Compensation For Horse Riding School Injury

Nelsons has successfully recovered compensation for a client following an injury at a riding school.

Our client was taking beginners’ horse riding lessons at a local riding school. She was an inexperienced rider and her first two lessons involved basic walking and trotting. The next lesson involved her first canter, which went badly and she nearly fell off the horse.

The claimant had already booked a group ride around a local nature reserve the following week. After the lesson, she was anxious about taking part, but decided to go ahead.

The ride was led by an instructor plus one escort and involved eight other riders. The claimant was allocated a new horse but wasn’t observed on the horse at the stables before the ride.

The riding instructor gave inappropriate advice

The ride started well with walking and trotting through the woods, although the claimant was anxious as she had difficulty controlling the horse. The group then reached a long, grassy hill which the claimant was instructed to gallop up. The path was uneven and in places narrow with a steep drop to one side. The claimant had not galloped before and expressed her concern to the instructor. The instructor told her that if she held onto the saddle she would be fine and that she would send another rider along with her.

The claimant followed the other rider up the hill, letting go of the reins to hold the saddle as advised. This meant she had no control of the horse, which was following the horse in front at speed. She became unbalanced and shouted to the rider ahead to stop, however, the rider did not respond.

The horse moved close to the steep drop and lurched to one side. The claimant fell off the horse, hitting the ground hard and landing heavily on her arm and back, which was extremely painful. The area was difficult for an ambulance to reach, so the claimant felt she had little choice but to get back on the horse to return. At the stables, the instructors didn’t offer her any assistance so she dismounted on her own and drove home with some difficulty.

Fall results in a hospital visit

The claimant was in considerable pain which had worsened by the evening. During the night her husband called an ambulance and she was taken to hospital. She had suffered severe bruising and a gash on her right arm and had severe back pain. Due to her injuries, she could not drive for six weeks and needed care and assistance at home. Her work was affected. She paid for some chiropractic treatment and slowly improved, but she has been left with a permanent lump on her back as a result of the fall.

Nelsons instructed to pursue an injury claim against the horse riding school

The claimant did not initially take legal action. However, she was upset about how the riding school had treated her so consulted Nelsons to investigate a claim.

We served a letter of claim upon the riding school, however, the school denied liability and court proceedings were commenced. We argued that given the claimant’s inexperience, it was not appropriate for her to canter or gallop on uneven ground, and she should have been assessed at the school before the ride. Moreover, she should not have been told to hold the saddle as she then let go of the reins and could not stop the horse, and she should have been accompanied by the instructor or escort who could assist her.

The riding school stated that riding is a risky sport and that the horse had tripped, which could happen to even experienced riders. Both parties instructed equestrian experts and gathered witness statements.

At trial, the Judge accepted the claimant’s evidence and she won the case. He agreed that given the claimant’s inexperience, it was not appropriate for her to canter or gallop up the hill and that she had not been properly advised or escorted. The claimant was therefore awarded £5,500 compensation for her injuries.