5 Year Old Daughter Horse Riding Incident Advice

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You mustn't beat yourself over what's happened; five year olds fall off bikes, fall out of trees etc etc sickening when it happens but it would be wrong to wrap them up in cotton wool. Most of us reading are probably thinking "There but for the grace of God......"

I would avoid expensive litigation because it can consume you. I took civil action against an individual and the process took some 18 months before my barrister concluded that I should give up. To save legal fees I must have done some 200 hours of leg work and it caused enormous tension and discord at home for those eighteen months. My legal fees were still £10k. The law is an ass and solicitors are very happy to spend your money.

Looking at your fleet I assume you're well off and if it were possible I'd be inclined to underline what's happened and move on, some hard won compensation may be at the expense of your health; I've never experienced such feelings of anger as I had when dealing with the other sides solicitors and because your daughter is involved it will be emotional. Your daughter will hopefully make a full recovery and a stress free environment for all would be beneficial.
Good luck whatever you do.
 
JohnEBoy said:
I wish your daughter well and swift recovery!

It's all very well to dismiss this and say "it was just an accident" but I agree with leaning towards ensuring that if there was negligence - that it is resolved so no one has to suffer in future unnecessarily.

We all know sh*t happens but I can't help thinking 5 years old is too young to be on a horse alone.
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I think that is the main issue here in that I don't think that a 5 year old should be on a horse alone. I only have seen here for 20 mins and she didn't seem in control of the house in my opinion to suggest her ability was such that she was forcefully stopping, starting or controlling the horse. She was a mere passenger in my opinion from what I could see. The horse was pretty much doing what it wanted to do with little input from my daughter recognised that much.

Again I have not much knowledge or experience in this area at all but that was what I saw and interpreted.
 
Milton7 said:
You mustn't beat yourself over what's happened; five year olds fall off bikes, fall out of trees etc etc sickening when it happens but it would be wrong to wrap them up in cotton wool. Most of us reading are probably thinking "There but for the grace of God......"

I would avoid expensive litigation because it can consume you. I took civil action against an individual and the process took some 18 months before my barrister concluded that I should give up. To save legal fees I must have done some 200 hours of leg work and it caused enormous tension and discord at home for those eighteen months. My legal fees were still £10k. The law is an ass and solicitors are very happy to spend your money.

Looking at your fleet I assume you're well off and if it were possible I'd be inclined to underline what's happened and move on, some hard won compensation may be at the expense of your health; I've never experienced such feelings of anger as I had when dealing with the other sides solicitors and because your daughter is involved it will be emotional. Your daughter will hopefully make a full recovery and a stress free environment for all would be beneficial.
Good luck whatever you do.
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Thanks. I am not really interested in litigation per se. There is no requirement to be an ambulance chaser supporter here and benefit financially out of this. This is far from my ideal. It is merely to make sure the incident is recorded correctly. To make sure any regulations or guidelines the school have signed up to have been adhered to. Also to make sure improvements are made if everything has been put in place and adhered to as there are a few issues that could and should be improved for the future.

Lastly to make sure if there are future issues or complications in my daughters health that come to light that they are dealt with and she is looked after then given the required care/attention. That didn't seem too unreasonable to me in the circumstances.

I have been very calm, not angry, not blaming anyone, very level headed and very objective from the outset. I have approached everything with a clear independent head and would make the exact same suggestions I have if it was someone else's child involved in an incident the same/similar to this.

Contrary to your assumptions about our wealth we are not well off. I would say we are comfortable but not wealthy. I guess this is subjective but I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth and have worked hard for every penny that has been earnt and saved. My total 'fleet' value is maybe £60k. Some people have one vehicle that costs this or more. I don't often lose money on cars so this is really just a static pot of savings really. It just allows me to enjoy my true passion a little without losing my shorts on depreciation. It is possible to have a couple of decent cars and it not be ruinous to run them. We don't really have holidays much so all round we are very efficient with our money.

I certainly cannot afford to through good money after bad so won't be looking to spend a penny onn a solicitor that is not fully covered by any insurance or similar. I agree with you that solicitors will happily take your money and spend it all and more. I have experienced this a few times and try to avoid it as much as possible now.
 
