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Professional Negligence Equine

If a professional has acted negligently, causing harm to you or your horse, then you need to seek legal advice. It may be that you have the grounds to make a personal injury claim, which could help recover any financial losses, as well as compensate for the pain and suffering you have endured.

What Is Equine Professional Negligence?

All professionals must follow a code of conduct, in which they are legally bound to exercise ‘reasonable skill and care’ when providing the services of their trade. This is known as a duty of care. When a professional acts negligently, however, it can be said this duty of care has been breached. This is determined by asking if there was a reasonable standard of care and if a reasonable body of similar professionals would have acted in the same way – if not, then there is a case of professional negligence.

When applied to the equine world, therefore, this will be a professional whose services have been rendered but who makes a mistake, causing harm to either rider or horse. Harm can relate to physical injury, emotional trauma as well as financial loss.

For example, a vet is usually asked to carry out a pre-purchase check to confirm the physical well-being of the horse being bought. Should a vet fail to note any defects and an accident subsequently occurs, or the horse goes lame, then the vet may have breached their duty of care. In such a case, if you believe the vet has acted negligently, you should contact a solicitor to discuss making a personal injury claim. If successful, you will be awarded compensation to cover the pain and suffering this has caused, in addition to any financial losses (such as the cost of buying the horse and/or a loss of earnings).

Examples of Equine Professional Negligence

An equine professional negligence claim may involve: trainers, producers, a livery yard, farriers and riding instructors.

Most commonly, however, equine professional negligence involves vets who have failed to perform his or her duties correctly. This may include:-

• A failure to diagnose or a misdiagnosis;
• A failure to administer proper treatment;
• A failure to act in a timely fashion;
• A failure to keep up-to-date with the latest techniques, treatment etc;
• A poorly performed pre-purchase examination.

What Can You Do?

If you or your horse has suffered as a result of professional negligence, contact a solicitor to discuss your options. A personal injury lawyer will be able to assess your case, advising you whether or not you have a claim. If so, it may be possible to gain compensation for the harm the negligence has caused. This will include a sum for the pain and suffering you and/or your horse have experienced, as well as an amount for general damages.

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Professional Negligence Enquiry

To find out more about making a professional negligence claim, please call us free on 0800 068 3242 or complete a Quick Enquiry and we will be in touch with you.