I WAS astonished last Sunday morning to see a horse rider, one of a party of four trotting along the A684 through Moreton-on-Swale, engaged in a conversation on her mobile phone.

The road was busy and the horses appeared to be quite frisky yet this rider clearly considered it acceptable to be using her phone while riding. I have never ridden a horse in my life yet I would have thought it important to have both hands on the reins to remain in full control, especially when riding on a public highway.

Horseriders have a duty to act responsibly when using the highway – it seems to me that using a mobile phone when riding is highly dangerous both to themselves and to other road-users.

The law on using mobile phones while driving a motor vehicle is very clear. I wonder if the same law applies to horse riders and if not, then surely it should.

John Warren, Aldfield, Ripon