A woman who suffered a blemished left buttock in a fall from a horse at a holiday riding centre has been awarded €52,000 (£46,000) compensation by the Irish High Court.
Jacqueline Whelan sued Castle Leslie Equestrian Holidays Ltd, which owns Castle Leslie, Co Monaghan, over her accident, which took place on 13 February 2016.
As reported in the Irish Examiner, Irish Independent and Irish Times, Ms Whelan, a 45-year-old from Ballyhays, Co Kildare, was on a weekend break at the centre when the horse she was riding was spooked by a dog and reared, which led to her fall.
Mr Justice Anthony Barr said she was knocked unconscious for a short time and had pain in her lower back after the fall. He said the main area of concern was extensive bruising, which became infected, and that she developed a blister.
The judge accepted Ms Whelan’s evidence, that she experienced considerable pain and discomfort after the fall.
She claimed there had been a failure to put her on a quiet and reliable enough horse, taking into consideration her level of inexperience, and failure to ensure the riding was in an area or on a route where it was unlikely the horses would be spooked, by dogs or other causes.
She also claimed there had been a failure to give her an approved body protector and ensure she was wearing it during the ride.
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The judge said the accident left Ms Whelan with three blemished areas on her left buttock and that although they are not serious cosmetically, she has to live with them for the rest of her life.
Castle Leslie declined to comment when approached by H&H.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
