SIR,
I read Heather Dixon's letter in last week's Beacon (12th May), but confess to being puzzled as to the purpose of it.
Despite having been told by the organisers of the Forest of Dean Spring Challenge that this was not a cycle race, she still uses the word twice in her diatribe.
To put the record straight, this annual event started at 8am on Sunday 2nd May with groups of less than ten riders leaving Monmouth at 30 second intervals.
The last of the 560 entrants set off at approximately 10.30am, aiming to cover the 85 mile course, which has 8,000 feet of climbing in it. Hence the challenge.
Prior to reaching The Narth, they had to climb the hill between Monmouth and Penallt, which would have spread them out even further.
Ms Dixon claims that her horses were spooked by the sheer number of riders passing by and that they "drove", and later "chased" them to the village.
In fact, when looking through the gallery of photographs taken by an independent photographer, the maximum number of riders in any one shot is eight.
These cyclists, who came from as far as Cambridgeshire, London, Derbyshire and Hampshire all wear shoes with a solid sole, which makes it difficult to walk, let alone try to run and catch a bolting horse.
The only recourse they have therefore is to get away from it.
I am sorry she feels that in some way the cyclists caused the horses to injure themselves.
However, I would point out that it is the responsibility of all livestock owners to ensure that animals are kept in a secure area.
It is very fortunate that her horses did not cause anyone any injury.
Glynn Davies
(Bridge Cycles,
Monmouth)