A HORSE rider was killed after being hit by a van while she was out on a morning ride.

Jane Mitchinson, 63, of The Close, Brentwood, was on her horse with a friend in Ashwells Road, Pilgrim Hatch, when a white Toyota van collided with them at 9.50am on Sunday.

Ms Mitchinson, who was secretary of the Brentwood and District Talking Newspaper, was thrown from her horse into a nearby ditch by the collision.

Roads had to closed in the area while rescue services attended the scene but despite their best efforts, paramedics and a doctor from Essex Air Ambulance pronounced Ms Mitchinson dead at the scene.

Along with the inuries sustained by the fall, Ms Mitchinson also suffered a cardiac arrest which was believed to have been caused from chest injuries from the incident.

The other rider, a Brentwood man, was thrown off his saddle and treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to Queens Hospital, in Romford, with minor injuries.

Both horses were also flung into the ditch with one dying at the scene while the other had to be put down later on because of it’s injuries.

The 51-year-old driver of the van was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on bail until March 19 while enquiries continue.

Ms Mitchinson, who also volunteered with the Brentwood University of the Third Age, leaves a partner and a daughter – tributes have poured in to her from members of the Brentwood community.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is being urged to contact the Chigwell road policing team on 0300 3334444.