Horse riding and working with horses can be rewarding, but accidents involving horses can cause serious injuries. Riders, handlers, stable workers, spectators and children can all be affected.
Some horse-related accidents happen despite proper care being taken. Horses can be unpredictable and not every accident will lead to a claim. However, if your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, unsafe equipment, poor supervision, unsafe working conditions or a failure to manage risk properly, you may be able to claim compensation.
Havard Law Solicitors helps people injured in horse riding and equestrian accidents understand their options and pursue claims where there are grounds to do so.
What is a horse riding or equestrian injury claim?
A horse riding or equestrian injury claim is a personal injury claim brought after an accident involving a horse, riding school, equestrian centre, stable yard, event, road user or workplace.
Claims may involve falls from horses, injuries while handling horses on the ground, road accidents involving horses, defective tack or equipment, riding school accidents, workplace injuries in stables or yards, or accidents at equestrian events.
A claim may be brought against a riding school, instructor, yard owner, employer, event organiser, driver, equipment provider, insurer or another responsible party, depending on what happened.
Equestrian injury claims can be complex because the circumstances often need careful investigation. It may be necessary to consider the rider’s experience, the suitability of the horse, the condition of equipment, supervision, risk assessments, training, road user behaviour and whether reasonable steps were taken to prevent the accident.
When might you need help?
You may need advice if you were injured in a horse-related accident and believe someone else may have been at fault.
Common situations include a rider being given a horse that was unsuitable for their experience, poor supervision during a lesson or hack, faulty or badly fitted tack, a known issue with a horse’s behaviour, unsafe yard conditions, poor event safety, inadequate training at work, or a road user passing too fast or too close to a horse.
You may also need help if a child was injured at a riding school, equestrian centre or event. A parent or guardian can usually bring a claim on behalf of a child.
Horse-related injuries can include fractures, dislocations, soft tissue injuries, concussion, head injuries, spinal injuries, crush injuries, scarring, psychological trauma, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and loss of confidence.
Road accidents involving horses
Road accidents involving horses can happen where a driver passes too quickly, too closely, uses their horn, fails to slow down, or otherwise causes a horse to spook.
The Highway Code advises drivers to pass horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles at speeds under 10 mph and to allow at least 2 metres of space.
A claim may be possible if a driver failed to take reasonable care and that caused an accident or injury. There does not always need to be a direct collision. In some cases, a horse may be startled by a vehicle and the rider may be thrown or injured.
These claims can depend heavily on the evidence, including witness statements, dashcam footage, helmet camera footage, photographs, police reports and medical records.
Riding school and equestrian centre claims
Riding schools and equestrian centres have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to keep riders safe.
A claim may be possible where a rider was given an unsuitable horse, supervision was inadequate, the lesson was not properly managed, the arena was unsafe, equipment was defective, or known behavioural issues with a horse were not properly considered.
This does not mean every riding accident is someone else’s fault. The issue is whether reasonable care was taken in the circumstances.
Relevant factors may include the rider’s experience, what the riding school knew about the horse, whether the tack was inspected, whether safety instructions were given, and whether the session was properly supervised.
Stable, yard and workplace accidents
People can also be injured while handling horses on the ground. This may include grooming, leading, loading, turning out, mucking out or working in a stable, racing yard, livery yard or riding school.
Injuries can happen where someone is kicked, bitten, knocked over, crushed or injured because of unsafe working practices.
If the accident happened at work, a claim may involve employer’s liability. The issues may include training, supervision, safe systems of work, suitable equipment, staffing levels, risk assessments and whether known risks were managed properly.
What can compensation cover?
Compensation is intended to reflect the impact of the accident on your life.
A claim may include compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity, which means the physical and emotional impact of the injuries and the effect on daily life, work, hobbies, riding, independence and confidence.
A claim may also include financial losses. These can include lost earnings, future loss of income, treatment costs, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, counselling, travel expenses, medication, care provided by family members, damaged riding clothing, damaged tack and other related costs.
Where a horse has also been injured, there may be additional financial losses to consider, such as veterinary bills, transport, livery costs or loss of value. Whether these can be claimed will depend on the circumstances.
How Havard Law Solicitors can help
Havard Law Solicitors can review what happened and explain whether a claim may be possible.
We can help identify who may be responsible, gather evidence, contact insurers, arrange medical evidence, consider whether expert evidence is needed and calculate the losses caused by the accident.
Equestrian claims often need careful evidence gathering. Tack may be repaired or replaced, CCTV may be overwritten, witnesses may become harder to trace and memories can fade. Early advice can help preserve evidence.
Where needed, we can consider evidence from medical specialists, equestrian safety experts, accident reconstruction experts or veterinary experts.
We will explain the process clearly and keep you updated throughout. Many equestrian injury claims can be handled on a No Win, No Fee basis, and we will explain any funding arrangements before you decide whether to proceed.
Case study: serious injury after equipment failure
Havard Law Solicitors acted for an experienced rider who was injured during a professional training session at an equestrian centre.
The client was jumping when a piece of riding equipment failed. She was thrown from the horse and suffered significant injuries, including rib fractures, a spinal fracture, soft tissue injuries, bruising and swelling.
The injuries affected her ability to work and carry out everyday tasks. She also experienced stress and psychological distress following the accident.
The case was not straightforward. Liability was denied and the equestrian centre argued that the equipment had been maintained and inspected. The rider’s own responsibility was also raised as an issue.
A key difficulty was that the relevant piece of equipment was no longer available for inspection, having been disposed of after the accident. This made the evidence more complex and required careful review of the documents that were available.
The other side also relied on historic invoices for equipment purchases, but there was a dispute about whether those documents related to the equipment involved in the accident.
