Riding accident with bicycle reminds of etiquette on hiking trails

CORRALES, NM — Certain road signs are in place in Corrales for a reason – chances are you’ll encounter a horse on your daily commute.

When you do this, you must behave in a certain way to ensure everyone's safety.

Mike Raupp knows horses. He is the co-founder of Loving Thunder in Corrales, where he has been training horses for decades. Together with his wife Twuana, he offers equine therapy for people with mental and physical disabilities.

A leisurely drive from their Corrales property is pretty normal. But last week, as they traveled in a group of six just blocks from Loving Thunder, Raupp said their drive was anything but normal.

“All I heard was a whirring sound, 'Woo, woo, woo,' and suddenly Twuana's horse pulled his butt in,” Raupp said.

Raupp says three of the six horses were frightened when a motorcyclist sped past. His wife's horse was the most frightened.

“She ran off to the right. He fell to the left. My horse fell, I jumped off and immediately ran to my wife. She was lying face first in the dirt. The only thing that could save her nose and face was that she was wearing her helmet,” said Raupp.

Nancy Freshour was at the back of the field with her horse Aspen.

“He was past us before I could yell 'Slow down!' He had already passed six horses,” Freshour said.

That's too fast, said Freshour.

“He broke every rule. And then when he saw what happened, he just kept going,” Freshour said.

Twuana lay in the dirt with at least five broken ribs.

“She can barely walk. She can't use her right hand properly. She can't even sign her own name,” Raupp said. “She's going to be out of commission for months and $25,000 right now, just for the hospital and everything, is unimaginable.”

Raupp says you should follow three simple steps if you see someone riding a horse:

• Stop
• Wait for a signal from the driver
• Move forward slowly

“You don't rip someone's doors off or rip their stirrups off and overtake us and hurt someone, a family member, and almost kill them,” Raupp said. “That person needs to step forward and admit what they did.”

According to the Corrales police chief, traffic laws also apply to cyclists. The suspect could face charges of reckless driving, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and 90 days in jail.