A GANG of motorcyclists terrorised horses and their riders after being told they were using the bridleways illegally before sabotaging the charity event by removing route markers.
Up to 20 "intimidating" bikers revved their engines and spun their wheels at some of the horse-riders after being told not to use the countryside pathways for their motorcycles.
Organiser Victoria Raven told the Chronicle: "The issues came with coming across the bikers on the bridlepath when they were told they were not allowed to be there and that they must stick to byways.
"We gave them directions but they weren't overly impressed, spinning their wheels and revving their engines, which was dangerous and intimidating."
She later started receiving calls from some of the 230 people on the sponsored ride saying they were lost on the route around High Easter.
"Someone had pulled the ribbons off the trees, deliberately ripped them off and thrown them in the hedge, basically sabotaging the ride, which had taken people a long time to organise," added Victoria, whose event raised cash for the Essex air ambulance.
"Quite a few riders were upset about it – it's a family day."
While the ribbon-removal was a nuisance in between points which were stewarded, it was the aggressive attitude of the bikers, who did not have number plates, which concerned Victoria most.
"There's an enormous risk to horses and livestock," she said.
"It could startle them to run into something like barbed wire. We had one elderly lady in her 70s nearly fall off."
Ms Raven did contact police a few days after the event on Sunday, April 13, but has not been able to trace the bikers.
Urging consideration for fellow users of the countryside, the 32-year-old finance manager from Old Harlow said: "In the large majority of cases bikers pass horses quietly, but this kind of thing gives bikers a bad name as a nuisance."
If you have any information contact the police on 101.
