AN EXPERIENCED horsewoman died after she was kicked by a horse which became “spooked” when she grabbed it by the head-collar, an inquest has heard.
Susan Doyle (59) of the Farmyard, St Edmundsbury, Lucan, Co Dublin, was with a family friend who was bringing in two horses from a field at his home, when she was kicked by one of the horses on June 4th, 2011.
Dublin County Coroner’s Court heard Simon Walford of Somerton House, Trim, Co Meath, asked Ms Doyle to hold the gate as he led a three-year-old mare out of the field. Ms Doyle, who was very experienced with horses, went into the field and took hold of the collar of the other horse, a three-year-old gelding. Mr Walford told her not to bring the horse in as she did not have a rope so Ms Doyle then let go of the horse’s collar.
As she let go, the gelding walked forward and kicked Ms Doyle with its hind foot.
“She fell to the ground in pain,” Mr Walford told the inquest.
Mr Walford ran to his house and told his wife to call an ambulance.
Mr Walford said nothing had frightened the horse, but that Ms Doyle was a stranger going into the field.
He agreed with the Dublin county coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty that the action of catching the horse by the collar had “spooked” the horse.
Inspector with the Health and Safety Authority Peter O’Connell, who carried out an investigation into the incident, said it was an “unfortunate accident”.
Ms Doyle’s death was caused by shock as a consequence of blood loss due to laceration of the liver caused by a horse kick to her right chest and abdomen. A verdict of accidental death was returned.
The coroner expressed his condolences to Ms Doyle’s family and to her two daughters, Tamso and Izabella, who attended the inquest yesterday.