John, a small paint pony struck and killed in an accident, lived at the Garrett’s farm near Big Mike’s Little Red Store in the historic Navesink section of Middletown.
Photo by Allison Perrine
MIDDLETOWN – An unfortunate accident led to the death of a small pony Oct. 14 in Middletown.
At 4:25 p.m. that Monday, Middletown police were dispatched to Monmouth Avenue near the intersection of Browns Dock Road for a reported accident. Vincent Esposito, a 39-year-old Middletown resident, was driving a truck and struck a paint pony named John.
The pony was kept comfortable until a veterinarian arrived to euthanize it.
The pony was owned by Middletown resident Liz Wyer and was kept at the Garrett’s farm, just down the road from Big Mike’s Little Red Store on Navesink Avenue in the historic Navesink section of Middletown. John the pony, along with two horses, broke through fencing at the farm that day and wandered down the narrow road, where John was ultimately hit by the vehicle. The two horses were not injured.
According to Middletown Police spokesman Lt. Paul Bailey, the driver was not injured. He was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the accident. Middletown Police were the only ones dispatched to the scene. And while Bailey said he has encountered animal crashes before, he could not recall the last time an accident involved a horse. No charges were brought against the driver.
The pony was trained to pull a cart and could sometimes be seen carting people from one place to another, according to neighbors. There are no shoulders or sidewalks on the narrow road where the pony was struck, just room for cars.
In 2012 a similar situation occured in the same general area. A pony named Belle broke loose from Navesink Stables on Kings Highway East, which has trails that lead out to the Whipporwill Valley Road area. Belle was ultimately found unharmed and was returned safely to her owner.
Sarah Paulson, assistant trainer and barn farm manager at Knightsbridge Farm Inc. on Whipporwill Valley Road, advised that if drivers come across horseback riders on the road they should always slow down. “They should have the same respect for a person on horseback as they do for a biker or runner,” she said. “They should always give that animal the right-of-way and wait for the rider to wave them by.”
Paulson said she has never encountered a car while on horseback but knows people who have. It can be a scary experience because horses panic, she said, and as “fight-or-flight animals” they will run wildly and blindly.
