Man dies after fall while out with the North Staffordshire hunt

Mike Slater, 49, has died from injuries sustained in a hunting fall last weekend.

He was airlifted to hospital last Saturday, 2 February, after sustaining spinal injuries when falling from his horse.

At the time, Mr Slater was following the North Staffordshire hunt, of which he was a member. The hunt was following an artificial scent near Norton-in-Hales, Shropshire, at the time of the accident.

Mr Slater, from Aston near Market Drayton, died on Wednesday from complications following his fall.

“Mike’s death is absolutely heartbreaking,” said his wife, Debbie. “But he would have wanted us to stay as positive as possible, to celebrate his life rather than mourn the loss.”

The couple ran a livery yard near Market Drayton called Aston Manor Liveries.

Mrs Slater added: “He always had a positive approach to life and his favourite saying was to ‘kick-on’ if things ever got tough.”

As well as his wife, Mike leaves a son, Richard, from his first marriage, his mother, Beryl, brother, Denis, and sister, Jane.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been confirmed but H&H understands that plans for his own horses, together with hounds from the North Staffordshire, will be present.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now