Paralysed rider sues for £5m after dog scares horse
A PARALYSED rider is suing a dog owner for up to £5million after their “small, elderly and gentle” West Highland terrier spooked his horse, causing it to throw him to the ground.
Lourens Koetsier, 63, suffered a severe spinal cord injury and now requires the use of a wheelchair when outside, London’s High Court heard.
The financial adviser is suing David Clifford Thomas, the dog’s owner, saying that he should have had him on a lead.
Mr Thomas said there was no reason to blame his “small, elderly and gentle” Westie, named Max, for the accident.
Lawyers for Mr Thomas insisted that local by-laws allowed pet owners to let their dogs run freely on the beach where the accident took place.
The court heard Mr Koetsier and his wife, Monique, were on holiday in Wales in June 2018 when he decided to go on a guide-led canter on a beach in Pembrokeshire.
Andrew Arentsen, Mr Thomas’s lawyer, denied claims that Max was aggressive and said he has always “been a friendly, gentle and social dog”.
He said Max had shown initially only a “mild interest” in the horses that day and he only ran after them when they cantered a second time.
Matthew Chapman QC told the court: “Bonfire [Mr Koetsier’s horse] was stationary when the same small white dog went underneath him from behind and behind the claimant.” Mr Chapman said that Mr Thomas was liable to pay compensation because the accident would not have happened if the dog had not been running loose or out of control.
“[Mr Thomas] knew that the dog was aggressive around horses and likely to chase the same.
“The claimant is an experienced rider and had, up until the point when he was thrown, been able to control and manage Bonfire during the course of the ride,”
The case reached court last week for a preparatory hearing in the lead-up to a full trial of the claim.
Lawyers for Mr Koetsier said that the accident had left him with incomplete tetraplegia.
They said they would be seeking a damages payout of up to £5 million.