sara hopes to attract not just horse riders, but dog walkers and cyclists to her event.
The PWAS ride will start at the public toilet block in Yelverton at 10.30am on Saturday 16 September.
A map of the route will be available on the day of the event, but will involved walking or riding on a stretch of main road.