Comments on: Family Sues Over Eventing Tragedy

By: B

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:19:01 +0000

I would say ‘unbelievable’, but it is believable. I think that the parents have no right to sue anyone. If anything, it was their fault fr allowing her to ride on a horse and course that they deemed to be dangerous. It is not the trainer’s fault, the USEA’s, or the USEF’s fault. It was an accident, and yes it was dangerous, 3DE is always dangerous. I think the judge has/will throw it out. And Erika, you’re quoting Florida law, not necessarily California law, so that is irrelevant.

By: Erika

Erika — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:27:59 +0000

It is the law that your instructor, or anyone involved with your equine activities, is not responsible for someone getting hurt on horses. I dont think she can sue someone. If it was the safest horse in the world, the horse could have tripped and she would have called the poor animal dangerous. I ride horses and love to jump, and hope to ride in courses like Mia when I’m older, and I sure hope nobody would sue if I died. I even have a copy of the Florida equine law:
Under Florida law, an equine activity sponsor or equine professional is not liable for an injury to, or the death of, a participant in equine activities resulting from the inherent risks of equine activities.
(This is copied straight off the law, not a word changed).
So there it is, clear as day that she is absolutly NOT allowed sue anyone in this case. If she doesnt think horses are safe, then she shouldnt have let her daughters ride.

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:42:02 +0000

I have read articles about the rise in the number of deaths during equine sports in the last several years, and it is suspected that riders with the least experiance, a couple of years vs a couple of decades are most at risk.
It does not sound like the girl should have been competeing in the first place. All equine sports are dangerous.
I will have to say the parents are responsable for their lack of judgement and if the course was substandered it should be noted as well. I hope that more of these needless deaths can be prevented!

By: Animal Lover

Animal Lover — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:54:41 +0000

I heard she was told to get off the course immediately and she kept going and that is when this accident happened. So my opinion is if someone screams get out of the house and you ignore them and the house catches fire and you die, then you have no right to sue. I believe parents sue in cases like this because they feel it is a way of defending their childs legacy and also maybe they feel a little guilty.

By: S.

S. — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:51:21 +0000

I’m not sure if I agree with this or not. It depends on if what the parents saying about the horse and the course are true or not. I really don’t believe in legal actions. When it is your time to go…..you go.

By: sherriey

sherriey — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:21:07 +0000

Being involved with horses and being a mother too….if i felt that my daughters horse was unfit to ride, and/or the course was dangerous and not safty minded for either horse or rider…then i would not let my 17 yr old daughter ride! i would pull her and that would be that! especially after losing another daughter a couple yrs earlier! seems this mom dosen’t have any control over her kids, or she is just plain stupid! i feel bad for the horse!

By: Layton

Layton — Wed, 21 May 2008 06:00:09 +0000

That is very sad about what happened to those girls.

By: Samantha

Samantha — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:44:10 +0000

I attended the Event at Galway Downs (as a spectator) the day before this tragedy happened. My sister and I spent nearly the entire day watching the cross country course. I’m not an eventing or cross country expert, but I’ve been riding for about two decades and I thought that the event was safe and well run. The facilities were well-kept and there was staff all over the place making sure things ran smoothly. Moreover, in the multiple hours my sister and I spent observing the cross country course, we never saw a horse fall (a few refused the jumps and more than one rider fell off that way, or when a horse spooked or bucked), but nothing that I would have ever considered to be the fault of the facilities or course design.
As far as suing the trainer goes – I think that that is ridiculous. Horses are inherently dangerous and on top of that, cross country is one of the more dangerous sports you can engage in. It was the parent’s responsibility to educate themselves about the dangers inherent in the sport and about what makes a safe mount for their child. Any parent who relies solely on one trainer’s opinion isn’t being wise. And a seven year old eventer is undeniably a GREEN horse. Sure, some very experienced and talented 17 year olds can handle a green, hot, or nervous horse over a course, and who knows, Mia Eriksson might well have been one of them. But it was ultimately her parent’s responsibility to evaluate her ability and accept/assume the risk to her safety. If they really believed that the horse was “unfit to ride” then they shouldn’t have signed the liability release form that they HAD to have signed for her to have been able to compete.
I have a lot of sympathy for the parents, and it really was a tragedy that she died. But I think that this is a case of the grieving parents trying to alleviate their pain by filing a lawsuit. It’s all very sad.

By: a

Tue, 20 May 2008 21:47:37 +0000

That is so tragic and I really feel for her family. I wish they would make safer cross country jumps.

By: LALA

LALA — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:32:07 +0000

My barn was there at that show!! I stopped doing eventing because of that fall!