An eight-year-old girl suffered horrific injuries after she was thrown from a pony which trampled on her FACE at a posh horse racing event.
Ruby Grace was braving her first-ever pony ride at the Dubai International Arabian Races when the animal suddenly reared.
She was thrown from the saddle and left dangling by one leg – where the animal then kicked her in the face and body before dragging her around.
Terrified Ruby was left covered in blood and was rushed to hospital by ambulance with four deep gashes to her face, severe bruising to her chest and concussion,
She spent three days recovering at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and needed three hours of surgery on her eye, lips and cheek.
Ruby’s mum Donna, 42, who works in financial services, witnessed the whole incident at Newbury Racecourse.
“I honestly thought that was the end of my little girl,” she said. “I thought she was dead.”
She said her daughter had always wanted to ride a horse and had only been in the saddle for a few seconds when the “big” pony, called Babe, panicked.
Donna, of Swindon, Wilts., said: “She climbed up and after a few seconds I think a piece of plastic flew in front of the horse’s face.
“It instantly reared up and she fell and her foot was stuck in the loop above the stirrup.
“The horse started dragging her around, kicking her in the head and chest. I thought she was dead – there was blood everywhere.
“As a parent, to hear your child screaming like that is absolutely horrifying.
“It probably wasn’t that long but it seemed like a long time. She was stuck and I felt helpless as I watched her being kicked.”
Donna and husband Martin, 46, who also works in finance, are now demanding answers from the organisers of the racing event, on July 24.
They claim the animal, which reared after a piece of plastic blew in front of its face, was too easily spooked for a children’s event.
They also say Ruby’s feet were not placed in the stirrups correctly, meaning that when she fell she got caught, and that she had nothing to grip onto.
Donna said: “It has traumatised our entire family, it’s robbed Ruby of her confidence.
“It’s just devastated us all. When it first happened Ruby said she didn’t want to look in the mirror anymore because of how her face looked.
“I want to know how this could have happened, and we want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anybody else.”
“It wasn’t the horse’s fault. It is the people who provided that horse and those in charge of looking after it who have been a bit negligent,” Donna added.
“Ruby would never get back on a horse. At the moment she is definitely frightened of them.”
She said the family has not received an explanation from organisers the Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) and Dubai International Arab Races (DIAR).
They claim they haven’t received any well wishes or messages of support from the pony owners, The Animal Company, or the event organisers.
The family have also had to cancel a holiday to Turkey after doctors advised that Ruby’s injuries should be kept out of the sun.
Donna said: “It’s ruined a little girl’s summer, and her confidence. It’s stopped her doing what she wants to do. I want answers.”
West Berkshire Council has launched an investigation into the incident.
They said: “We are investigating the circumstances of this incident to establish whether any health and safety offences were committed.
“We don’t currently have an expected timescale for the investigation.”
A spokesman for Shadwell Estate Co Ltd, on behalf of DIAR, said a member of the Newbury Racecourse team contacted the family to check on Ruby’s wellbeing.
“This was shared with us at Shadwell as we were concerned to be kept informed of her progress but did not wish to intrude on her and her family’s privacy,” he said.
“We wish Ruby and her family all the best during her recovery.”
The Arabian Racing Organisation is yet to respond to requests for a comment.
The Dubai International Arabian Raceday, which takes place annually, is staged to promote interest in Arabian racing and encourage Anglo-Arabian relations.
It is backed by the His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance.
