CORRALES, N.M. — Certain road signs are up in Corrales for a reason – there’s a good chance you could come across a horse in your daily commute.

When you do, there’s a certain way you should act to keep everyone safe.

Mike Raupp knows horses. He’s the co-founder of Loving Thunder in Corrales, where he has trained horses for decades. He works with his wife, Twuana, providing horse therapy for people with mental and physical challenges.

A leisurely ride off their Corrales property is pretty normal. But last week, when they were riding in a group of six just blocks from Loving Thunder, Raupp said their ride was anything but normal.

“All I heard was a whirring, ‘woo woo woo,’ and all of a sudden, Twuana’s horse tucked his butt in,” said Raupp.

Raupp says three of the six horses got spooked as a biker whizzed past. His wife’s horse was spooked the worst.

“She went off on the right. He went down on his left. My horse went down, and I jumped off, and I went immediately to my wife, and she was face first in the dirt. The only thing that saved her nose and her face was wearing her helmet,” Raupp said.

Nancy Freshour was at the back of the pack on her horse, Aspen.

“He went by us before I could yell ‘Slow down!’ He had passed six horses,” said Freshour.

That’s too fast, Freshour said.

“He broke every rule in the books. And then when he saw what had happened, he kept on trucking,” Freshour said.

Twuana was in the dirt with at least five broken ribs.

“She can barely walk. She can’t use her right hand very well. She can’t even sign her own name,” said Raupp. “She’s going to be down for months and months and at $25,000 right now, just for the hospital and all that, is beyond imagination.”

Raupp says you should follow three simple steps when you see someone riding a horse:

• Stop
• Wait for a signal from the rider
• Move forward slowly

“You do not blow the doors off of somebody or blow the stirrups off of us and pass us like that, and hurt someone, a family member and almost kill them,” said Raupp. “This person needs to come forward and admit what you did.”

According to the chief of Corrales police, traffic laws do apply to bicyclists. That suspect could face reckless driving charges. It’s a misdemeanor with possible penalties of up to a $5,000 fine and 90 days in jail.