A TRAGEDY was narrowly avoided at Dunster Country Fair, where a rider was thrown from her bolting horse towards a four-year-old girl.

Pictures have emerged this week showing the runaway animal ending up just inches short of the child, who was lying on a rug watching an equestrian event.

The black horse unseated its rider at the Minehead Harriers hunt meeting, before coming close to trampling the young girl, who escaped unhurt from the incident.

Her three-year-old sister had already left the adjacent pushchair beforehand.

Jennifer Thomas, fair director, said: “The committee of the Dunster Country Fair very much regret the unfortunate incident when a competitor fell from her horse and was thrown onto a parked car.

“No child was in the buggy when the incident occurred and no child was injured.

“Unfortunately when animals are involved, accidents do happen.”

Photographer Gilly Davidson witnessed the heart-in-mouth moment at the annual event on July 24 and said amazingly there seemed to be no injuries to the spectators, rider or horse.

She said: “I could see there could be problems when the horse started to go. It was just one of those things.

“It bolted towards the perimeter where the spectators were and threw the rider off. She went over its head and onto the bonnet of a parked Land Rover.

“But then she fell off into a pram next to the car. The horse was kicking and rearing just inches away from a child on the floor. The hooves were just a matter of inches from it.

“It all happened so quickly and was over in seconds.

“In the end there were no injuries but it was very, very close. It doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened.”

It is understood the owners of the Land Rover are making a claim against the organisers for damage to the car.