Young woman died after fall from horse during Shrewsbury dressage lesson, inquest told

A coroner has written to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to ask if there are any lessons that can be learned from the death of Mair Schmeinck.

An inquest heard that the 27-year-old is likely to have suffered from an irregular heartbeat, known as cardiac arrhythmia.

It is thought she fainted and fell from her horse during a lesson at an outdoor school at the Isle Estate Livery Yard near Shrewsbury.

The inquest into the death of Miss Schmeinck, 27, of Tynllwyn, Burgedin, Welshpool, was held in Shrewsbury.

John Ellery, coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin heard she was a keen and experienced horse rider who had ridden for a number of years.

The inquest heard that prior to falling from the horse on October 25 2015 she had said "Ooh, head rush" before falling onto the soft ground of the yard.

Her mother Alison told the inquest: "She had been about 20 minutes into the lesson when she said she wanted a break. She said she had a head rush and then fell backwards and then to the right hand side.

"We were no more than 10-15 yards away from her. She gave about four breaths and then an ambulance was called and she was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where she was pronounced dead."

Mrs Schmeinck said that three months prior to the fall, her daughter had fainted after dancing at a Pony Club barn dance.

She said: "She completely blacked out. She was put in the recovery position and was fitting. She was admitted to hospital where she underwent various tests. We had still not received the results by October."

Dr Cerys Burrows, consultant pathologist said that she had carried out a post mortem on Miss Schmeinck and had found a number of fractured ribs. She also found blood in the pleural cavity and in the lungs. She said that the fractured ribs were consistent with a fall rather than with CPR performed by the emergency services.

She said that she also found a 'pale tissue' in the heart which was sent off for tests. While no abnormalities were found, Dr Burrows did find that Miss Schmeinck had a cardiac arrhythmia. "This could cause a lack of blood to the brain which could cause fainting and it can cause the symptoms of lightheadedness," added Dr Burrows.

Cardiac arrhythmia is a group of conditions in which the heartbeat is irregular, too fast, or too slow.

The inquest heard that without the cardiac arrhythmia she would not have fallen from the horse.

In recording a narrative conclusion, Mr Ellery said: "Miss Schmeinck died from injuries following a fall from a horse following cardiac arrhythmia."

Mr Ellery added that he would write to specialist cardiologists and neurologists at the RSH to see if an lessons could be learned from the tragic death.