There was also a previous riding accident that had caused back injuries. The other side sought to rely on this when disputing the claim. Medical evidence was reviewed to distinguish the injuries from the two incidents and assess the impact of the later accident.
Independent medical evidence was obtained from an orthopaedic specialist, and further pain specialist input was recommended because of ongoing symptoms and an uncertain longer-term prognosis.
Despite the difficulties, the claim was progressed successfully. The equestrian centre’s accident report confirmed that the equipment had failed, which was important evidence in the claim.
The matter was ultimately resolved by settlement.
This case shows why equestrian injury claims often need careful evidence gathering, especially where liability is disputed, equipment has failed or there are arguments about previous injuries.
Evidence that can help your equestrian injury claim
The evidence needed will depend on the type of accident.
Helpful evidence may include photographs of the scene, photographs of injuries, photographs of equipment, accident reports, riding school records, lesson booking details, witness details, CCTV, helmet camera footage, dashcam footage, police reports, medical records, veterinary records, employment records, risk assessments, inspection documents and correspondence with the riding school, yard, event organiser, driver or insurer.
If equipment failed, it is important to preserve it where possible. This may include tack, stirrup leathers, girths, reins, saddles, hats or other equipment involved in the accident.
It is also useful to keep a record of symptoms, treatment, time off work, lost earnings, travel costs, care needs and any impact on riding, work or day-to-day life.
Do not worry if you do not have all the evidence at the start. Havard Law Solicitors can explain what may be needed and what can still be obtained.
Speak to our equestrian injury claims team
If you or a family member has been injured in a horse riding or equestrian accident, it is sensible to get advice early.
To speak to Havard Law Solicitors, call 0151 556 1234 or email info@havardlaw.co.uk with a short summary of what happened, when and where the accident took place, who was involved and what evidence you already have.
A member of the team can review the information and explain the next steps in clear, practical terms.
Helpful evidence may include photographs, videos, accident reports, witness details, CCTV, helmet camera footage, dashcam footage, medical records, riding school records, equipment records, employment records, risk assessments, veterinary records and correspondence with insurers or other parties.
If tack or equipment failed, it is important to preserve it where possible and avoid repairing, disposing of or replacing it before advice has been taken.
Evidence can become harder to obtain over time, so early advice can be important.
Havard Law Solicitors can explain what evidence may be needed in your case.
Many equestrian injury claims can be handled on a No Win, No Fee basis.
This means you will not usually pay legal fees upfront. The exact funding arrangement will be explained clearly before you decide whether to proceed.
Funding can depend on the type of claim, the evidence, the likely value of the case and whether the claim has reasonable prospects of success.
Havard Law Solicitors can discuss the available options with you at the start.
Most personal injury claims settle without a final court hearing.
Court proceedings may be needed if responsibility is disputed, the other side will not engage, or a fair settlement cannot be reached.
Starting court proceedings does not always mean there will be a trial. Many claims still settle before that stage.
Havard Law Solicitors can explain the process and support you at each stage.
The timescale will depend on the complexity of the claim.
Straightforward claims may resolve within several months if responsibility is accepted, the injuries are clear and the losses can be agreed.
More complex claims may take longer. This can happen where liability is disputed, expert evidence is needed, injuries are ongoing, the long-term outlook is uncertain, or more than one party may be involved.
Havard Law Solicitors will keep you updated throughout and explain likely timescales as the evidence develops.
There may still be options if the responsible party was uninsured, but the position will depend on the circumstances.
If a road accident involved an uninsured or untraced driver, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau may need to be considered.
If the claim involves a riding school, employer, event organiser, yard or other party, it may be necessary to investigate what insurance is available and whether any other party may be responsible.
Havard Law Solicitors can review the facts and explain what routes may be available.
A claim may be possible if a riding school failed to take reasonable care and this caused your injury.
Examples may include being given an unsuitable horse, poor supervision, unsafe instruction, overcrowding, faulty equipment, badly fitted tack or failure to manage a known risk.
The fact that a fall happened at a riding school does not automatically mean there is a claim. It will depend on what happened, what the riding school knew, what steps were taken and whether the accident could reasonably have been avoided.
Havard Law Solicitors can review the facts and advise whether a claim may be possible.
A claim may be possible if a driver failed to take reasonable care around a horse and this caused an accident or injury.
There does not always need to be a direct collision. If a driver passed too fast, too close, used their horn or behaved in a way that caused the horse to spook, the rider may still have a claim.
Evidence can be important. This may include witness statements, dashcam footage, helmet camera footage, photographs, police reports and medical records.
Havard Law Solicitors can review what happened and explain whether a claim may be possible.
Not every claim needs to involve a catastrophic injury, but the injury and impact must justify pursuing the claim.
Horse riding and equestrian claims can involve a wide range of injuries, including fractures, soft tissue injuries, head injuries, spinal injuries, scarring, crush injuries and psychological trauma.
Havard Law Solicitors can review the injury, the circumstances of the accident and the likely value of the claim, and give you an honest view on whether it is worth pursuing.
You may still be able to claim even if you were partly responsible for the accident.
Equestrian claims can involve arguments about shared responsibility. For example, the other side may argue that the rider’s experience, decisions, safety equipment or handling of the horse contributed to the accident.
If responsibility is shared, compensation may be reduced to reflect your share of fault. This does not automatically mean the claim cannot proceed.
Havard Law Solicitors can review the evidence and give you an honest view of your position.
In many personal injury claims, the usual time limit is three years from the date of the accident.
For children, the three year period usually does not start until their 18th birthday. This means they generally have until their 21st birthday to start a claim. A parent or guardian can usually bring a claim on the child’s behalf before then.
Different rules can apply in some cases, including claims involving people who lack mental capacity or cases where the date of knowledge is disputed.
It is sensible to seek advice as early as possible so evidence can be preserved.
