Animals Act 1971 (Amendment) Bill

Let me give my hon. Friend an example, and let us see what he thinks of it. When the Department was considering its response and working on the Bill with the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire, an insurer gave us the following example. The insurer received a public liability claim arising from a horse riding accident, the details of which might be useful to hon. Members in considering whether to support the Bill. The policyholder was a riding stable, and the accident occurred in November 2005. The claimant—a 22-year-old woman of limited horse riding experience—was taking part in a supervised hack. The horse that the claimant was riding shied away from a twig that had been kicked up by a horse in front. As a result, the claimant was thrown from a horse on to the ground, suffering injuries as a consequence. Liability was admitted in view of Mirvahedy. The horse in question was not known to present characteristics that would deem the accident foreseeable. The riding stable is no longer insured with the insurance company. The claim is potentially of high value. The insurer spoke to the underwriters, who advised that they did not invite a renewal of the policy as a direct result of the claim. Clearly, the Mirvahedy decision had a significant impact on both insurer and insured in this instance. Does my hon. Friend think that there should be liability in those innocent circumstances?