A HORSE rider says she is lucky to be alive after her mount toppled on top of her when it lost its footing in a deep rut created by 4x4 off-road drivers.
Sarah Warren now wants Essex County Council to ban drivers from using the bridleway that runs alongside her home in Maltings Hill.
She says the public right of way is now so badly rutted and churned up that it is only useable by the most tenacious of walkers.
The 41-year-old cattery owner, who has been riding since she was four, was trapped for 30 minutes under her horse when it lost its footing in a deep rut and toppled into a ditch.
Her 30-year-old black gelding, Ebony had already lost his footing three times on the bridleway.
She said: "The horse went down three times, but each time it managed to gain its footing again.
"But the fourth time, it was unable to get back, it went down on its knees and then fell over into the ditch next to the path.
"I was under him for half an hour.
"I really think I nearly died.
"It wasn't bad to start with but my whole body started to go numb. I couldn't move at all, I was going to give up. I didn't have any strength left.
"But then I thought 'I've got to do something', so I smacked him on the cheek which frightened him enough to move and that gave me just enough room to use my arms to crawl away."
Sarah raised the alarm with a neighbour, who managed to rescue her horse after another 90 minutes.
She escaped with a battered face and badly bruised ribs and now has trouble breathing.
Horse riders like Sarah are becoming increasingly frustrated with off-road driving, which is blamed for causing damage to countryside routes.
She says that long ,water-filled ruts caused by the vehicles are making the paths virtually impassible for horses and walkers.
She said: "The road has been blocked off by the council before, but vehicles were allowed recently to use it again.
"I don't know why they can't block if off again. I just hope that this raises the seriousness of what is happening.
"My concern is really for the horse who is quite old and the trauma he had to go through."
An Essex County Council spokesman said: "Essex Highways are sorry to hear about the rider and her horse. A Highways inspector will visit the site to assess the defects. If they meet the criteria for a repair they will be fixed."
