Horse Riding Accident Claims – How Much Compensation Can I Claim

By Olivia Jacobs. Last updated 26th February 2021. Welcome to our horse riding accident claims guide. If you have sustained a horse riding injury through no fault of your own within the last three years, you may be able to make a horse riding accident claim for compensation.

Horse riding can be an enjoyable hobby or pastime but can also be a very dangerous activity to participate in. From riding through the countryside or along the shoreline, to participating in show jumping or racing, there can be many horse riding dangers. Horse riding accidents are actually quite common and can result in fairly minor injuries to serious life-changing injuries and even death.

If you have been injured whilst horse riding due to an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to make a horse riding injury claim. Legal Helpline is an experienced claims management company that can help you to decide if you have a valid claim and get your claim to court, just call them on 0333 000 0729.

Jump to a Section

Horse riding accident claims – A guide to claiming compensation

We, at Legal Helpline, have developed this horse riding accident claims guide to provide useful information for anyone who has sustained equestrian injuries that were due to an accident caused by someone else and are thinking of making a claim for their horse riding injury.

Within the guide is information such as what you should do if you’ve had a horse riding accident, what you can claim for, how to start your claim, and how much compensation you can possibly receive. We also look at the most common horse riding accidents and the type of injuries that can occur, as well as looking at the benefits of using a specialist claims firm such as Legal Helpline and how our no win no fee policy can help you to make your claim without any financial risk.

Read through the guide, if you have further questions or would like us to look at your potential claim for you, just give us a call.

Horse riding accident statistics

According to ROSPA, there are over 3 million horse riders in Great Britain. In 2016, there were 96 casualties of horse riders recorded by the police, with a further 23 seriously injured. In addition, there were 4 child horse riders that were seriously injured.

Common horse riding injuries

There are many different injuries that can be resultant from a horse riding accident. Here we have listed the most common horseback riding injuries that people dealing with horses seem more susceptible to:

  • Injuries involving the leg, ankles and feet – These include rupture of the Achilles tendon, Achilles tendonitis, tear to the calf muscle, bursitis knee, hamstring strain. Groin strain, high ankle sprain, heel spur, hip labral tear, arthritis in the hip, arthritis in the knee, injuries to the knee ligaments, poor hip core, sprained ankle, posterior ankle impingement and thigh strain.
  • Back injuries – horse riding back injuries including muscle pain, bulging disks, degenerative disease in the disks, trapped nerves and sciatica.
  • Falling from a horse injury affecting the shoulder, arms and hands – Injuries may include carpal tunnel syndrome, dislocated shoulder, chondromalacia patella, patella tendonitis, golfer’s elbow, patellofemoral pain syndrome, rotator cuff tear, rotator cuff syndrome, tarsal tunnel syndrome, shoulder impingement, thumb sprain and tennis elbow.
  • Neck injuries mainly due to falling off a horse – Includes neck pain headaches, neck sprain, neck arm pain, wry neck and whiplash.
  • A number of other general injuries associated with horse riding include the following:

ACL injury, AC joint injury, adductor tendinopathy, cramps, DOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness, avascular necrosis of the femoral head, fat pad syndrome, Morton’s neuroma, muscle strain, ITB syndrome, Lateral Collateral Ligament, Medial Collateral Ligament Sprain, Meniscus Tear, piriformis syndrome, overuse injuries, facet joint pain, plica syndrome, severs disease, Sinding Larsen Johansson syndrome, sacroiliac joint pain, tibialis posterior tendinopathy and trochanteric bursitis spondylolisthesis.

If you have suffered an injury due to a horse riding accident, we can arrange for you to have a free local medical for a full assessment of the type and severity of your injury. One of the main deciding factors on how much is awarded in a compensation claim is not only the type of injury sustained but also its severity and the future prognosis. By having a thorough examination, your injury can be quantified accordingly. Just call Legal Helpline for more information.

I’ve had a horse riding accident, what should I do?

For those intending to make horse riding accident claims, in order to increase the chances of your claim being successful, there are a number of steps you can take to begin building a catalogue of evidence that will support your claim, such as:

  • Taking Photos – If you can, take photos of the accident site and of anything that may have contributed to the cause of the accident. Also, take photos if possible of the injuries you have sustained as these show proof of your pain and suffering.
  • Contact Details – Aim to get the details of all parties involved in the accident and of any witnesses. Witness statements can be a powerful source of evidence as they should support the allegations of what happened.
  • Expenses – Keep a record of expenses and the receipts as these will be part of the ‘special damages’ section of your claim.

Can I claim compensation for a horse riding accident?

