A RIDER and her horse had a lucky escape when they were sucked into a patch of quicksand while out for a Christmas gallop.
Liz Potter was out for a ride on her horse Clyde along with her partner and his horse in Carrigart, Co Donegal.
Ms Potter was crossing a stream after following her partner’s lead when she suddenly sank. The experienced horsewoman realised she was in deep trouble when she felt the sand suck her own feet into the ground.
“My horse just sank straight down into the sand and I didn’t know what was happening,” she said. “My feet were in the sand it happened so quickly.”
Ms Potter (33), from nearby Tirlaughlan, managed to get out of the sand, climb over her horse’s head and on to drier sand. However, she realised her animal was still in trouble as she turned around to see her horse sinking fast.
She continued to try to pull Clyde out of the sand, even snapping the bridle she was pulling so hard. “I could hear his breathing was heavy and I could see in his eyes he was so scared as he was sinking deeper and deeper.
“I was close to tears I was so scared. And then he suddenly stopped struggling. I became hysterical because I thought he had given up and was just going to go under the sand.”
Clyde eventually managed to get his front two feet out but collapsed exhausted with his head on the drier sand and his two back legs still in the quicksand. He then made one eventual lunge and managed to get out but again collapsed. However, he got to his feet a few minutes later.
Ms Potter said she was now afraid to go anywhere near the strand. She also wanted to warn others either out walking themselves or out with their pets to be aware of the quicksand.
She has posted a warning on her Facebook page to alert people of the dangers.
“I was lucky that I managed to get off Clyde and he is such a fit horse that he managed to get himself out, but I would hate to think what would have happened if it had been a child walking on the beach that day.”