A woman is at risk of losing her arm after being tossed by a wayward horse and abandoned at home by a supposed friend.
Jacqui Kent’s life turned upside down in November last year when she reluctantly agreed to help a friend whose horse she had been helping to break on a grazing property on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne.
The friend had been working on the property three days a week on an arrangement that allowed her to get a discounted deal on her own horse.
Ms Kent told the Daily Mail Australia she was suffering from a broken foot when she agreed to help her friend.
Until then, Ms. Kent claimed she had only helped water her partner’s horses, but this time she asked her to help put blankets on them.
In what is in the process of becoming a statement of claim filed by law firm Arnold Thomas & Becker, Ms Kent claimed she felt pressured to help despite protesting her injured foot.
The experienced horse caretaker said she felt a sense of dread when… She noticed the horse’s ears back and his teeth coming towards her.
In a reaction that probably saved her life, Mrs. Kent covered herself with the carpet, but the horse managed to grab her by the neck and pushed her to the ground.
Jacqui Kent’s life changed completely when she was attacked by a horse.
Ms Kent said her friend did not call an ambulance. “I nearly died,” she said.
Curled up in a fetal position, she tried to protect her head.
The gelding lifted her by the shoulder three more times, slamming her to the ground again and again.
Ms Kent said she could hear her friend screaming throughout the attack, but when it was over she did not call an ambulance.
Instead, he left her at home.
“I almost died. My quick reaction to protect myself is the reason I’m still alive,” Kent said.
The next day he called an ambulance and later underwent surgery to try to repair his shattered collarbone.
Subsequent operations have seen plates and metal welded to their bones in an attempt to hold them together.
In May, he underwent synthetic graft surgery to try to reposition the collarbone and prevent it from coming out.
Mrs Kent now endures an agonising wait until November, when she will find out whether she will lose her arm.
“Currently surgeons can’t do anything: if they remove the plates, everything will fall apart because it’s all connected,” he explained.
Mrs Kent was trying to put a rug on a troublesome horse when he attacked her.
Jacqui Kent suffered a terrible collarbone injury (pictured)
The injury has not healed properly and Ms Kent now faces losing her entire arm.
Ms Kent said she never heard from her friend or the shelter owner again.
“I can’t comb my hair by myself anymore and I had to shave it off because it was such a tangled mess on my head,” she said.
‘I have not heard from any of these women and have not received any apology or help.
“I will never fully recover from this. I am taking legal action to seek justice and an admission that it was not my fault, and to recover all the medical expenses and ongoing physical therapy I will need to move forward.”
Ms Kent said grazing animal owners should know the horses on their property and whether the person feeding them is experienced enough to handle them.
“Anyone who works with horses on their property needs insurance so they’re covered,” he said.
“Even people like me, who were born and raised with horses, can be hurt by a horse. This horse had tried to attack other people and I was not told, there was no warning. If I had known, I would never have entered the paddock.”
Jacqui Kent risks losing her arm after being attacked by a horse
Ms Kent was left battered and bruised after the shocking attack.
Mrs Kent’s body after being repeatedly slammed to the ground by a horse
Ciara Smith, an attorney at Arnold Thomas & Becker who represents Ms. Kent, said her client… struggle with the mental and physical trauma of what happened to him for the rest of his life.
“The injuries he sustained continued to cause him daily pain and suffering a year later and will continue to do so throughout his life,” he said.
‘While we understand that animals have minds of their own and can be unpredictable, this incident could have been completely avoided had Jacqui been aware of the risks involved in entering this horse’s paddock.
‘He was not informed that the horse could be dangerous or volatile and had previously attempted to attack people.
“Incidents like these highlight the importance of homeowners and host establishments ensuring they are covered by public liability insurance. People should also not enter into verbal or secret agreements – there is no protection in such arrangements and it is almost impossible to mitigate the risk.”
The matter is expected to go to court in the coming weeks.
