Olympic mum sued after horse kicked woman in head

The billionaire mother of Laura Tomlinson, Ursula Bechtolsheimer, is facing a lawsuit amounting to £200,000 after an aspiring dressage rider, George Day, was kicked in the face by a horse.

Day claims he was forced to abandon a promising career following serious facial injuries and a traumatic brain injury sustained during the incident on March 5, 2021.

Ursula Bechtolsheimer is the daughter of German retail magnate Karl-Heinz Kipp, who passed away in 2017. She is also the mother of Tomlinson, the Olympic gold medallist from the London 2012 Games, whose wedding to polo player Mark Tomlinson was attended by several royal guests, including the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke of Sussex.

Mrs. Bechtolsheimer operates a horse breeding stable with her husband at Eastington House in Gloucestershire, where Mr. Day alleges he was working at the time of his injury. According to High Court documents, he was hand-grazing a young horse named D'arcy, who had been injured and was under box rest.

During this time, the horse suddenly raised its head and kicked, striking Day in the face and causing him to lose consciousness. He was subsequently transported to Great Western Hospital in Swindon, where he was treated for extensive facial injuries, including a shattered nose and fractured facial bones. He underwent surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Since the accident, Mr. Day has reported suffering from neurological symptoms related to his mild traumatic brain injury, including fatigue, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and difficulty eating tough foods.

Although he attempted to return to Mrs. Bechtolsheimer's yard after the accident, he found he was unable to manage the work and developed discomfort around horses. As a result, he claims he can no longer ride professionally and is unable to pursue his equestrian career, which he will present to the court.

Mr. Day, 31, who had previously competed at a high level in dressage, is seeking over £200,000 in compensation, stating that the accident has shattered his Olympic aspirations and left him with limited job prospects.

While Mrs. Bechtolsheimer has acknowledged some liability for the incident, she insists that Mr. Day must substantiate his claims regarding his skills as a rider, his professional status at the time of the accident, and the likelihood that his career would have included competitions at the Grand Prix level.

In her legal defense, she described Mr. Day's assertion that he would have enjoyed a successful career as a professional rider but for the accident as "fanciful."

A representative for the Bechtolsheimer yard stated, "Mrs. Bechtolsheimer and her team extend their sincere sympathies to George for the injuries he sustained and wish him all the best for his treatment and recovery.

The matter is now with the insurance company to determine the damages owed. Liability has been acknowledged, not due to negligence, but under the strict liability imposed by the Animals Act 1971 concerning the circumstances of George's injuries. Neither Mrs. Bechtolsheimer nor her daughter were involved in managing the yard at the time of the incident."