Why I sued my boyfriend's mum for £3m after falling off her horse: How paralysed teenager's legal victory has dramatic implications for horse owners across the country

Ashleigh Harris, 18, broke her back after falling in a field near Chepstow. She was riding on Polly Perks, a powerful thoroughbred ex-racehorse which belonged to her boyfriend Kieran's mother. 


That catastrophic accident four years ago set in motion a chain of events which culminated in an extraordinary £3 million legal battle at the High Court in London, one which lawyers and the British Horse Society say has far-reaching implications for unwary horse owners across the country. Last week, a judge decided that Ashleigh, who is now 18, is entitled to full compensation from 43-year-old mother-of-three Rachel Miller, the owner of 'badly trained' Polly Perks.