A MUM was dragged to her death by a horse that bolted when it was spooked by barking dogs, an inquest heard.
Ewa Larsson was walking the animal back to a riding school near Deal, Kent, when it became “terrified” and galloped off.
The 59-year-old dog breeder may have been trampled or kicked while hanging on to the horse’s bridle, the inquest was told.
Ewa was airlifted to hospital with massive internal injuries following the horror on August 27 last year and underwent emergency surgery.
Despite showing signs of improvement, the mum tragically passed away on October 13 after developing organ failure and an infection.
The court heard Ewa had been riding with experienced instructor Sally Deverill, from Cornilo Riding School, when she initially fell from the horse while out on a hack in a field.
Sally said Ewa got up, laughed and appeared to be uninjured so they moved on to a country road.
Ewa unsuccessfully tried to get back on the cob, called Davy, so she chose to walk it back instead.
Sally said the dogs started barking from a nearby garden, which startled the two horses.
She added: “The horses shot off down the road to escape the dogs.
“As I got back on, I could see Ewa and Davy were moving sort of sideways down the road.
“The horse was trotting, and she was pulling strong enough that Davy’s head was coming round.
“Then she tripped and fell. It looked like he cantered a few strides, then he cantered down the road and off the road. I think she did get dragged.”
Sally, who did not see the horse trample or kick Ewa, told the inquest she was conscious but complaining of pain in her chest and right arm.
The riding instructor called the school, who then contacted emergency crews as passers-by rushed over to help.
One witness Hannah Stewart told thr court: “As I approached Sally (Deverill), I was trying to assess the situation and could see that someone had been thrown off. She was in the road.
“I wasn’t asking questions about what happened, as it was about dealing with the situation.
“I was quite far away from Sally, but what I gathered is that [Ewa] had been dragged and possibly kicked.”
The inquest heard she was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered extensive injuries and internal bleeding.
Her partner, Nigel Anderson, said she suffered a cardiac arrest while being airlifted to hospital, with doctors warning him she may not survive as she was rushed into surgery.
“She was in a coma at first but after a couple of weeks came out of the coma,” he told jurors.
“The surgeons said because she’d had a cardiac arrest in the air ambulance and in the middle of the night, she might have brain damage.
“She came around and started making some progress. She came off the ventilator and came off blood pressure medication.”
However, he said Ewa’s condition deteriorated again and her organs began failing.
“Probably around this time, she contracted an infection which was going into her body, and doctors were not able to stop the infection, which ultimately took her life,” he added.
Nigel told the court how his partner was an animal lover” who had taken up riding as a release from everyday life.
He described horse Davey as “unpredictable” and said Ewa had previously been thrown off him.
Following her death, tributes poured in for Ewa from friends, family and the wider community.
One tribute read: “You brought joy, laughter and light to everyone who met you. You’ll always be missed.”
Another said: “Rest in peace, beautiful Ewa. What a loss for the world.”
The inquest continues.