I resisted posting just after you started this Thread,it was quiet evident that you were raw and worried that you had failed your little girl,and were looking around for some sort of salve be it legal action against the riding school or some other thing,be thankful that your little girl is not seriously injured although her injury is not trivial she is at least ok,and with luck this will end her wanting to ride horses,in my opinion 5 is way too young to sit on a horse as you say she was a passenger bobbing up and down, parents always beat themselves up with the "if only" sort of thoughts,many parents have made terrible decisions,ending in death,just look at the twin boys who drowned this week,ended their lives in a Koi pond,every person at those kids funerals will be thinking the same thing the parents were crazy not to have filled in that pond,at least you can say no more horse riding until you are older,be thankful she is ok and count your blessings.
 
zipdip said:
I resisted posting just after you started this Thread,it was quiet evident that you were raw and worried that you had failed your little girl,and were looking around for some sort of salve be it legal action against the riding school or some other thing,be thankful that your little girl is not seriously injured although her injury is not trivial she is at least ok,and with luck this will end her wanting to ride horses,in my opinion 5 is way too young to sit on a horse as you say she was a passenger bobbing up and down, parents always beat themselves up with the "if only" sort of thoughts,many parents have made terrible decisions,ending in death,just look at the twin boys who drowned this week,ended their lives in a Koi pond,every person at those kids funerals will be thinking the same thing the parents were crazy not to have filled in that pond,at least you can say no more horse riding until you are older,be thankful she is ok and count your blessings.
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Thanks and agreed.

I guess one of my main points is to try raise awareness that horse riding can be very dangerous and this should be very very clearly stated from the outset. Also that parents are much more vigilant and do much more prep work before they let the nearest & dearest on the back of a horse. That is where I have not done as much as I could for whatever reasons and know much more now. It is also where other external bodies have not done enough either.

I am not a rocket scientist but also not silly and tend to spend time researching and making generally good informed decisions. This wasn't one of my finest and that is why I am not happy with myself. I could have and should have done better. It doesn't matter what I do as I always try to do my best. When I don't I am very self critical and this situation is no different. I am not beating myself up but a little disappointed and will do better next time. It is all part of life's experiences I guess.

I would just prefer that other parents in the same situation as us with little knowledge or experiences in this area at all are clearly made aware of the dangers in no uncertain terms. We were clearly not made aware of these and this is not right. We need to be a little bit more open, honest and transparent about things like this. Also to give information to people that they need when they don't have the information already or are clearly not aware.
 
Yes I take your point,parents like yourselves with little or no knowledge,will sometimes make the wrong decision,in this case it looks like the riding school were just there to take the money and precious little else,you are right parents should be given some simple rules to gauge if a riding school is up to standard,when some years ago my son wanted to take up scuba diving I said fine and he took the course then we both went on a holiday to practice what he had learned,we went on board the dive boat and it was a mess,I asked who is the dive master and two people said they thought they would be this time,I got myself and son off the boat,I explained that scuba can be dangerous especially if the dive boat is badly managed ok I had extensive experience,ok a long story but you without knowledge of horse riding picked a school which seems not fit for purpose,and as you have found out can be dangerous.
 
Firstly, I hope to goodness that your daughter makes a swift and full recovery.

Don't rush to do anything until you sort her out and know full extent of injuries.

Maybe ask to see maxofilial team at GOSH?

Bless her x
 
pipmk said:
Excellent example of really stupid parents.
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The is one amazing girl or horse or probably both. Quite amazing to watch and also very hard not to cringe as well. Now the 'however'. However surely that is a serious accident just waiting to happen & a matter of when not if. From what I have learnt over the last week or so this is pretty irresponsible and very very dangerous.

The HSE would have a field day with this one.
 
rockits said:
The is one amazing girl or horse or probably both. Quite amazing to watch and also very hard not to cringe as well. Now the 'however'. However surely that is a serious accident just waiting to happen & a matter of when not if. From what I have learnt over the last week or so this is pretty irresponsible and very very dangerous.

