Horse rider died by misadventure, jury finds

A rider killed when her horse was spooked died from misadventure, an inquest jury has found.

Kent and Medway Coroner's Court heard Ewa Larsson, 59, suffered serious injuries when a barking dog spooked the horse she was leading and she was dragged and kicked near Deal, on 27 August last year.

Larsson died 47 days later in a London hospital after being airlifted for medical treatment, jurors were told.

The jury returned its conclusion after hearing evidence earlier from a health and safety report into the incident.

Larsson's partner, Nigel Anderson, described her as a "competent and confident rider" but said she had been thrown off by the same horse in the past.

He told the inquest Larsson loved animals, that going riding was "her escape", and that she had started riding with Cornilo Riding School in June 2023.

The court previously heard Larsson had come off her horse and was walking it back to the riding school when it was believed to have been spooked.

Dover District Council's initial health and safety report said the animal, called Davy, "moved from walk to trot and then canter".

It stated that Larsson, a hotel manager from Canterbury, was believed to have held onto the reins and was dragged along the country road.

She had been taking part in a paid, organised outing under the supervision of a competent riding instructor from the school, the court heard.

The council investigation found the risk of horses acting unpredictably cannot be eradicated but the riding school had put in place appropriate control measures.

It said the immediate response to the incident could have been improved as the instructor left the scene to collect the horses, leaving Larsson with people who did not have first aid training.

The jury heard Larsson had two incidents with Davy in the past, including a fall while ducking under branches.

The report said Larsson's family were concerned about her continuing to ride Davy but "she did not request a change of horse".

The court previously heard Davy was not going out on rides at present.

A police report read to the inquest found Larsson had not been wearing a body protector at the time.

The coroner ruled out issuing a prevention of future deaths report, saying she was satisfied with the council's health and safety report and the riding school's safety review.

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