Hero of the week

No, not George Alexander Louis Cambridge, third in line to the throne, who made his overdue and over-hyped entry onto the world stage but Christine McGrail from Manchester. Having been refused service at a McDonalds Drive-thru on account that she was on horseback she allowed her 9 year old daughter, Olivia, to enter the store as instructed by the staff, together with her pony, Minnie, while mum waited outside on her mount, Dancer.

Previously the couple had been served at the drive-thru though on this occasion they were informed that they were not allowed to queue up with the other cars. Minnie, who has a fondness for Mcflurrys duly did what horses do and the police were called.

9 out of 10 to the Store Manager for spotting that the presence of animals with so many cars in close proximity might pose a health and safety risk, 0 out of 10 for failing to recognise the health and safety concerns of bringing an animal inside the store. (then what is a pony among 100 or so hungry kids?)

It speaks volumes that the horse-riding community can see no issue with taking their steeds into a restaurant then they have a long history of flouting the law. The only participant to come out of this incident with any distinction is Minnie, who 'performed' admirably. The nutritional value of her droppings were probably higher that most of the dishes on the McDonalds menu.

Mrs. McGrail was fined £90 for the 'alarm and distress' caused to customers though I suspect that this was considerably less than that on Minnie coming face to face with her ancestors.