In order to have a legitimate reason to make a horse riding injury claim, there are a number of things to consider to meet the criteria that will determine whether your claim will be valid. You need to think about the following:

  • Was your accident someone else’s fault or your own? If your accident was solely due to you, then you will not have a valid claim.
  • Are you able to prove that someone else is liable for your accident? In order to make a successful claim, liability has to be proven otherwise it is very unlikely that you will win your case.
  • How long ago did the accident occur? Generally speaking, you have three years from the date the accident took place, to initiate and start court proceedings for a compensation claim. If the injured party is a child, you can file a claim on their behalf at any time before their 18th birthday, after this, they have three years (until their 21st birthday) to make the claim themselves. Obviously, the sooner a claim is started, the better and less complicated it can be.

If you are unsure as to whether your claim will be a valid one, just contact us and we should be able to clarify this for you.

Accident claims involving a loose horse

If you are injured by a horse that has got loose, whether you were directly hit by the horse, or involved in an accident caused by the horse resulting in an injury, you should be able to make a horse riding injury claim against either the horse’s owner or the stables that are responsible for the horse.

Road traffic accidents involving a horse

It may be surprising to know that horses are bound by road traffic laws just the same as vehicles, cyclists and motor cyclists, with a few small differences as they are considered road users as well.

Horse riding accident claims

Horse riding accident claims

If a horse is the cause of an accident whilst being ridden and you sustain an injury, a claim can be made against the rider just the same as if they were driving a car or other sort of vehicle.

However, horse riding accident claims aren’t always very straight forward as although the horse may have caused the accident, the horse may have been reacting to another third party such as a vehicle revving their engine close to the horse, causing the horse to get spooked. In cases like this, proving liability can be tricky, but with the help of an experienced claims firm, liability can usually eventually be established.

Accidents at work involving a horse

If you work with horses such as at some stables, a racing track or at a livery for example, or if your job exposes you to horses and therefore potential horse-related accidents, such as if you are a contractor hired to fix the paddock fences, then if you sustain an injury due to an accident involving a horse, you should be able to claim compensation.

Claims involving horse riding work-related accidents can be made if the company responsible for the horse involved in the accident, or that caused the accident, has acted negligently in some way or failed to adhere to Health and Safety regulations which then resulted in the accident occurring.

What compensation can I claim for a horse riding accident?

Final settlement amounts for horse riding accident claims are made up of a number of different elements where the injury sustained has had an effect. The claim is generally made up of the following damages:

  • General Damages – This is where the actual physical injury and its severity, psychological trauma and impact on the quality of life and the future prognosis is taken into account. Typically, the more severe the injury and associated problems, the higher the compensation award will be.
  • Medical Costs – Any medical costs incurred due to your injury such as treatments, prescription fees and so forth, can be included in the claim.
  • Travel Costs – Any travelling costs that have had to pay due to your injury should be claimed. Under this section, if your injury resulted in you needing to have vehicle adaptions, these costs can be included also.
  • Care Claim – If you have needed or still need a carer or help around the home since you sustained your injury then you can claim for these expenses.
  • Loss of Income – If you have taken time off of work, or have been unable to return to work because of your injury, the income you have lost and the potential future income you may lose can be included in accordance with your current paygrade.

How much compensation for horse riding injuries?

Due to the many possible horse riding injuries that can happen, whether they were riding the horse or just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. With the number of other different variables that make up the final settlement amount, it would be impossible to predict the exact amount that you may receive in compensation. Each case is unique and so the compensation award given will depend on the individual circumstances involved.

We are, however, able to show the average amounts for some of the injuries associated with horse riding accidents. These amounts only take into consideration the general damages and do not include any of the financial aspects of a claim.

