A Knaresborough trekking centre has been fined after an 11-year-old girl was bitten on the arm by a horse.
Owners of the Little Pastures Trekking Centre pleaded guilty to a health and safety offence at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday, September 10.
The prosecution was brought by Harrogate Borough Council after the 11-year-old suffered a serious bite to the arm from a horse as she walked past a stable door.
During the investigation by the borough council, the owners of the trekking centre accepted that the horse was ‘grumpy’ and it was revealed that the horse “gets territorial around her stable and snaps when people are too close”.
The young girl required reconstructive surgery as a result of the bite.
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After viewing CCTV footage of the bite, the court found that while the defendant had made some attempts to rope off the horse, the precautions were not sufficient to prevent the bite.
Following a guilty plea from both Mrs Jocelyn Fletcher-Bryan and Mr Roy Bryan – owners of Little Pastures Trekking Centre – the judge sentenced them both to a £3,000 fine, £170 victim surcharge and costs of £2,500 to the borough council. In total, they have been fined £11,340.
Cllr Mike Chambers, the council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, said:
“Customers of Little Pastures Trekking Centre should be safe in the knowledge that by visiting the trekking centre they will not be subject to injury or trauma.
“This incident, that has physically harmed an 11-year-old, should never have happened and it is only right that we investigate thoroughly and take appropriate action to ensure it never happens again.
“The result should come as a reminder for all businesses that engage with the public that health and safety is paramount.”
