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 has said. Louie Isaac Webster, from Wigan, sustained a severe brain bleed after the horse struck him in a cordoned-off arena at The Beeches Livery Centre, Croft, on June 15 this year.
Incident at the stables
The youngster had visited the livery alongside his mum Rebecca and teenage sister, whose horse was stabled there. Following mucking out duties, Louie's sister rode the former racehorse in the arena while Louie and Rebecca observed from the fence, according to the Echo.
Moments later, Louie mentioned feeling thirsty, prompting Rebecca to direct him to a bench beside the stables while she fetched a drink from their vehicle. During her absence, Louie ventured into the arena and stroked the horse's belly, startling the animal which then lashed out with its hind legs.
Emergency response and death
Multiple livery users administered CPR to the eight-year-old as emergency services rushed to the location. Both air and land ambulances responded, with Louie transported by land ambulance to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in cardiac arrest. Despite medical teams' best endeavours, he couldn't be saved and passed away at 7.45pm.
During his inquest at Cheshire Coroners' Court on Thursday, September 30, his mum Rebecca Webster stated: "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."
Tributes and verdict
She added: "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."
Louie was described as a "ridiculously fast" runner who was "always out and always on his BMX", and had even constructed his own bicycle from four discarded bikes with the assistance of a neighbour. He reportedly "hated bullies" and possessed a fierce sense of fairness, often taking 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."
Delivering a verdict of accidental death, coroner Victoria Davies stated: "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."
