A novice rider who sued an equestrian centre after falling from a horse during a lesson has lost her claim for damages.

Sylvia Hosegood needed surgery to her back after the fall at South Causey Equestrian Centre, near Stanley, County Durham, on October 11, 1998.

She had wanted to improve her riding skills at the school to enable her to go hunting with her partner, in Devon, where she has since moved.

The 34-year-old beautician told Newcastle County Court she was injured after trying to negotiate a 2ft high crosspost during her seventh lesson at the centre.

Her barrister, Christopher Williams, told the court that expert evidence had shown that such a jump was "too much to ask" for a learner.

However, trainer Elizabeth Rutter told the court that the jump was only nine inches high, the correct height for beginners.

After a one-day trial, Judge Judith Moir accepted that the posts had been at the shorter height.

She said: "I am satisfied at a reasonable level that the claimant was instructed to trot over no higher than about 12 inches.

"Having considered the evidence very carefully, it seems sadly this was a pure accident.

"There are risks inherent in getting on to and riding a horse.

"It seems to me the true explanation was the claimant did indeed lose her balance, as a beginner, after she had gone over a jump.

"That jump, it seems to me, was at an acceptable level. I can find no breach of duty or that the standard of care had fallen below what was acceptable."

Judge Moir said Mrs Rutter was a "competent and careful teacher" who would not have allowed a beginner to attempt more than what they are capable of