An eight-year-old boy died from a brain bleed after being kicked in the head by a horse at Warrington stables, an inquest has heard. Louie Webster was pronounced dead at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital after the incident on June 15.
Louie had been visiting The Beeches Livery Centre with his mother Rebecca and teenage sister, whose horse, a former racehorse, was kept there. The inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court heard that Louie had been told to sit on a bench while his mother fetched a drink from the car, as he had complained of thirst.
Split-second tragedy in the arena
While his mother was away for ‘a matter of minutes’ some 15 to 20 paces away, Louie walked up to the arena and entered through a gap in the fence. His sister, described as experienced and confident with horses, had stopped riding and was sitting on the animal using her phone.
Louie touched the horse’s belly, scaring it and causing it to kick, coroner Victoria Davies said. She said: ‘It all happened in a split second.’ The horse kicked Louie with its back legs to his head or neck, and he fell.
Emergency response and conclusion
His mother described hearing her daughter shouting at Louie to ‘get out’ and then shouting ‘mum’ in a panicked tone. CCTV showed the girl running to her mother and another livery user, and all three rushed back to the arena, where several people performed CPR while emergency services were alerted.
Louie was taken to hospital but died from a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a post-mortem scan revealed. The cause of death was concluded to be accidental. His mother described him as a ‘loveable rogue with a heart of gold’ who was a fast runner and was ‘always out and always on his BMX.’
