An investigation is to be held after a woman was injured by a runaway horse during the Barley Saturday parade in Cardigan – with one of the organisers questioning the behaviour of some of the crowd.

The popular Barley Saturday parade, through the streets of Cardigan, drew big crowds to the town, with people lining the streets as the parade passed through.

There was drama however when one of the horses in the parade broke free from its reins and ‘thundered’ up High Street and collided with a female spectator.

The spectator was taken to hospital and released later that day.

Speaking to the Cambrian News, Barley Saturday committee secretary Tudor Harries said: “What happened was that while one of the horses was running up the street, a group of girls screamed, making the horse shy away. The horse tripped up his handler, and then broke away.

“The horse ran into the horse in front, and the reins broke on that horse, so there were two horses running.

“A woman and her daughter were parading a donkey, and the runaway horse hit them

“We will be having an inquest in a few weeks’ time.

“I called the woman’s family and her daughter told me she had been released from hospital Saturday night.

“I think she had a bang on the head, she hit it on the tarmac. I don’t know whether she was knocked out, there’s different information going around about that.

“I spoke to the runaway horse’s handler and he said he was shaken and that his pride had been gutted. But he had a whisky that night to calm himself.

“We followed all the guidelines that were given to us by the council, we don’t want anybody to be hurt but when you handle horses or any animal, you run the risk.

“It’s the behaviour of some people in the crowd, it leaves a bit to be desired. One or two of them were holding their children over the barriers, which are there for their safety.

“My wife was a steward and she had to tell people to move back behind a barrier they had moved. She told them three times.”