“A lot of people aren’t surprised this incident has happened. It was always a case of when, not if…”
Samantha Van Lierde was exercising one of her stable’s horses at the Cambridge racetrack on Tuesday 31st March when she missed a phone call from her husband Max. She knew something was wrong, “…he never called when we were working”. When she managed to call him back, she realised how close she’d come to losing him.
Max was riding Nathan, one of the Van Lierde’s much-loved racehorses. Like many stables in close proximity to the Cambridge racing centre, riders often cross the road and ride the short distance to access the racetrack. On this particular morning, Max was riding the 1.5km stretch home after exercising Nathan. He was on his own and riding down a quiet ‘lane’. He needed to cross Peake Road, which has a speed of 80km, and he saw a concrete truck coming.
He circled Nathan, but Nathan started backing up.
“He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time
The truck couldn’t stop in time. The driver did nothing wrong.“
Max looked up and saw the truck and tried to get Nathan to move forward but realised he couldn’t do it fast enough and leapt off “very quickly”. The horse saw the truck and shot forward but unfortunately his hind legs were hit. He galloped home. Max found him and called Samantha.
“I am grateful Max is alive.
We thought we could save Nathan, but once he was in surgery and the surgeon had a clearer look at the injury, it became clear that the joint was incurable. We were and are absolutely gutted."
Nathan was regularly ridden from the yard to the track because he’s one of the older horses. We tend to truck the younger horses the short distance.
Samantha has been overwhelmed by the response and support from community.
“…a lot of people aren’t surprised this incident has happened. It was always a case of when, not if…and I’m not sure that anything has changed within the riding community because we are all trying to be as smart as we can. We wear high visibility, but we are often riding in the dark, although it is lighter now in the mornings.”
Decision makers have been made aware of horse rider's safety concerns
In early March, a close call involving a vehicle and horse crossing the road was reported by the driver to Waikato Thoroughbred Racing. It elevated the issue to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) which in turn reached out to the New Zealand Vulnerable Road User Charitable Trust. For close to five years the regional sector had been trying to engage with the local council to address safety concerns.
The NZVRU Trust made contact with elected members to establish the best way forward because there is no road safety committee. All community led concerns go to the council’s roading team.
A joint letter outlining concerns around signage, visibility, safe crossing and speed was sent by NZTR’s general manager - welfare and industry capability Sam Fursdon. The response from council was prompt and an investigation actioned. A plan to meet onsite was being discussed as we learned of Max’s incident.
Sam Fursdon says, “Horses are part of our communities, and they should be able to safely share the roads with vehicles. There’s still a real lack of awareness in New Zealand about how to drive around horses, and that needs to change. We really appreciate Waipā District Council working with us and the club to address these concerns and look at ways to make things safer for both horses and riders.”
What would local rider and stable owner Samantha like to see happen next?
“A critical area that needs to be addressed is on Racecourse Road where all horses cross on both sides to access the pool. There is nothing there.
Improved lighting over the bridge and on Racecourse and Peake roads.
Signage to alert people to horses in the area
A speed restriction from 4.30am to 10am when the race centre is open and in high use
Designated crossing points for horses – the Peake Road - Racecourse Road intersection is particularly dangerous."
As the investigation into safer traffic management solutions is progressed, the NZVRU Trust will keep across the conversation and continue to advocate, educate and promote the lifesaving road safety message of
