Five women have come forward to the BBC alleging they were sold horses that were either unsafe to ride or had pre-existing, undisclosed medical conditions by a seller operating on Facebook. One incident involved a teenage girl who was kicked in the head by a horse purchased just six weeks prior.
Fiona, whose name was changed to protect her daughter's identity, recounted the terrifying event where her 13-year-old daughter was thrown from a horse marketed as a "teenager's dream." The horse bucked and bolted during a lesson, ultimately kicking the girl in the head. The incident resulted in the daughter being hospitalized with concussion and requiring approximately two weeks to recover at home. "You could see on the side of her helmet, the hoofmark where she got kicked in the head," Fiona stated, describing the moment as "awful" and fearing paralysis.
Fiona reported that the horse had never been sufficiently trained for riding. She expressed a sense of betrayal, stating, "I trusted Tasha. I believed what she said and she sold us a horse that wasn't fit for purpose, it wasn't fit for a child to be riding." The horse seller, identified as Tasha Lee Hopkins, was contacted by the BBC for comment but has not yet responded. The women's allegations center on the misrepresentation of horses' temperaments and health, leading to dangerous situations for riders.