(Original headline: 'SIGHTING OF BIG CAT LED TO ACCIDENT' )
A South Hams woman told today how a riding companion was injured when her horse was scared by a "big-cat" on the edge of Dartmoor.
Experienced riders Tanya Tregaskis and friend Melanie Marchant were heading towards Aish Ridge, near South Brent, at around noon on Monday, when their horses suddenly stopped.
Miss Tregaskis, who lives in Ugborough, near Ivybridge, said: "I suddenly saw a cat-like creature which was the height of a golden retriever, but longer than a dog.
"It was beige in colour with a round face and a tail which was turned up at the ends."
Miss Tregaskis said the horses were startled by the appearance of the cat-like animal and both riders were thrown off.
She said she fell on soft ground, but Miss Marchant landed on the road.
Miss Tregaskis said: "I saw Mel's face soaked in blood and I knew I had to get help. The horses continued to gallop off into the distance and I could only fear the worst."
Miss Marchant was taken to Derriford Hospital and was treated for facial injuries.
Miss Tregaskis admitted she had been sceptical about big cat stories in the past.
But she said: "It was definitely not a domestic cat. I've heard stories about big cats in the past and laughed it off as a load of rubbish, but this was definitely bigger than your average cat."
The riders' horses were later found three miles away near South Brent police station.
Plymouth-based Big Cats Society spokesman Danny Bamping said the animal had been spotted by several residents living in the western area of the South Hams.
He said: "From the description, it's a puma.
"There's been a lot of sightings recently in South Brent - our website is getting a lot of hits from people telling us about it.
"There's been a sighting in Noss Mayo and it's been seen towards Torquay.
"I don't know where it's come from, but it's the same cat - they can travel 25 miles a day."
Three children are also said to have spotted a "black" big cat near their home at Okehampton, West Devon, last Friday.
