By Callum Ludwig
Another hoon driver has wreaked havoc in the Upper Yarra, distressing a small group of horse riders on Saturday 23 April at about 5pm on Thonemans Rd in Hoddles Creek.
Jess Rayner, an experienced horse rider, was taking her partner Matty and his mother Lyn down the quiet, dirt road on their horses when a hoon allegedly came flying from behind them, speeding up instead of slowing down to pass.
Ms Rayner said they tried to rush off the road to avoid the driver.
“He drove up, almost hit me on my horse, and then jammed his way through between my partner and his mum which was really scary,” she said.
“His music was turned up really loud and he could see the horses were in distress. He just started yelling abuse, saying we and our horses shouldn’t be on the road, and we shouldn’t be allowed to ride.”
Ms Rayner’s partner and his mother are relatively new riders, and she was on a recently-rescued thoroughbred racehorse who had little formal training.
Ms Rayner said her horse went into a panic when the driver’s behaviour escalated.
“He did a burnout, revving the car a lot, causing my horse to freak out. My horse kicked my partner’s mother and her horse, injuring them both,” she said.
“He made it very clear to us he was doing it on purpose, he thought it was funny, watching us struggle and watching the horses be scared. I found out from my Facebook post he had done it to others before.”
Ms Rayner said Yarra Junction Police have been very helpful when she reported the incident.
“Yarra Junction Police have been fantastic honestly, really, really great,” she said.
It’s believed the driver had previously been charged for a similar offence.
Lyn, in her late 60’s, sustained a kick to her leg from the horse which has bruised and caused her a lot of soreness and said she has had trouble with daily tasks.
The horse she was riding, Teddy, also had one of its back legs kicked, which has swollen up and made movement difficult for the old horse.
The horse ridden by Ms Rayner is also suffering from soreness from its fright, with the ordeal costing Ms Rayner about $650 in vet bills and new horseshoes for each horse respectively.
Astute Facebook users noted the driver was driving a relatively rare silver Mitsubishi CH Lancer 2004-2007 model. These features helped police identify the alleged repeat offender.
The incident occurs after Yarra Junction police signalled their desire to crackdown on hoon incidents in the area, following two incidents in mid to late March believed to have been encouraged by and competitive among other drivers in the area.