The HSE would have a field day with this one.
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Why? Clearly the girl does not live in the UK so nothing to do with the HSE. I think she is doing rather well for a 3 year, and probably lives in a ranch and grew up with horses.

Kids are capable of doing most things at three these days. From Ice hockey, kart racing, to playing the violin. It seems the younger they start, the faster they progress. Most violin virtuous start to learn to play at the age of three-ish. People are beginning to realise that 3 year-olds are not confined to playing the violin, they can do plenty of other things too - often better than grown ups can do!
 
wongl said:
People are beginning to realise that 3 year-olds are not confined to playing the violin, they can do plenty of other things too - often better than grown ups can do!
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Physically, perhaps. They lack maturity in making decisions though - which is why they're not allowed to have guns, drive cars, vote, etc.

That's actually a good point. You have to be 16(?) to ride a moped on the road. You need a licence, tax, insurance ... plus an MOT to confirm the brakes, steering, etc. work.

Yet an 8 year old can legally ride a horse on the road with no insurance, despite the fact it weighs far more than a moped and is probably capable of similar speeds. And has intrinsically unreliable steering and brakes. And don't mention the emissions ...
 
BTB 500 said:
Yet an 8 year old can legally ride a horse on the road with no insurance, despite the fact it weighs far more than a moped and is probably capable of similar speeds. And has intrinsically unreliable steering and brakes. And don't mention the emissions ...
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An absurdity that should end.
 
BTB 500 said:
Physically, perhaps. They lack maturity in making decisions though - which is why they're not allowed to have guns, drive cars, vote, etc.

That's actually a good point. You have to be 16(?) to ride a moped on the road. You need a licence, tax, insurance ... plus an MOT to confirm the brakes, steering, etc. work.

Yet an 8 year old can legally ride a horse on the road with no insurance, despite the fact it weighs far more than a moped and is probably capable of similar speeds. And has intrinsically unreliable steering and brakes. And don't mention the emissions ...
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Very very good point. Many 3/5 year olds can do all sorts of things- it does not mean of course that its safe for them to do this stuff. Despite the Fylde being virtually an entirely urban area I have often seen young girls on very large horses riding on busy roads and sometimes losing control of their mounts having been spooked by something. I once had to stop and grab hold of the reigns of a horse which the young girl rider had dropped causing the horse to be startled and the girl utterly terrified. The damn thing nearly took my foot off. All this whilst the "supervising" other rider did absolutely nothing. Seems to be a largely female hobby as well- I had a couple of lessons many years ago - probably the most boring 2 hours of my life... Rockits - don't beat yourself up, could have been much worse.
 
BTB 500 said:
Yet an 8 year old can legally ride a horse on the road with no insurance, despite the fact it weighs far more than a moped and is probably capable of similar speeds. And has intrinsically unreliable steering and brakes. And don't mention the emissions ...
Click to expand...

Almost like riding a bike :D
 
wongl said:
Why? Clearly the girl does not live in the UK so nothing to do with the HSE. I think she is doing rather well for a 3 year, and probably lives in a ranch and grew up with horses.

Kids are capable of doing most things at three these days. From Ice hockey, kart racing, to playing the violin. It seems the younger they start, the faster they progress. Most violin virtuous start to learn to play at the age of three-ish. People are beginning to realise that 3 year-olds are not confined to playing the violin, they can do plenty of other things too - often better than grown ups can do!
Click to expand...

Forget the HSE. So you think this seems OK to you? Just because it is in the US it is OK? I don' think so. Surely the majority of people would look at this and think this is a little irresponsible and stupidity. Or maybe I am the idiot and I am in the minority. Maybe that is why I am confused!

A 3 year old may be very talented and able to do many things. This girl may be very talented and very clever. However she is 3. Let me say that again....3 years old. That is 36 months old. She is a long way off being a responsible adult. She is a very long way off being able to make rational and safe decisions for herself.

How many deaths per year are attributed to by Violin accidents? Even karting is dangerous but not statistically anywhere remotely near as dangerous as horse riding as I am finding out this last week or so.
 
That horse appears very well schooled, plus the area is well enclosed with a high (solid) fence, so little to distract the horse.

I don't think it correct to call the guardian 'stupid'
 
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