Ms K sustained abdominal injuries when a horse she was caring for on behalf of a friend kicked her. We brought a claim against the horse owners in negligence and under section 2 of the Animals Act 1971 for damages. It was argued that despite Ms K being experienced in looking after horses, and had looked after this particular horse before, she was not informed of a recent change to the horse's routine that resulted in the horse behaving aggressively and unpredictably when she attempted to lead it through a field to a further grazing paddock. Ms K made a full physical recovery and we negotiated damages in the sum of £25,000 plus costs.
We represented Ms C in a claim brought against her in relation to the behaviour of her pony. The claim was brought by a 5 year old girl for compensation for injury from a bite. It was claimed that the pony was not tethered as it should have been in a field owned by the Local Authority through which there was a public footpath. The girl's mother claimed that the pony approached the girl and bit her between the shoulder blades, picked her up and threw her to the ground causing injury. Ms C did not have third party liability insurance and instructed us to defend her. The case went to trial and was successfully defended so that Ms C was awarded costs and her pony's name was cleared!
Ms O instructed us to bring a claim for veterinary negligence following her purchase of a horse for show jumping. She had organised a full pre-purchase five stage vetting by an experienced equestrian vet to be carried out prior to her buying the horse. This vet initially found that the horse's teeth needed some attention and that the horse had a sore back and should have some treatment. Approximately 2 weeks later the vet re-examined the horse and passed it fit for show jumping. Ms O purchased the horse relying on this advice. Unfortunately the horse had a longstanding back problem so it would never be suitable for show jumping. We successfully argued that the vetting was negligent and negotiated a settlement with the vet's professional insurer.