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Last updated 11th March 2026. While certain risks to equestrian activities are outside of anyone’s control, some horse riding accidents are entirely avoidable. When such incidents occur because of the negligent actions of an organisation or individual, resulting in harm, horse riding accident claims can be made. You could claim horse riding accident compensation for the pain, suffering, and financial costs associated with your injuries. A compensation award can cover expenses such as private medical care, physiotherapy, and lost income.
Who you make a claim against will depend on the nature of the incident, with motorists and equestrian centres most commonly being at fault for injuries sustained in horse riding accidents. Personal injury claims of this nature often relate to harm caused by a failure to provide competent riding instruction, reckless driving, and faulty equestrian equipment.
Finding out whether you can make a claim is as simple as reaching out to one of our advisors. They can assess the details of your case and explain whether you qualify to work with one of our solicitors. With decades of combined experience and £80 million in compensation secured for claimants so far, why miss out on the chance for expert legal representation?
4.8Horse riding accidents can include falls from the horse, being kicked or bitten, crush injuries and collisions. These incidents can happen because of a variety of influential factors, ranging from poor equipment to environmental hazards.
Please take a look at some examples of horse riding accidents below:
Notably, you should be aware that the Riding Establishments Acts 1964 and 1970 regulate commercial riding schools and businesses that hire out horses.
Moreover, it’s important to note that some incidents may qualify as valid claims, but are hard to prove. As an illustration, a driver purposefully and aggressively beeps at a rider, spooking the horse, which results in the animal bucking and injuring its rider. Whilst this claim demonstrates validity, not all CCTV and dashcam footage has audio, so it may be challenging to prove that the driver’s horn was the catalyst for the rider’s accident and subsequent injuries.
If one of these accidents has happened to you or you’re curious as to what other incidents might qualify as valid horse riding accident claims, please speak to our team today.
Yes, you can make a horse riding accident claim if you can prove someone else’s negligence caused your injury. Specifically, negligence is a breach of duty of care which results in injury.
It’s important to clarify at this point that a duty of care can look different depending on the setting in which your horse riding accident took place. Please take a look at the distinctions below:
All road users owe a duty of care to one another by using the roads safely to prevent accidents and subsequent injury. Specifically, all road users must follow the rules of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code to ensure everyone’s safety. As a result, if a road user uses the road in a way that is deemed dangerous or reckless, they may have breached their duty of care. If another individual is injured as a consequence of this breach, they may have a valid claim.
When out and about in a public place, the occupier (a person or company with a sufficient degree of responsibility for a particular space) has a duty of care to take steps to ensure your reasonable safety, as per the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. Consequently, if you are injured in a public setting and it wasn’t your fault, the occupier of that space may have breached their duty of care towards you.
Notably, in order for your horse riding accident claim to be valid, you must satisfy the following eligibility criteria:
If you’re unsure whether your claim meets the eligibility criteria for horse riding accident claims, don’t worry; we can confirm the validity for you. Call us today.
Horse riding accident claims on behalf of a loved one can be made via the legally appointed role of a litigation friend. This role involves an adult who conducts legal proceedings on behalf of a child or an adult lacking the mental capacity to do so themselves. So, if you know someone who is below the age of 18 or lacks the mental capacity to claim independently, you can become their litigation friend.
Specifically, this role involves making decisions and instructing a solicitor, ensuring that the protected person’s best interests are represented at all times during the claims process. Common litigation friends include parents, relatives, or a professional advocate or solicitor.
The important thing we want you to take away from this section is that the litigation friend can claim on the protected party’s behalf while the time limit is paused.
To discuss the legal time limit with a professional when it comes to horse riding accident claims, get in touch with our team of expert advisors at your earliest convenience.
The common injuries sustained in a horse riding accident include fractures, head injuries, spinal trauma and soft tissue damage. We’ve provided some examples for your perusal below:
If any of the above injuries have happened to you because of a horse riding accident that wasn’t your fault, please don’t suffer in silence. Call us today.
The level of horse accident compensation you will receive for your injury is determined by the severity of your injury and whether you have incurred financial losses. As an illustration, the compensation a claimant may receive for a fractured wrist will be significantly different to another claimant who suffered paraplegia.
Importantly, your compensation comprises both general and special damages. (We discuss the latter in-depth in the following section.) General damages specifically cover any pain and suffering you have encountered as a direct result of your injury; this includes mental anguish.
Your specialist solicitor will investigate the following influential factors:
When it comes to calculating your horse riding compensation, your solicitor will look at two documents: your medical report (usually confirmed by an independent medical professional) and the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG is an important publication which is made up of a wide range of injuries, severities, as well as their related compensation guidelines.
