Shocking dashcam footage showed the moment an 11-year-old horse rider and her sister were almost mown down by car in Wanborough.

Izzy Wykeham-Martin was on eight-year-old Sully while big sister Niamh walked beside her on Callas Hill, shortly before 6pm last Wednesday, when they heard a squeal of brakes and a BMW convertible hurtled past on the opposite verge after overtaking another car waiting to pass the pair.

The terrified pony tried to bolt with Izzy but Niamh managed to hang on. The frightening incident was caught on driver Matthew Lane's dashcam.

Niamh said: “We were heading back to the yard, there must’ve been maybe five cars that had passed really nicely and safely, and then all of a sudden we just hear this really loud squealing.".

“Then we saw this BMW on the verge swerving to avoid us. My main concern at that point was making sure my sister was okay and able to keep out the way.”

The teenager from Upper Stratton said: “It was a nerve wracking situation, it didn’t really hit me how scary it was until everything had calmed down.”

“Sully heard the squealing before he saw anything and all of a sudden this car comes past him really fast, his first instinct was to get away, run.

“Both my sister and I were very shaken up, she had to get off the horse and go in the car as she wasn’t able to get back on. She has anxiety and this wasn’t very good for her, it took her at least an hour to calm down.

"I couldn’t stop myself from shaking afterwards and even the horse was very worried and very reactive to cars from that point.”

Matthew had slowed behind and was waiting patiently to pass when the BMW swerved round his vehicle.

“If we didn’t have Matthew behind us, it would’ve hit us, we’re very lucky” Niamh added.

Matthew, who witnessed the whole thing, has told The Adver more should be done to protect, not just horseriders, but pedestrians and cyclists that also use country roads.

“I was behind the horse, about eight cars in a row had gone past it sensibly, then there was this tyre squealing and all I could see was smoke.It looked like an F1 car was behind me,” said the 23-year-old.

“The driver was slamming on their brakes. It definitely seemed like they were going too fast. It could’ve been a lot worse, they might have gone straight into them all.”

“There was a lack of respect for roads and road users – anything could’ve been happening, it didn’t have to be a horse, they had no control of the car and no control of the speed they were going

.”

Niamh added that using public roads to get to bridleways was unavoidable and that she has encountered several similar incidents in the past. “There are so many people that are really nice and respectful but the ones that aren’t counteract that and we’ve had quite a few close calls along that road. Its dangerous for the driver as well. No-one wants a horse through their windscreen.

“It’s a lot safer if you just pass slowly and leave space. You save more time than if you were to have an accident.”

Since the incident Izzy, who has been riding for two years, has been too scared to get back in the saddle.

A Wiltshire Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of the incident which occurred on Wanborough Road at approximately 6pm on September 22 after it was reported to us later the same day.

“We are investigating the incident and will keep those involved updated as the investigation progresses.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to remind people that country roads and lanes have a high proportion of slow-moving traffic, including animals.

“We all need to share the highways and have respect for each other. This means thinking about those who might be more vulnerable than you and altering your speed accordingly.”

More than 1,000 road incidents involving horses were reported to the British Horse Society between February 2020 and this year - 130 people were hurt, 46 horses died and 118 were injured.

Some 80 per cent of incidents happened because vehicles passed too close and 43 per cent because they went by too quickly.