Inquest held into death of 27-year-old rider
A woman has died following a fall from her horse during a riding lesson.
Mair Schmeinck, of Welshpool, died on 25 October 2015. An inquest into her death was held in Shrewsbury last week (20 January).
“The deceased was riding a horse at the Isle Estate Livery Yard, Shrewsbury, when she shouted ‘head rush’ and fell from her horse sustaining fatal injuries,” a spokesman for Shropshire Coroner’s Office told H&H today (Monday, 25 January).
“She was taken to and confirmed dead at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital later that day.”
The inquest was heard by John Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
He concluded that Ms Schmeinck died from injuries following a fall from her horse following a cardiac arrhythmia.
The 27-year-old was reportedly a keen and experienced rider.
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Her competition records show that she had taken part in numerous affiliated dressage competitions and had won at novice level on multiple occasions.
A cardiac arrhythmia is an abnormality of the heart’s rhythm, which means it may beat too slowly, too quickly or irregularly.
The NHS website states that abnormalities in heart rhythm range from a minor inconvenience or discomfort to a potentially fatal problem.
Mr Ellery reportedly said that he would write to specialist cardiolagists and neurologists at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to see if lessons could be learned from Ms Schmeinck’s death.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.