A mother-of-two has died after being dragged along a country lane by a horse that bolted when it was spooked by barking dogs, an inquest has heard. Ewa Larsson, 59, suffered catastrophic injuries when the cob she was walking back to a riding school in Sutton, near Deal, Kent, became terrified and galloped off as she attempted to hold on.
Incident Details
It is believed that the dog breeder from Chilham may have been trampled or kicked while clinging to the horse's bridle. She was airlifted to hospital with massive internal injuries following the incident on August 27 last year. Despite surviving emergency surgery and briefly showing signs of recovery, she died on October 13 after developing organ failure and an infection.
The cob, named Davy, was later described by Ms Larsson's partner as unpredictable. Jurors heard she had previously been thrown from the same horse just weeks before. The inquest is being overseen by coroner Katrina Hepburn.
Witness Accounts
The court heard that Ms Larsson had been riding with experienced instructor Sally Deverill from Cornilo Riding School when she initially fell from the horse while out on a hack in a field. Ms Deverill said Ms Larsson got up straight away and laughed, appearing uninjured.
After moving onto the road, Ms Larsson tried unsuccessfully to remount Davy. She chose instead to walk the cob back to the riding school, with Ms Deverill preparing to mount her own horse, Eva. That was when dogs barking from a nearby garden in Beacon Hill caused panic.
"The horses shot off down the road to escape the dogs," Ms Deverill said. "As I got back on, I could see Ewa and Davy were moving sort of sideways down the road. The horse was trotting, and she was pulling strong enough that Davy's head was coming round. Then she tripped and fell. It looked like he cantered a few strides, then he cantered down the road and off the road. I think she did get dragged."
The instructor said Davy became terrified by the dogs and galloped away before later ending up loose in a nearby field. She said she did not see the horse trample or kick Ms Larsson.
Aftermath
After the incident, Ms Larsson remained conscious and complained of pain in her chest and right arm. Ms Deverill called the riding school managers, who contacted emergency services, while passers-by stopped to help.
Cornilo Riding owner Robert Hinks and a member of staff from the riding school also arrived at the scene. One member of the public, Hannah Stewart, told jurors: "As I approached Sally, I was trying to assess the situation and could see that someone had been thrown off. She was in the road. I wasn't asking questions about what happened, as it was about dealing with the situation. I was quite far away from Sally, but what I gathered is that [Ewa] had been dragged and possibly kicked."
Ms Stewart said Ms Larsson initially appeared stable. "She was a bit woozy," she said. "It was only later that day that I went on the village Facebook group and saw that there had been an air ambulance in the village. That was not the situation when I left."
Ms Deverill and the riding school staff member took the two horses back to the yard, while Mr Hinks stayed with Ms Larsson. The inquest heard she was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered extensive injuries and internal bleeding.
Partner's Testimony
Her partner, Nigel Anderson, said she suffered a cardiac arrest while being airlifted to hospital, with doctors warning him she may not survive as she was rushed into surgery. "She was in a coma at first but after a couple of weeks came out of the coma," he told jurors. "The surgeons said because she'd had a cardiac arrest in the air ambulance and in the middle of the night, she might have brain damage. She came around and started making some progress. She came off the ventilator and came off blood pressure medication."
However, he said Ms Larsson's condition deteriorated again and her organs began failing. "Probably around this time, she contracted an infection which was going into her body, and doctors were not able to stop the infection, which ultimately took her life," he said.
Mr Anderson described his partner as an animal lover who had taken up riding as a release from everyday life. "She loved horses, loved animals and worked as a hotel manager. Going horse riding was an escape," he said.
He described Davy, who arrived at Cornilo Riding School in 2021 as an eight-year-old, as unpredictable. "[Ewa] was a very strong-minded person, so sometimes she wanted to overcome things," he said. "She started at the riding school in June 2023. She had been going quite regularly but wouldn't say she was an expert by any means. She became confident and quite fearless because that was her personality."
Mr Anderson said Ms Larsson had been thrown off Davy during an earlier incident, injuring her buttocks and cutting her chin. He added that, with hindsight, he did not think she should have gone on the hack.
Riding School's View
The inquest also heard that riding school owner Mr Hinks previously told police Davy was "no more spooky than any other horse", while Ms Deverill said the school had "no experience of Davy being scared by dogs before and they had never been an issue."
Tributes
Following Ms Larsson's death, tributes poured in from friends, family and the wider community. One tribute read: "You brought joy, laughter and light to everyone who met you. You'll always be missed." Another said: "Rest in peace, beautiful Ewa. What a loss for the world."
The inquest continues.
