UK: nine-year-old girl kicks to death by Horse

Keen rider Bonnie Armitage was on her pony with the Cotswold Hunt when she was kicked in the chest by a larger horse, it is understood. Picture: freeimages.com

London -
A nine-year-old girl was killed by a horse in a “freak” accident during a hunt.
Keen rider Bonnie Armitage was on her pony with the Cotswold Hunt when she was kicked in the chest by a larger horse, it is understood.
Paramedics were called to a farm in Miserden near Stroud, Gloucestershire, at 11.25am on Saturday.
Bonnie was airlifted to hospital in Gloucester where she later died.
Bonnie was a pupil at the £5 500-a-term St Hugh’s preparatory school in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, where her father Nick Armitage, 40, is a deputy head and housemaster.
Her mother Polly is a professional Renaissance flute player whose father the Rev Canon Andrew Bowden served the Cotswolds for more than 30 years.
The schoolgirl, whose full name is Bonamie, played the violin and was a keen hockey player and cross-country runner at the school.
Speaking from the family cottage in Wantage, Oxfordshire, her parents paid tribute, saying in a joint statement: “She was a beautiful, vivacious and compassionate girl, who touched the hearts of everyone who knew her.
“She loved riding, and was never happier than when with her Shetland pony, Lindsay.
“We will miss her more than we can say, and we greatly value the prayers of so many of our friends.”
Mr Armitage added: “She was our beautiful little girl.”
Choking back tears, his wife said: “It was just a tragic accident. I don’t want anyone to be blamed for this. It was no one’s fault.”
The couple added that Bonnie’s pony was “absolutely fine” after the accident and that it was not the animal’s fault in any way.
A source close to the hunt said: “My understanding is that she was riding slightly behind a bigger horse that kicked out at her pony. The kick caught her.”
A spokesman for the Miserden Park Estate, which owns many of the houses in the village, added: “The Cotswold Hunt were meeting here for the last meet of the season. She was on a horse at the time?…?[and] was knocked in the chest by another horse and the air ambulance came.
“There were a lot of people there. The last hunt of the season attracts a lot of people. It would have been 30 or 40 people?…?it’s unfortunate. These things happen with horses. People in the village are very shaken up about it. It’s such a terrible thing to happen to a young person.”
One mother in Miserden, who asked not to be named, said: “The little girl’s grandparents are well known in the area and they are well respected. It is such a tragedy for the family.
“The hunt is very well known and established in the area... They meet in the village and then they go off riding around the fields in the area.They left the village and it was in one of the nearby fields. It is just awful when somebody so young is involved.
She added: “It is particularly sad at this moment in time for the family because they have experienced another recent bereavement in the past couple of weeks.” Bonnie was sister to 11-year-old Zach, who is also a pupil at St Hugh’s, and Mamie, four.
Her father worked in advertising before retraining as a teacher at Cambridge University.
The Cotswold Hunt was established in 1858, and meets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Last night Andrew Nott, Bonnie’s headmaster, said the school was “devastated” to learn of the pupil’s death, adding: “Bonnie, the daughter of a member of our staff, was a truly lovely, talented girl who was bright, kind, compassionate and full of joy.
“Our love, thoughts and prayers are with her parents, Nick and Polly, and siblings Zach and Mamie at this profoundly difficult time.”
A Gloucestershire Police spokesman last night said the death is not being treated as suspicious.
Daily Mail