A boy died after being kicked in the head by a horse ‘in a split second’ while visiting stables with his mum and sister.
Louie Webster died from bleeding in his brain after being kicked by the animal at Warrington stables on June 15.
The tragedy happened after Louie managed to enter the arena through a gap in the fence while his mum was gone for a few minutes, an inquest heard.
Louie had been told to sit on a bench and wait while his mum fetched a drink for her son from the car, who had complained of thirst.
But he walked up to the arena, where his sister was with the horse, and entered through a gap in the fence, Liverpool Echo reports.
Meanwhile, his mum was gone for ‘a matter of minutes’ some 15 to 20 paces away, but the view was obscured by a horse box.
His sister, who was described as experienced and confident with horses and had owned two others previously, had stopped riding and was sitting on the animal using her phone.
She said: ‘It all happened in a split second.’
Louie had not visited the stables before as his behaviour was described as ‘challenging’ due to suspected ADHD.
His sister told the police that Louie had enjoyed stroking the belly of one of her previous horses.
He was warned about the new animal as it was an ex-racehorse, but he may not have understood due to his suspected neurodiversity, the sister said.
Louie fell after the horse kicked him with its back legs to his head or neck.
Mum Rebecca described being at her car ‘for minutes when she then heard her daughter shouting at Louie to ‘get out,’ and then shouting ‘mum’ in a panicked tone,’ according to the coroner.
CCTV showed the girl running up to her mum and another livery user, and all three rushed back to the arena where several people performed CPR on Louie while the emergency services were alerted.
The eight-year-old was rushed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in an ambulance, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
He died of a brain bleed known as subarachnoid haemorrhage, a post-mortem scan revealed.
The eight-year-old’s cause of death was concluded to be accidental at the inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court yesterday.
Ms Davies said: ‘On June 15 2025 Louie was at the stables The Beeches Livery with his mother and sister. This was the first time Louie had been to the stables because his behaviour could be challenging due to neurodiversity.
‘His mother went back tot he car to get Louie a drink as Louie complained of being thirsty. He was told to wait on a bench next to the stable
‘While his mum was gone, Louie went into the arena through the fence and touched the horse, touching its belly. The horse was spooked and kicked out, hitting Louie in the head or neck area, causing him to fall.
‘This occurred within minutes of Louie’s mother going to the car.’
Rebecca described her son as a ‘loveable rogue with a heart of gold’ who was a fast runner and was ‘always out and always on his BMX.’
She said: ‘Despite being a loveable rogue, Louie had a loving and sensitive side to him. If he ever fell out with someone or upset them it would play on his mind so much that he would go and apologise as soon as he could.
‘At home he had just started to get that bond with his younger brother and they would go out on their bikes and play Lego.’
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