A woman who suffered serious injuries when a motorcycle collided with her and her horse looks set to receive an accident compensation payout.
The woman and her husband were riding their horses in the New Forest in October 2006 when the motorbike drove towards them from the opposite direction.
As the bike drew level with the two horses and riders, the woman claimed that the driver lost control at the wheel. This caused the bike to skid along the road and crash into the woman's horse.
As a result of the impact and the shock, the horse reared and threw its rider onto the floor. The woman suffered serious head injuries as a result of the fall.
Following the accident, the motorbike rider claimed that he had not lost control of the bike and that no collision between bike and horse had taken place. He also said that the horse had simply been frightened by the bike.
According to this month's issue of Horse and Hound magazine, a recent court hearing which took place at the end of October confirmed that the evidence pointed towards the fact that a collision had in fact taken place.
The report also suggested that the motorcycle had been travelling too fast, which had contributed to the accident.
Due to this liability ruling, the horse rider will now be able to go ahead and claim accident compensation.