Horse Riding Injury Case Study

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£20,000 For Lack of Correct Tuition  

David Healey, a specialist Equine Solicitor with Carter & Carter Solicitors, said about this Horse Riding Injury Claim:

Circumstances of the Accident

Our client who was a young girl who had paid a Stables to teach her how to horse ride.  She was a beginner with little experience but after just a couple of lessons was encouraged to canter without having been taught the basics resulting in her falling from the horse.

Horse riding accidents are notoriously difficult to run as the rider accepts an amount of risk for getting onto the horse in the first place.  The client was rejected by a number of Solicitors until I spoke to her and agreed to take her case on.

Liability and Blame

This case threw up a number of issues, not least, if you are riding a horse, isn’t it an accepted risk that you may fall off and be injured?

After careful analysis, we sent a detailed Letter of Claim to the Stables blaming them for some of the following reasons:

  • Failed to take into account that the Claimant was a total beginner when choosing an instructor and horse
  • Permitted an inexperienced and/or unqualified instructor to teach the Claimant
  • Permitted the lesson to go ahead without the instructor attaching a lunge line or lead rope to the horse so it could be controlled
  • Failed to properly or suitably supervise the lesson
  • Instructed the Claimant to ride a horse which was not a riding school pony/horse owned by the stables
  • Instructed the Claimant to ride a horse which was unsuitable given the Claimant’s lack of riding skill and experience
  • Failed to take heed of the Claimant’s verbal complaints mid lesson that the horse was frisky and skittish
  • Instructed the Claimant to canter when it was obviously unsafe to do so given her lack of skill, experience and competency
  • Failing to teach the Claimant how to trot properly and safely before instructing her to canter

The Stables refused to accept any blame for the accident despite what we saw as poor tuition.  The client fell from the horse after it cantered and picked up speed very quickly with the client unable to slow or stop it.  She fell from the horse and was badly injured as a result.

The Stables and their Instructor had a duty of care to teach our client properly but many of the basics were missed and she was treated as if she had more experience than she actually did.

Equestrian Expert Evidence

We arranged a conference with an Industry Leading Equestrian Expert who was able to tell us exactly what the Stables had done wrong and which backed up our opinion that there was an element of negligence which caused or contributed to the fall.

Conclusion

Despite the Stables refusing to accept any blame, we highlighted the weaknesses in their Defence and obtained a significant offer from them which our client accepted. 

Expertise and Understanding from Carter & Carter Solicitors

If you have had a Horse Riding Injury, get in touch with our Equine Solicitors on freephone 0800 652 0586 or click the “Free Enquiry” button for an immediate call back.

An Equine Law Solicitor will speak to you immediately, take the necessary information and tell you there and then whether your Horse Accident claim is likely to be successful.

Meeting Us

We are able to give you immediate legal representation, rehabilitation and treatment no matter where you are in England, Scotland or Wales. We also provide urgent:

  1. Home visits
  2. Hospital visits for those who are unable to meet us at home
  3. Face to face meeting at one of our private meeting rooms based in most UK cities

If you think that you have a Horse Accident Claim, would like to have a chat about a potential Horse Accident claim or require further information, contact us now.

because……if you don’t ask you’ll never know!