Chris Meehan, the jockey who hit the headlines after being run over by an ambulance, rode out for the first time on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old conditional from County Down suffered a nasty fall at Merano racecourse in Italy at the start of July, receiving a kick to the face that knocked him unconscious and causing him to need 27 stitches to a gash along his jaw.

However, those injuries paled into insignificance as the ambulance that arrived on the scene to treat him reversed over his outstretched leg and came to rest while still on top of him.

Meehan, whose father has worked in the ambulance service in Northern Ireland for 30 years, returned to his homeland for surgery on his broken leg and facial injuries and could competitively return to the saddle by the end of the month.

He told the Telegraph: “I went over to Brian Hamilton, near Downpatrick – he was a trainer who helped me get started as a jockey – and he kindly let me come down and ride.

“It was great to sit up on a horse again, but I could never see myself doing anything else.

“I’m just taking it one day at a time. The break has healed but I still have a bit of ligament damage and it does cause me a bit of pain.

“Luckily, Cloughey Beach is near home and I’ve been down there exercising in the sea, as the salt water is good for injuries.

“The weight’s good and I’ll hopefully be back at the end of September or early October.

“I’ve had a couple of job offers but it’s undecided where I’ll go at the minute.”