A horse was severely injured and had to be destroyed after being spooked by motorcycles being operated illegally at Folsom Lake on Saturday, Jan. 3.

The horse was owned by Newcastle resident Jeri Sust.

According to Sust, she and Barbara Heyward, of Loomis, had trailered their horses to Sterling Point in Loomis and were riding on a Folsom Lake trail at approximately 12:30 p.m., when three unknown riders on “dirt bikes” frightened the horses.

Apparently, the horses bolted and both riders were thrown. Sust hit her head in the fall, which broke her helmet, and both women suffered bruises and possible bruised ribs.

Toby, Sust’s 4-year-old horse, suffered severe injuries to one of its legs and had to be euthanized by a veterinarian.

Richard Preston, supervising ranger at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area said, “We have a report in progress, we’re investigating and we’re working on a couple of leads.”

Preston said it is illegal to operate off road dirt bikes in any part of the park and said that lower lake levels have contributed to an increase in this type of activity.