An eight-year-old boy who died after being kicked in the head by a horse at a Warrington stable had "a heart of gold", his mother said. Louie Isaac Webster, from Wigan, suffered a serious brain bleed after being kicked by the horse in a fenced-off arena at The Beeches Livery Centre, Croft, on June 15 this year.
What happened at the stables
The schoolboy had attended the livery with his mum Rebecca and teenage sister, whose horse was kept there. After mucking out the stables, Louie's sister took the former racehorse for a ride in the arena while Louie and Rebecca watched from the fence.
A short time later Louie complained of being thirsty, so Rebecca told him to sit on a bench near the stables while she went to their car to get a drink. While she was gone, Louie entered the arena and stroked the horse on its belly, causing it to become frightened and kick out with its back legs.
Emergency response and inquest
Several livery users performed CPR on the eight-year-old as emergency services were called to the scene. Air and land ambulances attended, and Louie was taken by land ambulance to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in a state of cardiac arrest. Despite the efforts of medics, he could not be revived and died at 7.45pm.
At his inquest at Cheshire Coroner's Court yesterday, Thursday (September 30), his mum Rebecca Webster said in a statement: "I would describe Louie as a loveable rogue with a heart of gold. Everyone on our street loved Louie. He was a massive part of so many people's lives."
She said Louie was a "ridiculously fast" runner who was "always out and always on his BMX", and once built his own bike out of four scrap bicycles with the help of a neighbour. She said he "hated bullies" and had a strong sense of justice, and would take other children at his school under his wing.
Coroner's conclusion
Handing down a conclusion of accidental death yesterday, coroner Victoria Davies said: "On June 15, 2025, Louie was at the stables, The Beeches Livery, with his mother and sister. This was the first time Louie had been to the stables because his behaviour could be challenging due to neurodiversity.
"While his mum was gone, Louie went into the arena through the fence and touched the horse, touching its belly. The horse was spooked and kicked out, hitting Louie in the head or neck area, causing him to fall. This occurred within minutes of Louie's mother going to the car.
"CPR was started...Louie was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital. He suffered a further cardiac arrest en route to the hospital and after further resuscitation attempts in hospital, death was confirmed."
