A 59-year-old mother died six weeks after being dragged along a country lane by a horse that bolted when spooked by barking dogs, an inquest has heard. Ewa Larsson, a dog breeder from Chilham, Kent, suffered catastrophic injuries while walking the cob, named Davy, back to Cornilo Riding School in Sutton, near Deal.
The incident occurred on August 27 last year after Ms Larsson fell from the horse during a hack in a field. She attempted to remount but failed, so decided to lead the cob back. As she walked along Beacon Hill, dogs barking from a nearby garden panicked the horse, which galloped off, dragging her. Instructor Sally Deverill, who was with her, told the inquest: 'The horses shot off down the road to escape the dogs. ... I think she did get dragged.'
Ms Larsson was airlifted to King's College Hospital in London with massive internal injuries. She survived emergency surgery and briefly showed signs of recovery, but died on October 13 after developing organ failure and an infection. Her partner, Nigel Anderson, described her as an 'animal lover' who had taken up riding as a release. He said the horse had been 'unpredictable' and that she had been thrown from the same animal weeks earlier.
Coroner Katrina Hepburn is overseeing the inquest, which continues.
