An eight-year-old boy died after being kicked in the head by a horse at a Warrington livery centre, an inquest has heard. Louie Isaac Webster, from Wigan, entered a fenced-off arena at The Beeches Livery Centre while his mother's back was turned.
Incident at The Beeches Livery Centre
Louie was at the centre with his mother Rebecca and teenage sister, whose horse was kept there. He had 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. She had been gone "a matter of minutes" when Louie was struck, Cheshire Coroner's Court heard.
Det Insp Joanna Morgan, who led the investigation into Louie's death, said his older sister was "experienced and confident with horses" and had used The Beeches Livery Centre for about three months. Louie had not visited the livery before as his behaviour was described as "challenging" due to suspected ADHD.
Coroner's account and emergency response
Coroner Victoria Davies said: "Louie complained he was thirsty and she (Rebecca Webster) returned to her vehicle to get him a drink. Rebecca described it as a short walk to the car, around 15 to 20 paces, however the view of the yard was obscured by a horse box."
"She described being at her car for minutes when she then heard her daughter shouting at Louie to 'get out', and then shouting 'mum' in a panicked tone." The teenage girl was shown on car park CCTV running up to her mum and another livery user as she told them Louie had been kicked by the horse. All three returned to the arena, where they found Louie lying unresponsive near the fence.
Several livery users performed CPR on the eight-year-old as emergency services were called. Air and land ambulances attended, and Louie was taken by land ambulance to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in cardiac arrest. Despite medics' efforts, he could not be revived and died at 7.45pm.
Sister's account and inquest conclusion
The inquest heard Louie's sister had also been interviewed by police. She said her mum had told Louie to sit on a bench near the stables and wait. However, he walked up to the arena and entered it through one of the gaps in the fence. At this point, she said, she had stopped riding the horse and was sitting on it, using her mobile phone. Louie had walked up to the animal and stroked its belly, causing it to become scared and kick out with its back legs.
Louie's sister told police that she had owned two other horses previously, and Louie had enjoyed stroking one of them on its belly. She said she had warned Louie about the new horse as it was an ex-racehorse, but he may not have understood due to his suspected ADHD. The coroner handed down a conclusion of accidental death.
