A NEWPORT-born horse rider was killed when her prized horse threw her from the saddle on a country lane, an inquest in Cardiff has heard.

Julie Webb, 44, who lived in Barry, was riding with a friend when her horse bolted forward and sent her flying onto the road.

Miss Webb suffered serious head injuries after she landed heavily on the country road in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Her friend Rita Whittaker, 63, told an inquest into her death that the pair were riding their horses along a quiet country lane during late afternoon when her horse suddenly broke into a run.

Ms Whittaker told the hearing: "We had a discussion that we would only walk and trot because her horse had sores inside his mouth, and couldn't have a bit in his mouth which gives you more control over the horse.

"The ride went well and she had good control along the route. We were riding down the grass verges and she asked me to go in front of her.

"The next thing I heard was her saying 'I can't stop'.

"The horse went into the road and swung around. Julie was flung from the horse and landed on her back.

"She wasn't moving or responding to me. I don't know what caused this to happen except the horse was spooked by something."

Ms Whittaker stopped a car driving along the lane in the small hamlet of Moulton in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, before ringing emergency services.

Miss Webb was pronounced dead after being taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, later that evening on May 26.

Miss Webb's partner Andrew Dyer, 44, told Cardiff Coroner's Court that she was an experienced horse rider of 30 years, and spent a lot of time at a farm in Moulton, where she kept her six-year-old horse, Sully.

He said: "She would always be safety conscious when riding. She never took any risks."

Dr Thomas Hockey, who carried out Miss Webb's post mortem examination, said he found evidence of blunt force trauma to her head.

Assistant coroner Thomas Atherton said it was clear that Miss Webb's horse had been "spooked" by something causing it to bolt forward, but said he could not determine what it had been.

He said: "She lost a degree of control and she was thrown from the horse and suffered very serious injuries.

"This was clearly a very tragic accident with terrible consequences for her."

He recorded a conclusion of accidental death.