A rider from Surrey has been awarded £4,506 in compensation after being injured on a hack.
David Moore was on his way back from a ride on 29 December 2013, in single file on a country lane riding an eight-year-old ex-racehorse, Mithian.
He noticed an approaching car slowing to pass them.
As the passing car moved alongside the riders, he heard a loud screeching of tyres behind him. He looked behind to see a car skidding towards them. The car collided with the horse’s hindlegs. Mr Moore managed to stay in the saddle, however the force of the collision set off his air jacket. Both horse and rider sustained injuries in the crash.
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“The car came sweeping round the bend,” Mr Moore told H&H. “The driver said the sun was in her eyes and she skidded.
“The car went under the back legs of my horse. He was hopping lame and I thought he’d broken his leg, but luckily after about 10 minutes he put weight on it.”
The horse suffered a damaged tendon and was off work for eight weeks. Mr Moore suffered neck and shoulder injuries after being “launched forward” in the saddle.
At a hearing on 6 October he was awarded damages of more than £4,500 to assist with the care of his horse.
“He’s such a genuine horse,” added Mr Moore. “He’s done some hunting and competes at BE90 with my wife. I’m more wary of traffic now – it’s knocked my confidence more than his and I’d think twice about going on busy roads.”
A spokesman for HorseSolicitor, who defended Mr Moore said: “Despite the early admission of liability by the other party, it was necessary to commence court proceedings to ensure that our client received the amount of compensation to which he was entitled for his injuries and financial losses.”
Ref: H&H 16 December, 2015
