Yes. If your loved one died due to a horse-riding accident caused by someone else’s negligence or under the Animals Act 1971, you can make a fatal injury claim on their behalf. Typically, you have three years from the date of death to begin the claim.

To start a claim, contact our experienced Equine Injury team for a free consultation. They will:

• Assess your case and advise if you have a valid claim

• Help gather necessary evidence like medical reports, witness statements, and accident records

• Handle communication with insurers and liable parties

• Work on a No Win, No Fee basis to reduce your financial risk

It’s important to act quickly because you usually have three years from the injury date to start your claim.

Compensation depends on many factors including:

• The type and severity of your injuries (e.g. fractures, head injuries, psychological trauma)

• The impact on your ability to work and daily life

• Medical costs and rehabilitation needs

• Pain, suffering, and emotional distress

Only a specialist solicitor can accurately estimate your compensation after reviewing your case details

Signing a waiver does not necessarily prevent you from claiming compensation. Waivers cannot exclude liability for negligence. If your injury was caused by the riding school’s failure to provide safe equipment, supervision, or horses, you may still have a claim.

If you are partially at fault, you may still claim compensation. The amount awarded may be reduced in proportion to your share of responsibility (known as “contributory negligence”).

Under the Animals Act 1971, owners or keepers of animals can be held strictly liable for injuries caused by their animals if they knew or should have known the animal was dangerous.

Yes. Claims can be made if the horse has behavioural issues or pre-existing characteristics that the owner knew about. This includes accidents caused by spooked horses or known dangerous behaviour.

We handle a wide range of equine claims, including:

• Injuries caused by actions of the instructor/coach e.g. inappropriate use of the whip incidents

• Injuries caused by falls at competition or training events e.g. if a cross-country fence is not correctly fixed, causing the horse to fall

• Road traffic accidents whilst hacking or leading horses on the road caused by negligent road users causing the horse to be spooked or fall e.g. ambulance approaching too fast on country lanes or car drivers passing too close

• Horse box collisions and liability caused by drivers of horse boxes

• Accidents at work involving horses or working with horses

• Negligence by local authorities, such as ineffective maintenance of bridleway gates, paths and bridges (e.g. Welsh Council case)

• Veterinary negligence claims related to equine care

• Injuries caused by defective premises

For loss of horse value and pure financial loss claims, we generally focus on claims involving horses valued above £10,000 or where the total claim value exceeds £10,000 to ensure cases have sufficient compensation potential.

Key evidence includes:

• Medical records and injury reports

• Photographs of injuries and accident scenes

• Witness statements

• Police or incident reports

• Records of lost earnings and expenses

• Expert evidence from a veterinary practitioner

• Report from an equestrian expert

Gathering strong evidence improves your chances of a successful claim.