MOD pays out over Chinook spook

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has paid over £200,000 in compensation in the past year to people injured when horses were spooked by military aircraft.

3 separate payouts — of £64,666, £45,000 and £36,995 — were to riders thrown when their horses had been spooked by a Chinook helicopter, a Tornado jet and a Hawk jet.

In another incident, the MOD paid more than £83,000 after a helicopter frightened a horse in Axminster, Devon, who knocked over a person, causing them head injuries.

An MOD spokesman told H&H: “Every effort is made to minimise disruption. But the MOD has a high level of commitments, which require demanding training within our low-flying area.”

This story was first published in H&H magazine (28 December, 2013)

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