Podcast: Pursuing a personal injury claim involving horses and riders on the roads

'Don't forget the horse's brain'… hear how the added dimension of a flight animal on the road impacts safety and a potential personal injury claim.

Personal injury solicitor Jennifer Kelly talks to barrister Nathan Tavares KC about the intricacies of running a personal injury claim involving a horse, rider and driver, not least when untraced drivers are involved and certain judges consider simply taking a horse on a road means a rider is asking for trouble.

Alan Hiscox, director of safety for the British Horse Society, explains important changes to the Highway Code to keep riders, and drivers, safe and explains the additional dimension of a horse's brain when considering road safety. 

He also explains new research that shows a horse hears the approach of an electric car long before a rider, meaning the rider may jump and pass that scare the onto the horse. The same rules – 10mph and 2m space – applies to electric cars as all other vehicles.

Sadly, Alan reports there were 3,400 incidents on the roads involving horses in 2023, but with only one in 5 riders reporting them, the figure is actually much higher. 60 horses died and 88 were injured in 2023.

He encourages riders to use the Horse i app to record incidents, even near misses, immediately after they happen not only for the BHS to collect reliable data but also as potential evidence in a personal injury claim.

And regarding funding, Nathan warns: 'It would be mad to go out on the road without having third party liability insurance. If you don't, you're personally liable for any damage your horse may cause to a driver or their car… Luckily, membership of the BHS automatically generates up to £30m insurance cover.' 

If you would like to discuss a potential claim, contact Jennifer Kelly.

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