Rider hit on head by piece of raw chicken

Aren't riding hats fantastic? They help to minimise injury in the event of a fall, keep wearers comfortable in all manner of weather conditions, and provide protection against flying bits of chicken.

Ok, I will admit, the above section will probably not appear in its entirety on a helmet's accompanying safety documentation, but one American rider was recently protected from harm when she was hit on the head by a foot-long piece of raw chicken.

The teenager, who was in the middle of a riding lesson at the time, was wandering around Assawoman in Virginia when three chunks of poultry fell out of the sky. She was hit by the smallest piece and fortunately escaped unharmed – but who or what was behind this unusual incident?

One solution could involve a meat processing plant which is located near where the impact occurred, but managers at the site deny any responsibility. Instead, a bird expert from the Center for Conversation Biology at the College of William and Mary told journalists that seagulls were most likely involved, stating these animals have been known to carry pieces of chicken.

Although an environmental agency will be conducting an investigation into the incident, I think ‘fowl play' is probably the most likely cause.

Reportedly, on the same day, the riding instructor witnessed a couple of other uncommon events, such as a horse bolting with a student and another failing to make a jump. "It was a weird night," she stated.

Seems like an understatement to me...

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Photo © MaryTClark via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence