A horse and rider are recovering from minor injuries after an accident at a popular family attraction on Saturday.
The incident happened around noon at Maplewood Farm when the saddle came loose and slipped under the horse, causing the rider to fall to the ground.
"A young, relatively new employee rode a new animal on her lunch break," said Derek Palmer, Maplewood Farm manager. He said the horse, which was in an enclosed area, jumped the fence and ran back to the barn.
Palmer said he is still in the process of investigating the incident, but employees handled it very well. Visitors were a little scared, he said, but to his knowledge there were no close calls.
"Fortunately it was much slower for a Saturday."
He said the farm has never had something like this happen before and it "will never happen again. It shouldn't have happened during open hours," said Palmer.
The rider is in recovery from a slight concussion and Palmer said he has spoken to her every day since the accident occurred. As for the horse, he said it has minor abrasions on its rear feet, but it is "out and about, walking around."
Maplewood Farm is a two-hectare former dairy farm, located not far from Mount Seymour Parkway in the District of North Vancouver. It opened to the public in 1975 and houses more than 200 domestic animals and birds.
