Coroner Geoff Fell, who recorded a verdict of accidental death on Rachel Cross, is to write to the British Horse Society and other equestrian organisations asking them to inform their members of the risks of using old helmets.
Nobody saw Mrs Cross f
all from her horse, Honey, in Mire Green Lane, Killinghall, near Harrogate, on December 21, 2003, but she died the following day after being taken from Harrogate District Hospital to Leeds General Infirmary.
One of six riders in the group with Mrs Cross, Tracey Atter, said the lane was mud with a few stones. She regarded Mrs Cross, who had ridden as a child and returned to riding a few years ago, as a competent horsewoman.
Nobody in the group heard Mrs Cross cry out and they were not aware she had fallen until they reached a gate and looked back. A post mortem examination on Mrs Cross, 42, of Over Nidd, Harrogate, found no sign of a fractured skull but she died from bleeding around the brain.
Her jockey-style helmet with the British Standard number 4472 was sent for examination by Brian Chinn, of the Transport Research Laboratory, who found it was made in May, 1987 by Chapman's of Great Britain.
In a report to the Coroner, Dr Chinn said the standard was changed in 1996 and it became illegal to sell Mrs Cross's type of helmet in 1997. "The new helmets are geared up to take a greater blow," he said.
Dr Chinn said he was surprised that Mrs Cross was still using a helmet that was 16 years old instead of one meeting the modern standard. "There is no doubt that her chance of survival would have been greater."
The coroner told the Harrogate inquest that it appeared significant that Mrs Cross's skull was not fractured and there were no bruises. "Riding helmets have improved quite considerably since 1987," he said.
Mr Fell said: "I will be writing to the British Horse Society and other equestrian organisations drawing their attention to this case."
He urged riders to look at a report prepared by The Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund on its website at www.mdirf.co.uk
