Yorkshire trainer’s anger after Chinook flies ‘50ft above horses’

Ann Duffield says it is “a miracle” that no one was killed after claiming that a Chinook pilot showed no regard for the safety of those horses and riders on the ground who included her husband George, a St Leger-winning rider, and former champion apprentice Jimmy Bleasdale.

As well as breaching an informal “no fly zone” imposed above Mrs Duffield’s Constable Burton stables, near Leyburn, after similar incidents several years ago, she said that it required exceptional riding to prevent the horses bolting onto nearby roads.

The trainer was last night contacting her MP, Foreign Secretary William Hague, after the Ministry of Defence said its primary duty was to prepare fighter pilots for combat missions.

“It would be preferable if low flying could be conducted without disturbance to those on the ground,” added the MoD spokesman who could not confirm whether the Chinook had taken off from a Yorkshire air base.

“This is not always possible. We have a responsibility to ensure that military aircrews are fully trained and prepared for operational duty, but in meeting this requirement we will continue to do all we can to minimise disturbance.”

However, an incandescent Mrs Duffield said the MoD had failed to learn the lessons from the death of Heather Bell, 38, who was thrown from her horse in Middle Rasen, Lincolnshire, when a Chinook passed overhead in June 2003.

She was wearing protective gear but died from severe head injuries. An inquest recommended the MoD and RAF made more use of simulators for training – a call backed by Mrs Duffield following Friday’s drama.

“We could have easily been mourning the death or serious injury of one of us, or that of a horse or two,” said Mrs Duffield whose owners include Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp and entrepreneur Sir Robert Ogden.

Both she and her husband were both on horseback and became perturbed when the approaching Chinook did not alter course. The noise of a slow-moving Chinnok’s blades, she said, are far more disturbing to a horse than a Tornado that has passed within an instant.

Though Mrs Duffield accepts that only local pilots are fully aware of flying restrictions, she could not believe her eyes when the pilot started following the eight horses being trained at the time, and who were in two groups.

The noise, said the handler, prompted Whispering Spirit “to jam the anchors on” before trying to bolt. “All the horses panicked. The first bunch by now were out on the lane with their jockeys hanging on to neckstraps for dear life,” she explained.

“Worse was to come. As the last horses were panicking, the helicopter flew perilously close to the roof of the farmhouse on the crossroads, just yards from the end of our gallops. So low was he that we all thought he was in serious trouble and going down. Circling right handed and dangerously low over the farm and barn conversions, he came back towards us.

“The noise was unbearable and both George and I lost the plot as he continued playing games with lives of horses and their riders. Doing what comes naturally when dealing with fools, we both gave him two fingers.”

Mrs Duffield accepts her actions were a mistake because the pilot completed another sortie, this time just 50ft above the horses.

“There can be no way in the world he didn’t see us,” added the trainer who says the presence of a hedge enabled riders to control their agitated mounts.

“The phone calls to the MoD resulted in nothing more than an attempt to placate, while the police said it was an MoD matter. However, if I had driven our car directly at someone, endangering life, they would take the matter more seriously.

“The MoD need to educate their pilots better to prevent any more deaths linked to poor flying practice.”

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