Girl killed in Cotswold Hunt horse-riding accident named

A nine-year-old girl killed in a horse-riding accident while out with a Gloucestershire hunt has been named locally as Bonnie Armitage.

She is understood to have been kicked by a horse while riding her pony during a ride with the Cotswold Hunt in Miserden, near Stroud, on Saturday.

Her school's head teacher described her as a "truly lovely, talented girl" and said the community was "devastated".

Police said her family and the coroner had been told of the death.

'Tragic accident'

"Bonnie, the daughter of a member of our staff, was a truly lovely, talented girl who was bright, kind, compassionate, gentle and full of joy," said Andrew Nott, head of St Hugh's School near Faringdon in Oxfordshire.

"Our love, thoughts and prayers are with her parents, Nick and Polly, and siblings, Zach and Mamie, at this profoundly difficult time."

Gloucestershire Police said she suffered serious injuries and was taken by air ambulance to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital where she later died.

A source told the Press Association: "My understanding is that she was riding slightly behind a bigger horse that kicked out at her pony.

"The kick caught her. It was a tragic accident."

Another said: "She is believed to have been kicked off her horse by another horse. It is an extremely sad incident."

'Overwhelming loss'

In a statement, the joint masters of the Cotswold Hunt said: "A sense of overwhelming shock and sadness is with us all as we try to come to terms with her family's overwhelming loss and grief, and I hope that the strength of our community together with the power of our prayers and the sincerity of our condolences will be of some comfort to the family.

"In truth we find it hard to write this, as a young life lost is very, very hard to bear.

"We would also like to thank the emergency services who did their very best."