A PREGNANT rider who was thrown from the saddle when her horse was spooked by a car on a country lane has urged motorists to slow down.

Mum-to-be Emma Seager suffered a badly broken ankle and had to endure a three-hour operation without general anaesthetic because of her pregnancy.

Emma, 36, from Broadstone has been warned she may never regain full use of her ankle and she is speaking out to support Road Safety Week.

The accident took place when she was riding her horse, Lenny, in Dolmans Hill, Lytchett Matravers on August 31.

Emma, whose is expecting her first child with husband Ben in the New Year, has only just returned to her job as a service advisor for Mercedes in Poole after two-and-a-half months off.

She said: "I was out riding my horse and was approaching a blind corner on the road when a car driver came round the bend at speed. He slammed on his brakes, the noise of which caused Lenny to spook and mount a verge. The driver narrowly missed hitting us.

"I fell off my horse into the road and have suffered a serious ankle injury from which I am still recovering. I’m not sure how long it is going to take to recover from my injury or to what extent I will recover and whether I will ever be able to return to riding."

Emma has ridden for more than 30 years and has never had an accident until now.

She added: "The area in which I was riding is well known for being used by horse riders and there are signs along the road alerting car drivers to watch out.

"It is so important for drivers on country roads to slow down and watch out for horses and horse riders. You never know who or what is around any corner and I would urge drivers to proceed with care and reduce their speed."

Road Safety Week is organised by road safety charity Brake and runs between November 20 and 26. This year the focus is ‘Speed Down, Save Lives’ and is aimed at increasing driver awareness of the dangers of speeding. A key strand of the campaign is urging drivers not to use rural roads as race tracks.