A coroner is recommending anyone breaking in a horse - whether mounted or unmounted - wear a helmet when handling them.
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Experienced horseman Michael King, 49, was trampled on by a horse he was training on 29 December 2019, and died in Waikato Hospital the next day from head injuries.
Breaking in a horse involves training it to be ridden by getting it used to wearing a bridle and saddle, ensuring it accepts of the weight of a rider and understands basic commands.
King was at the cattle yards at Taharoa, near Otorohanga, when he dismounted the horse and led it to a fence where two men had stopped to speak with him.
As he went to leave the yards the horse appeared to have become spooked.
It reared up, kicked and repeatedly stomped on King, who had ended up on the ground.
Coroner Heidi Wrigley found the death could have been prevented had King been wearing a helmet.
Expert medical advice given to the Coroner shows helmets reduce the rapid acceleration or deceleration forces on the brain caused by high energy forces, such as road crashes or the sudden impact of kicks from a horse.
An analysis of King's blood found alcohol at a concentration of 136mg per 100ml of blood. That would be almost three times the legal limit for driving.
Wrigle said King's judgement in managing the risks of handling a horse would have been affected by alcohol and potentially cannabis found in his system but there was no evidence his handling of the horse was in fact impaired.
The coroner asked WorkSafe to review the guidelines to ensure they adequately addresses the risks identified in the circumstances in which Mr King was handling the horse he was breaking in when he was fatally struck.
