Staff report

A teen rider was alert and in stable condition Thursday after a Wednesday night incident in which his horse was killed on a busy Port Arthur thoroughfare.

Police Detective Mike Hebert said the rider was heading north on horseback in the 6200 block of West Port Arthur Road shortly before 7 p.m. when a northbound pickup truck collided with the animal’s back left hind quarter. Neither the rider nor the horse was wearing reflective clothing or gear, Hebert said.

The animal was killed immediately, police said.

Hebert said police got the call about the collision of truck and animal at 6:52 p.m. Initially, authorities feared the rider, who’d been thrown clear of the horse, had sustained serious injuries. A call was made for helicopter transport for the rider, but was later disregarded and the teen was taken to a nearby hospital .

“He didn’t appear to have major injuries,” Hebert said.

Neither the rider nor the driver, said to be in his early 60s, was immediately ticketed. An accident reconstruction team continued to investigate Thursday.

Hebert said the driver of the truck was not injured — he was traveling alone — although his truck had substantial damage.