試す 金 - 無料
'I will be in pain for the rest of my life'
Scottish Daily Express
|August 25, 2025
Equestrian Melissa Smith won £500,000 after being left with life-changing injuries when two dogs that weren't on leads spooked her horse. Here, she shares her story
-
December 28, 2018, was meant to be a typical day for Melissa Smith. As the owner of a livery yard who trains the dressage horses stabled with her, she'd already taken one horse for a ride and was taking another, Loti, out.
She then planned to meet friends at fancy brasserie, The Ivy for dinner.
Instead, Melissa, now 48, found herself being airlifted to hospital with life-changing injuries after she was crushed by Loti in a horrifying fall when the horse became spooked by two dogs who weren't on leads.
"It was a normal ride," she recalls, about the incident in Crooksbury Common, Surrey, a beauty spot popular with dog walkers and riders.
Loti had been stabled with Melissa for 18 months, was used to dogs, enjoyed twice-weekly hacks and was familiar with the route along the bridle path, a track that gives horse riders right of way.
"I saw some walkers who had some dogs running around with them - this is not unusual when you're on the common," she says. "It was one dog walker talking to a man. I stopped and called out to them to make sure they knew I was there.
"She had four dogs and she said she didn't know if they were good with horses. She caught two big dogs quite quickly but the two smaller dogs were running in the opposite direction. They weren't going to come back to her to be put on the lead."
VULNERABLE
Melissa, from nearby Godalming, stopped on the path and as she was waiting, she saw the white dog running towards her.
"I decided I felt vulnerable standing still, so I arced and made a loop round where the dog was running so I could go down the path to go home," she says.
Instead, the white dog ran behind Melissa and Loti, and the other little dog ran out of the bushes straight at the front of the horse.
"Loti was trapped with one at the front and the other behind her," Melissa says.
このストーリーは、Scottish Daily Express の August 25, 2025 版からのものです。
Magzter GOLD を購読すると、厳選された何千ものプレミアム記事や、10,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスできます。
すでに購読者ですか? サインイン
Scottish Daily Express からのその他のストーリー
Scottish Daily Express
Son denies murdering Rob Reiner and his wife
NICK Reiner, the son of film director Rob Reiner, pleaded not guilty yesterday to two counts of first-degree murder over the fatal stabbing of his parents.
1 min
February 24, 2026
Scottish Daily Express
Queen left speechless by Pelicot rape ordeal
THE Queen said mass-rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot’s “shocking” story left her “speechless” as she hosted the courageous 73-year-old at Clarence House yesterday.
2 mins
February 24, 2026
Scottish Daily Express
Brits finally walking in a winter wonderland
RECORD HAUL OF MEDALS BREAKS ICE FOR TEAM GB
2 mins
February 24, 2026
Scottish Daily Express
Whisky World
With Richard Elias
2 mins
February 24, 2026
Scottish Daily Express
Keely closing in on 800m record
OLYMPIC gold medallist Keely Hodgkinson believes she is closer than ever to breaking the women’s 800m world record.
1 min
February 24, 2026
Scottish Daily Express
Police probe vile racist attacks on Gers stars
RANGERS have blasted the faceless trolls who targeted Emmanuel Fernandez and Djeidi Gassama with vile racist slurs on social media.
1 min
February 24, 2026
Scottish Daily Express
Bodies of teen and man found in burnt-out car
POLICE are investigating after the bodies of a teenage boy and an adult male were discovered in a burnt-out car in the Highlands.
1 min
February 24, 2026
Scottish Daily Express
EVERTON 0 MAN UNITED 1
SESKO PACKS SOME PUNCH
2 mins
February 24, 2026
Scottish Daily Express
'GAME OF THRONES BUT WITH WHISKERS'
The hierarchical lives of Africa's lions and leopards come under the lens with the return of Big Cats 24/7 this week. JAMES RAMPTON examines the hit BBC show's majestic pride and ferocious appeal
6 mins
February 24, 2026
Scottish Daily Express
Mum's the word for Kelly's girl...
Lorraine's daughter shares family album and star's wise advice
2 mins
February 24, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size

