An eight-year-old boy who died after being kicked by a horse has been remembered by his mother as a "loveable rogue with a heart of gold."
Louie Isaac Webster, from Wigan, suffered a kick to the head by the horse on June 15 this year. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, he died in hospital later that evening.
Inquest details
An inquest into his death heard how the youngster was visiting The Beeches Livery Centre in Croft with his mum, Rebecca, and teenage sister, whose horse was kept at the stable. After the family mucked out the stables, Louie's sister took the ex-racehorse for a ride in the arena while mum and son watched on from the fence.
Rebecca recalled how she went to the car to fetch the schoolboy a drink, during which time Louie entered the arena to stroke the horse on its belly. The horse apparently became frightened and kicked out with its back legs.
Several people in the Livery rushed to perform CPR on little Louie while emergency services scrambled to the scene. When air and land ambulances attended, 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.
Mother's tribute
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."
"Louie taught two other kids on our street to ride their bikes and would always be happy to watch the younger kids playing out. I remember once getting a call from the newsagents saying Louie had been in with a £50 note, paid for a £2 drink and said 'keep the change'. He'd taken the money from my handbag because he didn't want to wake me up."
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.
She said: "Despite being a loveable rogue, Louie had a loving and sensitive side to him. If he ever fell out with someone or upset them it would play on his mind so much that he would go and apologise as soon as he could. At home he had just started to get that bond with his younger brother and they would go out on their bikes and play Lego."
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. His mother went back to the car to get Louie a drink as Louie complained of being thirsty. He was told to wait on a bench next to the stable.
"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."