Reason for CompensationAverage Award AmountComments
Quadriplegia£304,630 to £379,100At the top end of the bracket, the claimant will experience pain and have an impact on the senses and ability to communicate. Permanent disability requiring full time care. Middle of the bracket will be for those who although disabled and in need of full time care, have retained their sight, speech and hearing and ability to communicate with life expectancy exceeding 25 years.
Paraplegia205,580 to £266,740The level of the award will be dependent on whether pain is present and how severe it is, whether the claimant is experiencing depression or any other psychological issues, the claimant’s age and life expectancy, the impactthe injury has had on sexual function.
Severe Neck InjuriesIn the region of £139,210Neck injuries associated with incomplete paraplegia, or injuries where despite wearing a collar long term for 24 hours a day, the claimant still has little or no movement in the neck and suffers bad headaches.
Moderate Neck Injury£23,460 to £36,120Injuries such as fractures and dislocations which have immediate implication, pain, and need for spinal fusion. Lower down the award amount, recurring pain and discomfort, damage to disks, possible need for surgery. Other pre-existing conditions may have been worsened by the horse riding injury.
Minor Neck Injuries£4,080 to £7,410The level of award will depend upon the severity of the injury and the time it takes to heal. Majority of injuries in this bracket are expected to be healed within two years.
Severe Back Injury£85,470 to £151,070The upper end of the bracket will be for when there has been significant damage to the spinal cord and nerves resulting in severe pain and possible incomplete paralysis disability. The lower will be for injuries that result in disk lesions and fractures, and soft tissue damage resulting in chronic conditions, disability and on-going pain.
Moderate Back Injury£26,050 to £36,390Similar to above but less severe. Disability present, possible spinal fusion or surgery required. The impact on the claimant’s quality of life and well-being will be considered when deciding on the award amount.
Minor Back Injury£7,410 to £11,730Less severe sprains, strains, disk prolapses and soft tissue damage. Award will depend on level of pain and suffering, recovery time and future prognosis.
Minor Shoulder Injury£4,080 to £7,410Soft tissue injuries, full recovery expected. Level of award will depend on amount of pain experienced and time taken to heal.
Severe Arm Injuries£90,250 to £122,860Injuries warranting the higher payment award would be for injuries that fall short of amputation, leaving the arms as good as useless, permanent disability and on-going pain.
Less Severe Arm Injuries£18,020 to £36,770Simple fractures or soft tissue damage causing pain, rising to injuries causing significant disability but with marked improvement since initial injury occurred.

Contact Legal Helpline for further advice on your specific circumstances for a more informed estimation.

Horse riding no win no fee accident claims

Legal Helpline tries their best to offer fantastic customer service and therefore choose to offer their customers a no win no fee service. One of the most common reasons people choose not to pursue compensation is the worry about the potential legal fees involved in having a legal firm to conduct their case for them.

Many solicitors require upfront payments or payments throughout the claiming process. However there isn’t any guarantee that they will win their case, so you could possibly be left in financial trouble.

Legal Helpline on the other hand is different. As we conduct compensation claims on a no win no fee basis, we do not ask for any payments prior to the claims case coming to its conclusion, and even then, we only require payment if we win. This would then be taken as a small percentage of the final settlement amount. If we didn’t win the case, however, we would not charge for our legal fees at all and so you would not pay us a penny.

No win no fee with Legal Helpline means no upfront payments, no payments during the claiming process and therefore no risk to your current finances.

Starting a horse riding accident claim

The easiest way to start your horse riding injury compensation claim is to call us at Legal Helpline. When you call us, we will offer you a free consultation session where you can discuss the nature of your claim and ask any questions you may have about the whole process of making a claim.

We will use this time as well to gather as much information from you as we can so that we can make a decision as to whether you have a valid claim. Providing your claim is valid, we will then normally offer to manage it for you on our no win no fee agreement. If you haven’t already had your injury checked by a medical professional, we may arrange a local medical for you free of charge so that an official assessment of your injury can be made.

Can Legal Helpline process my horse riding accident claim?

As an experienced and well known specialist personal injury claims management company, we have all of the knowledge necessary to be make sure that we get you the maximum compensation amount possible.

We offer fantastic customer service and always put our client’s needs at the forefront of everything we do. We are a hard-working and reliable team, always doing everything we can to build our clients a really strong case, keeping them updated and informed all the way.

For horse riding accident claims, you really could not ask for a better firm to do this for you on your behalf.

Horse Riding Accident Claims FAQ

In this section, we’ll answer some popular questions about horse riding accident claims.

What is the average payout for a personal injury claim UK?

There aren’t any average payouts for personal injury claims, as they’re valued according to the amount that the victim has suffered as a result of the accident in question. For a free estimate, please contact Legal Helpline today.

How common are horse riding accidents?

As mentioned above, ROSPA reported that there were over 3 million horse riders in Great Britain. In 2016, there were 96 casualties of horse riders recorded by the police, with a further 23 seriously injured. In addition, there were 4 child horse riders that were seriously injured.

Contact Legal Helpline

For further information and guidance, or to talk about possibly signing with us to manage your claim for you, just call us on 0333 000 0729 for a free, no-obligation chat.

Helpful links and resources

Road traffic accident claims

If you have been injured in an RTA because of a horse more information on how to claim compensation for a road traffic accident can be found here.

GOV.UK

This is the government site that gives the rules of the Highway Code regarding riding horses on the road.

ROSPA

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) has put together this guide to offer advice regarding safety whilst riding horses on the road.

Get in touch today. Whether you have sustained a minor injury or a serious injury, our helpline is here to help.

Other Claims We Handle

How To Claim Through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau

Have you been injured in a rear end shunt accident? Our guide offers more information on how to claim compensation and who could be liable.