For a better understanding of how horse riding accident compensation can be calculated, we’ve provided you with a table below. It contains a few compensation brackets from the JCG. However, please take careful note of the fact that the first row has not been sourced from the JCG. Please take note that the table is only included for guideline purposes and does not represent the specifics of your claim.
| INJURY | COMPENSATION GUIDELINE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries With Special Damages | Up to £1 Million+ | Multiple serious injuries with special damages such as loss of earnings, medical costs and child care. |
| Paralysis - Tetraplegia | £396,140 to £493,000 | The claimant will have suffered paralysis from the neck down and has full awareness of their disability. |
| Paraplegia | £267,340 to £346,890 | This award is influenced by several factors ranging from the presence of pain to the impact on sexual function. |
| Brain & Head Injury - Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 | If the claimant sits at the top end of this bracket there may be some ability to follow basic commands but there will be little to no meaningful response to environment. |
| Knee - Severe (ii) | £63,610 to £85,100 | The claimant will have suffered a leg fracture extending into the knee joint causing pain which is constant. |
| Neck Severe (iii) | £55,500 to £68,330 | The injury or injuries will entail serious fractures or damage to discs in the cervical spine. |
| Ankle - Severe | £38,210 to £61,090 | The claimant will have suffered an injury that requires an extensive period of treatment and/or a lengthy period in plaster. |
| Pelvis & Hips - Moderate (i) | £32,450 to £47,810 | This compensation bracket covers a significant injury to the pelvis or hip but any permanent disability is not major and any future risk not great. |
| Elbow - Less Severe Injuries | £19,100 to £39,070 | In this bracket the injured individual will have an injury causing impairment of function but not involving major surgery or significant disability. |
| Less Serious Hand Injury | £17,640 to £35,390 | This compensation bracket considers injuries such as a severe crush injury resulting in significantly impaired function without future surgery or despite operative treatment undergone. |
Call us today to find out more about compensation in relation to horse riding accident claims.
Yes, you can claim for your financial losses caused by a horse riding injury under special damages. Take a look below at several examples of financial losses which can be covered by special damages:
Please be aware that if you think you are eligible to receive special damages, you will need to provide your solicitor with proof. Evidence can include payslips, invoices and receipts.
Miss Davies claimed compensation for a horse riding accident caused by the negligent actions of a driver on the road. As she was riding on the side of the road, a driver drove too close to her horse and honked their horn. These actions were contrary to the Highway Code and caused the horse to rear, throwing Miss Davies off. The impact of the fall resulted in a traumatic brain injury and a broken leg.
She later pursued horse riding accident compensation with the assistance of a solicitor, who secured a settlement totalling £70,000. This was made up of £30,000 in general damages for her physical injuries. Miss Davies also received £40,000 in special damages for her lost income, medical expenses, travel costs, and the need to pay for professional care.
While this was an illustrative case study*, having the opportunity to discuss your own experience may improve your understanding of the claims process. To find out more about horse riding accident claims and the factors that your compensation could account for, speak to an advisor today.
Yes, you may be able to get early payments from your compensation settlement through interim payments. Think of an interim payment as an advance on your horse riding compensation, which is designed to cover any immediate costs like medical expenses or loss of income. In a nutshell, interim payments are provided to claimants to prevent them from becoming financially disadvantaged during the claims process.
Notably, in order to receive interim payments, you typically need to show a strong likelihood of winning your case, as well as the fact that the payment is reasonable for urgent needs.
Another important thing to note is that an interim payment is a portion of your total compensation, not an extra sum.
If you think that you might be eligible to receive interim payments in relation to horse riding accident claims, please reach out to one of our friendly advisors today so we can assist you.
4.8To prove an accident was the result of some else’s negligence, you will need to gather evidence to show the extent of your injury as well as third-party liability.
You could prove your claim by providing:
Here at Accident Claims, we’re empathetic to the fact that gathering evidence for horse riding accident claims can be distressing when you’re trying to focus on your recovery. Don’t worry, our solicitors can gather evidence on your behalf. Call us today to find out more.
No Win No Fee horse riding accident claims can be made with our specialist solicitors. If you decide to work with us, you will have immediate access to experienced and compassionate representation on a No Win No Fee basis. The reason why we provide this funding option is that we believe in accessible legal guidance and transparent costs. Specifically, we offer a Conditional Fee Agreement contract, which means:
In the happy outcome that your horse riding accident claim is successful, you will pay something called a success fee. This fee is taken as a percentage of the compensation awarded, as per the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013. Don’t worry, we will explain this clearly when discussing your claim.
Moreover, as a client of ours, you will have access to a robust range of support services. Our No Win No Fee solicitors carefully curated these services as they believe in a holistic approach when it comes to the claims process. Your health and well-being are our first priority; consequently, we want your journey to be as stress-free as possible, from your first phone call with one of our advisors to being paid your compensation
Please take a moment to look at some of our support services below:
We’d like to clarify that this is not an exhaustive list, and we’re excited to tell you more about what we have to offer when it comes to horse riding accident claims. Get in touch with our department of expert advisors today using the contact information below:
In this section, we outline answers to some of the questions you may have about horse riding accident claims.
A horse riding accident claim refers to a legal action in which an injured person can pursue monetary compensation for the financial, psychological and physical impact of being harmed by the negligent actions of a third party.
You may be able to claim compensation if you fell off a horse, but you will need to show that another party was at fault for the injuries you suffered. For instance, you may have fallen because a riding company knowingly provided you with a faulty tack or saddle.
You can claim if a horse riding instructor was negligent in their actions, and this resulted in you suffering harm. An example would be if you were injured because the instructor failed to supervise you, even though you were a novice rider.
Yes, you can claim compensation if faulty riding equipment caused your injury because the riding school failed to either regularly inspect or maintain safety stirrups or other gear.
If another horse rider caused your accident by acting negligently, you may be able to claim compensation for the injuries you suffered as a result. For example, a horse rider may have failed to keep a safe distance, colliding with you and causing your horse to bolt.
More accident claims guides by us:
Some external resources to broaden your research:
Thank you for taking the time to read our *illustrative case study and guide on horse riding accident claims. We hope you have found it useful.
