You can bet this will not cause much of a stir.

Chester Chronicle 10th June 2005.

A Policewoman was killed instantly when she was thrown from her horse.

Amanda Stone, 32, died on Saturday doing the thing she loved most - riding her horse Joe on a cross country course.

It is believed she died instantly from a broken neck at Mitchells Equestrian Centre in Egerton Hall, Malpas.

Her mother Jenny is now trying to come terms with her loss - she learned of her death when a friend called with condolences.

She told me she was dead and I just screamed' said Jenny of Vicars Cross.

Firstly my deapest sympathy to this mother and the tragic loss of her lovely daughter.

I have been around the racing scene for nearly fifty years and raced the mountain for over twenty of them.

I also competed on some pretty impressive animals far more successfully for 21 years in every type of Equestrian discipline, team chasing, (now banned) hunter trials, eventing, showjumping, working hunter, dressage and did my fair share of hunting with five hunts, also a bit of horse mounted film work such as "First Knight" the King Arthur film made in North Wales with Connery and Gere, now that was really frightening and dangerous with one horse dead. .

I defy anyone to produce any facts or figures that show that racing on the T.T course comes any where near as deadly or dangerous as just being around and riding horses, never mind competing in the more difficult disciplines.

I have been round the Egerton hall course and is like a ride in the park and nothing to difficult, but horses have a mind of their own and make mistakes at jumps particularly if the rider hesitates, or is nervous and not really going forward with the horse.

The crazy thing about competing horses is that anyone, even if they have never sat on an animal in the their lives can enter any competition without any knowledge, experience, ability or training there is no licensing or grading of ability of any kind.

The definite hard fact is that you are far more likely to be seriously or fatally injured competing on horses than on motor cycles, even on the road circuits.

But nothing is ever said about the dangers of Equestrian Sport even though many of those victims should never be allowed to compete through lack of ability and experience of both horse and rider.

I have known far more people fatally injured on horses than motor cycles, and many of them were as capable, experience and competent as any one can be.

"Amanda died on Saturday doing the thing she loved most - riding her horse Joe on a cross - country course".

That's okay then.

Just as long as she was not racing a motor cycle in the T.T. or the MGP it's acceptable.